It's All About You!

We recently finished a major renovation to our apartment. We took a 3 room apartment on the top floor of a building and added a 2nd story on the roof. We put the salon and kitchen on the 2nd story and turned the original apartment (2 bedrooms, a salon, and kitchen) into four and a half bedrooms. Its interesting and different and totally consistent with my personality so that I always get a good feeling when I walk in the door.

That is what good interior design is all about. There are principles and rules that help create balance but it is more important that the design and decor in your home reflects your personality and living style rather than any conventional rule. And, you certainly don't have to completely gut your home and start from scratch in order to inject a bit of "YOU" into your space.  

Here are a few stylish ways to personalise your space without knocking down any walls. 

Accessorise

Accessories are a great way to bring your decor together. It's also another way to add a personal touch to your space as they often tell a story of where you have been or where you interests lie. Even if you choose neutral colors for your walls and furniture, you can still create a colorful atmosphere with the accessories you choose. 

Family Art

Take your favorite family photos, blow them up in different sizes, and hang them in similar (or different) picture frames.  Collect old photographs from your parents and grandparents to create a heritage display, or include your own baby photos with the baby photos of your children. ( Incidentally, you may encounter some objections from your bigger children who don't appreciate pictures of their 2 year old selves wrapped in a towel. Every time I hang that picture, it miraculously "disappears" the same day!)

Stick To It

Wall stickers are unique wall art without the large price tag- and they can be changed as often as you like. There are many places (including, you guessed it, Ikea!) that sell a variety of designs from animals to flowers to phrases. The look is a bit modern so if you are traditional in your tastes, this may not be your living room decor of choice, but there are whimsical wall stickers that make a fantastic addition to children's bedrooms. 

Support local artists

And I mean very local! They may not be Picasso's in the making but nothing is more special and personal than your child's artwork. Instead of posting these masterpieces on the fridge, display those brilliant creations more formally. For a unified look, hand each of your kids the same color crayons or markers and ask them to draw something specific. You will most certainly end up with variations on a theme. 

"Texstyles"

With the business of moving and unpacking behind me, I finally had the time to turn the "room where my girls sleep" into a "girl's room". With the addition of matching duvets and coordinating rug and curtains, the room went from "meh" to "marvellous". I invested less than 500nis and, of course, everything can be easily updated and replaced whenever I choose. 

The Girl's Room

The Boy's Room (formerly the kitchen!)

        How have you personalized your space?