Glossy interiors

As I wrote in the previous article, gloss and lacquered finishes are yet again fashionable. However, you don’t need to replace all your furniture, with a bit of imagination you can update your home to shine!

Walls

If you’re happy with the wall colors, just add a shimmery or pearly  layer of varnish or glaze over the existing paint. If you want to change the color scheme, choose  seductive yet subdued colors, such as chocolate, coffee-latte, caramel, ivory, sage, pink, mauve, taupe – either in a gloss finish, or add a top layer of transparent shiny glaze. Wallpapers are also back – big time. But don’t cover all walls, just a feature wall in a textured, glamorous and shiny or metallic finish. Look out for bronze and gold – these two metallic finishes are taking over from silver & chrome.

Floors

As I said in my previous article, even floors are becoming glossy. You can varnish your wooden floor with high-gloss lacquer to achieve the desired effect, whilst a bathroom floor can be easily updated with some glossy rubber tiles rather than vinyl flooring. Note: do be careful with glossy surfaces under your feet – they are more slippery!

Furniture & Furnishing

Generally use lots of glass, acrylic, mirror and metals on furniture. You can update your cabinets with high-gloss paint, or get them covered with mirror. Alternatively get new doors made – make sure you commission proper acrylic rather than then laminated or coated boards, as solid acrylic is more hard-wearing and easier to maintain. Sometimes just changing the handles and knobs can do the trick – find some glossy, glass or metallic finishes and swap them around.
The easiest thing to change is soft furnishing. Just a few lush cushions and throws, made of silk, satin, taffeta or velvet, can add a touch of luxury. Renew your living room and bedroom with such cushions, throws and bedspreads.  If your blinds and curtains need updating, choose metallic or shiny textures and textiles. You can also make some large panels out of interesting textile – hang these on the wall!

Accessories

Vases, candlesticks, picture frames, bowls are perfect accessories to be used to refresh an interior. You can modify some of your existing ones by decorating them or adding some other elements to them. For example adding some colored glass drops to a simple glass vase or bowl instantly adds some elegance to the object. Alternatively buy some cheap and cheerful accessories and place them around your home carefully.

Lighting

Finally, lighting is an important element for this new trend. Use subdued, low lighting together with directional and focused lights. Have at least one light that has a wow factor – it could be a glass chandelier or a funky pendant light. You can add colored bulbs to create different moods, or install a color-changing light system. Even if you go high tech, remember that nothing compares to candle-light, so invest in a couple of candelabras – which are very trendy right now anyway.