Interior bedroom design by Barbara Lee Grigsby

Home Renewal
Ring In The New Year With Fresh Interior Styles
You’ve decked the halls and toasted friends and family with Champagne. Now it’s time to pare back and simplify. The New Year often prompts new goals, attitudes, and a longing for fresh surroundings. In fact, renewing your home’s interiors can go a long way in achieving your personal ambitions.

Changing your decor is as much about psychology as it is about aesthetics, according to Maru Corrada-Willson, owner of Rooms Outfitters — an Oceanside company that specializes in room redesign. "People who do redesign want to make the most of what they already own, but they are seeking some new ideas to help them relax, recharge, and refocus," she says.

Although the New Year usually sparks inner reflection and a craving for change, there are many reasons why homeowners seek to refresh their interiors. When buying a new home, people often wonder how to incorporate their existing possessions in the new space. Marriage, or inheriting a collection of heirloom furniture, could suddenly create a need for fresh integration. When someone moves out — whether through a breakup or children leaving the nest — there are usually furnishings and accessories that go with them. Remodeling a home can also leave a home feeling unfinished with homeowners unsure of what to do with all of their newfound space.

People usually know within themselves that a room does not feel right. Can you find what you need and get comfortable in less than two seconds? Does coming home give you a feeling of "wow"? If not, it might be time for a home renewal.

According to Corrada-Willson, there are three muses that are always at play when redecorating a room: memory, identity, and control. Memory is the history associated with your possessions — what do you want to remember or forget? "If it’s a divorce, then rearrangement is all about making a woman feel good about herself and articulating who she is," Corrada-Willson says. Identity is finding out who you are and your interests. These bits of information can help personalize your space. Lastly, control represents the emotional baggage or outside influences that affect your ability to decorate a room, such as personal loss.

For example, Corrada-Willson once helped a widow redesign her bedroom after she had trouble sleeping without her husband. Understandably, the woman had difficulty facing her new independent reality when faced with a closet full of her husband’s possessions. "I told her she didn’t have to go through it until she was ready," Corrada-Willson says. In response, the designer covered up the closet with elegant draperies. "After the redesign, the homeowner called me to say it was the first time she was able to sleep through the night."

Not all redesigns carry that kind of emotional weight, however. For those who just want to update their interiors and inspire personal change, fresh paint can make a dramatic impact. This could include painting a feature wall in a living room or bath, or introducing a shot of color in a bath. Homeowners don’t have to feel married to fabrics, either. Dining room chairs can be recovered or draped in a slipcover for a quick change. A few new throw pillows, a new rug, or set of drapes can make a big impact, too.

"People get too attached to their accessories," says Maria Barry, co-owner of Le Dimora in Fairbanks Ranch. "They are often too small and lined up in a row." She suggests using large carved candlesticks topped with scented candles like ylang-ylang, brown sugar, coconut, or vanilla. "These are earthy smells that leave a lasting impression on your guests," she says. Fresh ivy is an inexpensive accent that can be put anywhere from fireplace mantels and cocktail tables to console tables and bookshelves. This year gold and brown are still popular color themes, while blue or red provide a pop of color.

Spruce up kitchens with a bowl of fresh lemons or pomegranates. Tiered dessert trays also make good decorative accents by displaying groups of apples, lemons, and pears on separate layers. Bathrooms get a makeover with large glass jars stocked with clean-smelling imported soaps, live plants, and chunky candles.

Investing in the right pieces can help you decorate rooms for a lifetime and avoid costly decorating mistakes. "People might say they’ll buy pieces that are good for now, but if they just save a bit more and sacrifice a little, they can purchase those one or two foundation pieces that they aren’t going to want to replace," says interior designer Barbara Lee Grigsby of Rancho Santa Fe. She recommends forgoing popular chain and catalog stores in favor of specialty boutiques that carry high-end furnishings from Dennis & Leen, Rose Tarlow, and Gregorius-pineo. "There is so much to good quality construction that makes it look and function at its best," Grigsby says. "These furnishings are not just finished on the top side — they are finished all the way through." Top quality pieces can be freshened with up-to-the-minute fabrics or accessories to create a new look. It’s all about creating interiors that will encourage life changes and adapt with them over time.
— Tanja Kern, photography courtesy of Le Dimora and Barbara Lee Grigsby Designs

Design by Maria Barry