ForLook Interior Design

Firstly we wish all our readers a Happy New Year!

Secondly, further to our article about the timing of Christmas Decoration - this is to remind you that today is the day to take off and put away all your decor. This is not only tradition, but according to some customs, it’s bad luck if you leave it up.

Your home might look rather dull and boring after all that sparkling - substitute  the twinkle with some coloured rope lights under the furniture or, change some light bulbs into a red or blue ones. These will instantly uplift your mood. Buy a few metallic or shiny ornaments, throws and cushions in the Sales (check out Next, Habitat and Matalan for some bargains). These will refresh your interior and reflect the light into the room.

This is a preview, read Happy New Year in full.

Most people I know hate Christmas. It seems that it’s not a happy period for many of us - apparently, most people split up during this period and the biggest family rows break out over the Christmas holidays. Also, most food poisoning, alcohol related accidents & suicides happen at this time of the year. However, Christmas comes every year and we have to survive it. We have 11 days left to endure and the stress that comes with it has started. Yet it doesn’t really have to be that stressful! If you try to be well organised and/or don’t let Christmas get to you, you can survive it. Here is a guide to avoid Christmas stress and panic..

This is a preview, read Christmas Stress in full.

In the previous article we discussed when it’s the most suitable time to put up your Christmas Decorations. If you decided not to do it on St Nicholas’ day (6th dec) which was yesterday, the next traditionally suitable day is the St Lucia’s day (13th Dec).

In the meantime you should purchase or make all the necessary decor details. If you’re into a more traditional style you’ll find no difficulty finding baubles, ornaments, wreath and garlands because most shops cater well for this look..

This is a preview, read Trendy Christmas decoration in full.

Do you ever wonder when you should decorate your home for Christmas? All the stores and high streets have already set up their deco and we’re still in November. So should we also start decorating our homes this early?..

This is a preview, read Christmas decor in full.

The silly season has started - the office parties, dinner parties, shopping trips, Christmas decoration dilemmas. This comes with the usual stress, over eating, binge-drinking and panicking.  Most of us are competitive and we want to provide or organise a better happening than last year, and certainly a better one that others do.
Here is a guide as to how to achieve it..

This is a preview, read Silly season in full.

Are you suffering from winter blues or SAD (Seasonal affective disorder)? If you are, with a little creativity, you could brighten up your environment.

If the seasons seriously affect your mood, you have to be careful as to how you decorate your home. Although moody, darkish décor is very trendy right now - this is really not suitable for you, as this sort of space looks good in the evening with artificial light, but during the day it looks rather gloomy.  Instead choose a colour scheme that bounces light back to the space - such as bright but light colours, whites & off whites. Also, don’t use matt surfaces - instead go for shiny materials and glossy surfaces (these are very trendy now anyway - so try glass, mirror, perspex, metallic, silky, satin, or even pearly finishes.

This is a preview, read Winter blues in full.

Winter is here again - the weather’s getting greyer and colder, the clock went back to GMT making the shorter-getting days even shorter - and, as a consequence, most of us are getting grumpy, sad and miserable. Before the sparkling Christmas decorations go up and the office parties start, there is not much to cheer us up..

This is a preview, read Halloween in full.

Investing abroad in Holiday villas is a big business. More and more resorts are being built all over the world to attract people to buy their own dream villas, which they can enjoy for a few months and rent out for the rest of the year. The properties are managed by a company who insures a good annual return. It all sounds attractive, safe and profitable. However, it doesn’t always work out. Let’s look at the example of the Aphrodite Hills Resort in Cyprus where I had the misfortune to spend a week this summer..

This is a preview, read Aphrodite Hills Villas in full.

The Aphrodite Hills Resort is advertised as being an award-winning 5 star resort with a stunning golf course, “the best spa in the eastern Mediterranean”, its own village square with bars & restaurants.  Wow! It sounded too good to be true - which of course it was - but  having been impressed by the photos published on the web, my partner & I decided to rent one of the villas (with its own swimming pool) for a week. We booked it through Amathus Holidays.

If you’re thinking of renting a villa, read my story below. Or read the next article if you’re thinking of investing in a villa at the Aphrodite Hills Resort..

This is a preview, read Aphrodite Hills Resort in full.

I always find other people’s homes interesting - seeing how they live; what their taste is like; how they organise their life and so on.  I’m even more fascinated by people living abroad. Despite the homogenisation of our world - styles, likes and dislikes are different in different cultures. What’s so wonderful about Europe is that you can travel only a couple of dozen miles and see very different architecture,  interiors and  styles. People live subtlety different lives in different countries, which are reflected in their lifestyles and homes..

This is a preview, read Interiors Abroad in full.