Spring is in the air — finally! So we’re turning to one of our favourite design duos to help us freshen up our homes in celebration of warmer Spring days.
Through their popular Postmedia Network column — read by more than 1.4 million people each week! — Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan have been sharing some of their favourite spring 2019 design trends and tips. We’ve rounded them up to help fuel our optimism that spring is finally here.
Be bold! Embrace colour.
Days are longer, skies are bluer, and the sun warmer — your home should be brighter too! Colin and Justin say that colour blocking and bold single shades are hot trends in 2019, so bring a little colour into your life!
- Red is associated with energy, strength, and determination, as well as passion, desire, and love. This intensely warm and bright colour can enhance your metabolism, increase your respiration rate, and raise blood pressure.
- Yellow is the colour of joy, happiness, intellect, and energy, and produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy.
- Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow, conjuring up joy and sunshine. It represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.
- Green is the colour of nature, symbolizing growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. It also has strong emotional correspondence with safety and healing.
- Blue is often associated with depth and stability and can instill feelings of trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, and truth. It can also benefit both mind and body as it slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect.
Learn more about living a life in colour in Colin and Justin’s March 11, 2019 column.
Be one with accessories.
Textiles like pillows, throws, and blankets are the perfect way to refresh your home seasonally.
Especially for spring, Colin and Justin recommend incorporating blue and white items to bring the sea and sky to your living room, or anything that helps bring the outdoors inside. They say:
“Lattice patterns, inspired as they are by the garden, are perfect — anything you can do to bring the outdoors in will enhance your springtime vibe.
Adding sea grass, coir or sisal rugs (on polished timber floors) will soften mood while introducing a sandy, beachy texture to get you ready for warmer climes. Opt, too, for rope covered lamp bases, natural placemats, hessian cuffed cushions or wicker chairs to ramp up this ‘sun dried’ style.”
Other additions that can brighten your décor include:
- Metallic vases, mirrors, and glassware that will bounce light and add sparkle.
- Floral patterns via fabrics, bedding, and wallcoverings — or vase after vase of the real thing.
- Swapping heavy drapes for white cotton or pale linen alternatives to allow them to billow gently in the breeze.
- Tiding up your bookshelves and decorating them with bright figurines and knick-knacks for a “Miami feel”.
- Bright ceramic drums or footstools as tables.
Spring forward to a brighter home with more tips from Colin and Justin.
The Scottish-born stars Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan are the hosts of many popular television shows, including Colin and Justin’s Cabin Pressure, Game of Homes, Colin and Justin’s Home Heist, and BBC’s The Million Pound Property Experiment, as well as regular featured design experts on CityTV’s Cityline.
With three bestselling books to their credit and columns in The Toronto Sun, The Huffington Post, Toronto Storeys, and Postmedia properties across Canada, this dynamic duo is truly unstoppable.
Email us at [email protected] to learn more about Colin and Justin.
