With a new year comes new ideas. Resolutions for your every day, goals to set and achieve at work and plans for you and your home.
With the traditional twelve days of Christmas now nearing their end, the last of the Christmas decorations will soon be packed away safely for another year. It’s a time when we all yearn to return to normality. To get the house hoovered, dusted and in order following the inevitable chaos of the festive season. Getting the guest room organised if you’ve had family staying, and the living or dining room back to normal now the Christmas tree isn’t a permanent fixture. It feels good to get the house back. Between Christmas and New Year we often find ourselves in a state of confliction. Not wishing for Christmas to be over with and waving goodbye to the endless fairy lights and festive foliage gathered from the garden but desperate for a little normality and order which comes with a tidy home.
Our Large Sideboards offer boundless storage for your home – perfect for the New Year
Singing in the New Year, with all the promise and optimism of what it’ll bring, adds a hint of desire for change too. Either in life or around the home – or both – a New Year presents the perfect opportunity for trying something different. For planning or forging a new route. Making a list of achievements to accomplish or ideas to practice.
We think decorating the home ranks highly on this list. Whether it’s a small corner, a whole room or most of the house, it is the thinking, planning and gathering of inspiration stage which is the most important – and often the most exciting too. No paint has been painted or wallpaper papered but the initial thought, tinkering and yearning for creativity is there.
Whether you know your own style completely or spend many long hours on Pinterest, having a little inspiration can go a long way. Not just in colour or texture, but in practicality and longevity too. It’s important to really think about the space you have, the time you have, the budget and what works for you.
Blogs, a continued and much-loved source of interiors inspiration, offer endless tips and décor tricks for your home. Whether you’re in your first home or your forever home, the authors behind them help to inspire creativity, thoughtfulness and a DIY attitude to decorating and home decor choices.
In an ode to the New Year then, we’ve listed five interior blogs to follow in 2020 if decorating or renovating your home is top of your to-do list – or if you just fancy feeling inspired for future projects on the horizon.
The Villa on Mount Pleasant by Tamsyn Morgans
For all things floral, Tamsyn’s blog – and Instagram, @tamsynmorgans – is a treasure trove of vintage finds, beautiful photography and feminine home décor. Started in 2013 to showcase her love for timeless interiors, vintage treasures and later to document the full renovation of her Victorian home in Norwich, it is photography for which The Villa on Mount Pleasant has affectionately become known for, winning Best Use of Photography at the Amara Interior Blog Awards in 2018.
From tips on what to look out for at car boot sales to styling vintage décor and photos of beautiful hydrangeas from her garden, Tamsyn’s blog is a joy to read and savour if you’re looking at introducing more vintage-inspired charm into your home in 2020.
We were lucky enough to visit Tamsyn’s home back in 2018 for Cotswold Co’s Home Tour Series.
We Love Home by Maxine Brady
Written from a Victorian peppermint-coloured home in Brighton, Maxine – @welovehomeblog – takes her readers on a colourful journey of purse-friendly DIY makeovers and easy-to-replicate interiors in We Love Home. An award-winning interior designer, Maxine not only shares décor tips and photos from her own home, but includes popular decorating trends, styling tricks and information about interiors workshops she hosts across the UK too.
A testament to her advice and inspiring posts, Maxine was awarded Best Interior Lifestyle Blog at the Amara Interior Blog Awards in November 2019.
Ria Fletcher
A new blog on the block so to speak, Ria has already forged a beautiful pathway for what’s to come in 2020 with her interior design blog. A collection of blog posts about how to decorate your home for Christmas, together with snapshots of her beautiful home in Norfolk and seasonal updates to her living room and a complete cloakroom DIY makeover, hint at what we can expect more of in the new year.
Having worked in the design industry for over a decade, Ria’s love for interiors is evident. An extension of her home account on Instagram – @ria.fletcher – we’re looking forward to seeing more DIYs, inspiring interiors and of course, lots of florals.
If you fancy a further peek inside Ria’s home, we were lucky enough to pop in for a cuppa last summer to find out more about her inspiration when it comes to interiors for our Home Tour Series.
Apartment Apothecary by Katy Orme
For the neutral lovers amongst us, Katy’s blog, Apartment Apothecary, has the sole purpose of making your home ‘look and feel better’. Taking a DIY approach from her flat in central London, Katy shares an array of interiors inspiration, craft ideas and budget-friendly tips and tricks for small updates to full room makeovers you can implement in your own home.
Katy started Apartment Apothecary in 2013 before leaving her job in teaching to blog full-time a year later. With Otto, her Golden Retriever at her side, you can find even more interiors inspiration from Katy over on Instagram, @apartmentapothecary, too.
I am Hayley Stuart
Winner of the Best Creative & Skill Blog at the Amara Interior Blog Awards 2019, Hayley’s eponymous blog, I am Hayley Stuart, is filled with creativity. Full room makeovers, like her utility room and bathroom, have been transformed with clever DIY hacks and colourful touches while smaller upcycling projects and simple home updates make Hayley’s blog an inspiring must-read for 2020.
Thinking of giving your porch a revamp in 2020? Tempted to start stencilling your patio or bathroom? Hayley’s Instagram – @iamhayleystuart – is filled with inspiring interiors for all seasons too.
Here’s to a creative 2020.
Don’t forget to tag us in photos of your Cotswold Co furniture and home accessories on Instagram using #cotswoldco for the chance to be featured on our blog this year.
