Interiors expert Linda Barker has shared some of the easy ways that we can give our homes a little refresh this spring, and how small changes can make a big difference
Interiors guru Linda Barker has revealed how we can all give our homes a little refresh this spring – and it’s simpler than you may think.
Having reached iconic status since appearing in the nineties home makeover show Changing Rooms, Linda has become known for her knack of transforming spaces in little time at all alongside the likes of Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen, Anna Ryder-Richardson and Graham Wynne.
More recently too, the TV personality gave people’s homes a new look on 60 Minute Makeover and last year she appeared on This Morning where she helped revamp a viewer’s home. With this in mind then, it’s no surprise that Linda’s bursting with ideas when it comes to how we can all breathe new life into our houses.
“It’s not necessarily only at spring, you shouldn’t really only decorate for spring, you should have longevity in mind. But what’s brilliant about this time of year is if you introduce lighting,” she told the Mirror.
“People often struggle with lighting. Often people don’t put enough layers of lighting into a space. That can be a very easy thing to do just with pairs of table lights on a sideboard, maybe there’s a table behind your sofa where a couple of tall lights could sit in.
“There’s all sorts of layers of lighting that can really make a room super cosy and create beautiful pockets of interest. If you put a little light on a table that’s got a pile of books or a little vase or something like that, you’re creating more focal points – points of interest.”
A great thing, Linda says, about adding more lighting to a home is that it’s great for people looking to revamp their living area without spending too much money. Whether you’re in the market for a new lamp to put on your bedside table, or want something to spruce up your dining space, there’s an option for any budget.
“It does not have to cost a fortune. You can get tiny little table lights. You can even get portable lights now that you just charge their battery and they last for 24-48 hours, some of them. You can move them around, so you can really play with lighting. You don’t have to worry about lots of cables across walls if you haven’t got the appropriate switch points in place either,” she adds.
But besides adding more lighting into your home, Linda has revealed another trend that she’s been leaning towards recently. When it comes to adding extra interest to a room, the interiors expert has found herself becoming more and more attracted to patterns and colour.
“We’re always very wary of trends because as a designer you need to have longevity – you don’t want to do anything that’s just fashionable. But I do think we’re using patterns much more prolifically. Five years ago, I was all natural linen curtains but now I’ve found myself really loving the introduction of patterns at windows,” she says.
“Certainly my collection with Terrys, it is a very gentle palette, but it’s very strong in terms of pattern. I think it really helps to create an atmosphere, particularly on fabrics because you get that element of texture.
“I think this is an ongoing look that people are really embracing and it’s quite exciting. It brings a character to a room and a real sense of a curated space, you know, your own personal creation. The way that you want to put a look together is really helped by wallpaper, pattern fabrics and patterned linens. It’s a very lovely look that I think started maybe five or six years ago and is going to continue long into the future.”
With spring on the horizon, Linda’s stunning new collection for Terrys Fabrics is filled with floral curtains, blinds and fabrics. “Spring has always been an extremely good time to start decorating for almost everybody. It’s so gloomy outside at the moment, and everyone’s craving a point of difference,” she says.
“Also, we spend so much of our time indoors this time of year, so our focus is honed towards creating beautiful spaces in our bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens. It makes us feel happier in the dark days, darker months.”
For more information on the Linda Barker Home collection, visit terrysfabrics.co.uk