The beginning of a new year is usually the best time to plan a redecoration of your house. This is simply because the latest trends that will define the rest of the year are out and fresh at this time, so you can be the first to set the trend in your circle!

Speaking about trends, Pantone's colour of the 2017 is Greenery, a fresh take on nature that is believed to be symbolic of new beginnings. We couldn't agree more; we love the zesty vibes of Greenery and feel it'll make a great palette for those looking to create a natural, yet contemporary space.

Colour Theory for your Interiors

Let's start with interior wall painting tips and recommended palettes, since green is the colour of the year, we can use trendy blue-green shades like teal and aqua, which go well with combinations of taupe, black, white, browns and pale creams. If you want to up the ante and create an impact, you can also pair the above with orange and other spicy accents.

If you're a fan of wooden and cane furniture, bring the outdoors inside with a gorgeous combination of olive green interior wall paints and pair it with cream accents and earthy accessories like a brown rug or a rustic wooden bookcase. Cosy up with a book and can enjoy the beauty of nature in your living room!

For those who love going against the grain and who'd like to try a shade other than green, you can opt for comfort with light greys, golden creams and rose.

This is just the beginning of what you can do with your interiors, so what are you waiting for? Let's get down to decorating!

We've covered the interiors in our previous post, whereas for your exterior walls, we all know that this isn't an easy task. For most of us living in apartments, this isn't really something we think about much – but this one is for our home-owners!

Colour Theory for your Exteriors

When it comes to choosing and painting colour shades for your exteriors, we suggest settling on three colours, for your walls, trims and accents. This gives you an option to create a beautiful palette that can show off your house from near or far.

A few tips to remember is to keep your trim lighter than the sides, so lighter shades of creams, whites and greys are recommended. You can go for stronger shades on your accents for a pop of colours and to increase the personality of your house.

A safe choice to go with is neutrals as the main exterior wall paint, with creams on the trims and rusty reddish orange or earthy shades for the accents. Other interesting and quirky choices are pale yellows as the prime exterior wall colour, while opting for a pastel or pop blue for the accents, with white trims.

Add some sophistication with black and darker accents, but ensure that your trims are always lighter in shades, as it naturally makes your home feel dynamic - choosing similar shades for the trim and exterior wall colour can make a house look flat, so be sure you remember this tip.

If you are fortunate to be surrounded by greenery, stick to lighter shades, as trees can shade the house and sometimes alter the effects of the shades.

We hope you've picked up quite a few tips to help you in your choice of exterior wall paint colours and shades, good luck and happy redecorating.

We've covered storage and space topics quite a bit, but this time, we're going extreme! As cities get more crowded and spaces get smaller, we city-dwellers find ourselves scrambling for space more often than not. Being mostly renters, it's also important that any storage option can be picked up and moved or reused easily in our next accommodation. But for those lucky ones with homes in the city, worry not, since we have tips for you too!

Out of Sight, Out of Mind!

A lot of people forget the space that exists above the line of sight and tend to store everything on the ground or eye level. Utilize this untapped space with the help of stacking drawers and cabinets above sturdy cupboards and kitchen storage units. You can also place a plastic drawer unit over your refrigerator. This place is best used for items that will not be used often. If you don't live in a rental, you can double your storage space by installing cabinets high above or add a swanky ceiling-tall sliding bookcase over your doors for a cool touch.

DIY Hacks to the Rescue!

Often, space for a countertop or dressing table in the bedroom is a luxury and we have to make do with the available space for storing knick-knacks, such as jewellery, cosmetics, watches and accessories. In such cases, there are a couple of cool hacks you can use. For those who love some quirk, a cork board with pretty pins forms a perfect place to hang your jewellery. This can be hung behind a door, inside the sides of your cupboard or even your walls with the help of a frame. Speaking of doors, the back of bedroom and bathroom doors are a great place to hang door organizers.

Upgrade to Smart Furniture!

This is the advent of smartphones, smart watches and smart accessories, so why not invest in smart furniture too? Smart furniture is simply functional furniture with convertible options and/or storage spaces, nooks and crannies built in. Most of us already beds with storage areas, but there are several other types of smart furniture like couches with drawers or storage pouffes.

Make the Most of Nooks & Crannies!

Nooks, crannies and corners are often overlooked. Take a look around your home and notice unutilized spaces, like corners, empty wall spaces, hallways and under the stairs, to name a few. For those not in rentals, arranging custom made snug-fit storage fillers under their stairway is a great idea and creates a lot of space, or else, you can still find a standalone cabinet or drawer stack that can fit as well be moved later. As for corners, invest in corner fitting cabinets and dressers as this can utilize oft-unused corner space and leaves the rest for other furniture. Deep furniture pullouts are also a great investment as they can store a lot of things as well as be hidden easily by sliding back into their space.