What differentiates this style with the rest? Where other styles have been focusing on the building surrounding you, this one focuses on you and the way you move. It has a very impersonal appearance with a very personal design. (Looks very good for renting out your place). The major cost to you is for the appliances/furniture - it will need modern things to create the right effect. However, you don’t need to buy a large number of these things, so price is lowered; you should only buy what you really need and actually use. Rather get too little than too much.

It has to be clean - or at least look clean. The floor needs to be simplified to draw attention away from it; use wood (real or faux) for a shiny finish, or small glossy tiles, or a rough slate-like texture, or even a simple lino colour.

Either way it has to encourage someone to feel that they are free to move around, with the ability to glide from space to space. Here you use variations of white with hints of colour; the few bold colours are to direct people’s attention to specific items. This style is adopted from up-market London living, a place of serenity from the busy world outside. You are creating an indoor Japanese garden for the modern lifestyle.

Split your house up into different areas, and go from there. You have:

Now you have to clear away things that do not fit in with this style: the knick-knacks, the cheap holiday mementos, all the things that will clutter the appearance. This will understandably be more difficult to do to somewhere in which you are at present living, as opposed to somewhere you have just bought and which is empty.

 Tip - You don't need to throw away your personal things that don't fit 
 in;  instead, create a display section for them all in a spare room.  So 
 now they are together AND are presented nicely.

Some people who lead busy professional lives don’t feel that they have the time to invest in the constant upkeep of gardens, which is fair enough, but they would still like to do something about landscaping or decorating their property. Strictly speaking, not all of these ideas involve a garden at all, but they do utilise garden accessories and other items of garden décor, to create a look or atmosphere that you can enjoy.

Promote space by putting most large features (organic or not) around the edge of the area. Around the inside put semi-features, with perhaps one main one. This should be the focus of the garden, without it standing out as far as style is concerned. On placement; make sure nothing is symmetrical; most plans of gardens in Cyprus sadly can be created by rectangles.

Avoid the very centre of the area: instead put the main feature slightly to one side (whichever side needs to be uplifted more) and just a bit further away to produce maximum effect. You are not keeping your eye guessing as to what is going on, but you are not giving it on a platter even. This will increase the freedom to psychologically move through your garden, without drawing too much attention away from your house.

This bit needs to look good, as it’s what draws people’s attention. The easiest way to begin is to make the room bare, then start again. Paint the walls in a very light clean colour, fix/replace windows - open up the space as much as possible; upgrade your lighting format and perhaps change the floor. This makes 80% of the job complete.

Now insert your carefully-selected furniture and appliances, keeping in mind the modern look with a small personal touch. It’s only too easy now to crowd it by putting in too many cushions, ornaments on tables, photographs, plants, or bulky furniture. Make it comfortable for you and provide enough for guests - seats, adequate dining table, coffee table, coat rack... Anything that you think will fit.

Leave centrepieces for last, like the cherry on top, so to speak. These will have the real character of your place, because so far there is nothing too flamboyant or outspoken. The “retro” comes in here. Add things that are old, but which still contain that ‘je ne sais qoi’ like this club chair in antique red leather, an old pedal-powered Singer sewing machine, or a huge framed poster for a jazz concert held in London.

Being the useful areas of the house, lighting and work space are the key issues. Don’t clutter them, and keep an ordered style. Buy a worktop/counter that keeps harmony with the rest of the room. Do a mixture of open and closed shelving - where open shelves house the things you use the most. If there is enough space, can you put in a island worktop like in this second picture?

Most probably you will need to change your worktop and cupboard doors simply because you will be upgrading them. In Cyprus people think that upgrading to marble or granite is the highest you can go. However, why not try a thick solid wood counter with sections of inlaid rough slate near the stove and oven? Also, the normal metal basin sink could become a ceramic twin-tub basin. Changes like this really make a difference to the appearance AND value of your property.

The bedrooms and bathrooms don’t need anything too fancy - in fact they need to be comfortable more than anything. Can you get your hands on an ultra-modern bed, an old wooden one, or even perhaps a put a platform with an area slightly bigger than the bed with the mattress just resting on it? Whatever you feel fits your personality best. The closet doesn’t have to have solid doors; it could have frosted glass sliding doors, a sheet hanging in front of the shelves, or totally open units.

With wardrobe space, it’s important that you don’t have things you don’t use/need. If you haven’t put something on in a year, it really should go. Have a vanity section if you want; get a retro mirror, or a retro stool on which you can sit comfortably. Put pictures of deep colours on the wall to create a certain emotion; make your mind feel how you want it to feel every time you wake up or walk in.

This is just one example of a solid style; you don’t have to follow it as strongly as I have presented it; it’s simply here to help you to think and to give you ideas. If you would like help with presenting your property, don’t hesitate to ask for help. Email Andrea

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