Monica Arango, co-founder of C’est ici interior design studio basedin Dubai has been guiding residents for more than five years on how to build their dream homes . 

Here, she shares five of her top tips on how to update your home during Covid-19 times to form the perfect sanctuary –

1- Making space:

A house isn’t just a place to sleep any more, it’s your office, your social space, your exercise space, and more. There are desks and workspaces placed in bedrooms and living rooms as part of the norm. She advises to make smart spaces by decluttering and moving around the existing.

Spend a good amount of time minimising the way you live and start giving away all those things that you don’t need. Give yourself a deadline and start creating spaces that work for you. If you use Pinterest, create a board for each of the projects and collect inspirations along the way.  Move around the existing and start creating your own sanctuary at home.

2- Buy local:

Buying local and online has become one of the norms during this time.  There has been a huge shift in thinking as we look to shop locally to avoid lengthy shipping delays from overseas suppliers and also support our local sellers in the region. 

3- Bring the indoors In:

Covid hit and restrictions lifted almost 40 degrees later on this side of the world making it very difficult to enjoy our gardens and outdoor spaces. The main aim of our new homes is leaning towards a safe place reflecting a calm and peaceful space with lots of greenery. Windows and natural light have been valued and appreciated like never before. We recommend to make use of the light at home and place beautiful greenery indoors.

Invest a good amount of time selecting indoor greens that survive.  It’s all about creating a sanctuary and the ability to socialise from home bringing the greenery in to help create better air quality and a soothing greenscape indoors.

4- The importance of function and form:

Spend a good amount of time planning your makeover.  Stop the compulsory shopping and buy smart for your space. While we love trends and to incorporate them here and there, our tip is that you spend your money in functional and transitional pieces that will last for a long time – specifically the basic pieces. We recommend to spend more time planning out spaces and investing in good quality pieces that will last for a long time.

5- Your DNA:

We do not like labels and certainly focus on creating the unexpected in most of our projects with a pinch of your own origins. We recommend to do that at home. Stop comparing your home to your neighbors and start the makeover of your home on things that work for you and your family. Always inject a pinch of your origins on your interiors and create the unexpected. Get inspired and build your own sanctuary that works for you.

For other ideas, follow @cestici_.