Designing to Your Senses

One of the most overlooked interior design considerations are external stimuli that can dramatically affect a person's sense of well-being and general mood.

When you walk into a room, the first thing you experience is whether the colors and styles are pleasing to the eye. A warm color palette can bring energy and romance, while a cool color palette is soothing and easy going. Color palette’s that are pleasing to the eyes are those pulled directly from nature. I sometimes finding myself taking pictures of beautiful nature scenes, I assess what about the picture soothes me. Most times it’s the way the color flows together. This is an excellent way of pulling colors straight from nature. Adding different textures in a room will create a visual delight. In order to create a personal sanctuary within your home, you must clear the clutter. Clutter is considered an obstacle for positive flow of energy, and for yourself as well. I know for me the sight of clutter causes extra unnecessary stress in my life. Consider the lighting in your space. Is it adequate lighting for the space? Without making a large investment, you can easily add dimmers to any space making it a more relaxing environment, but also keeping control when full lighting is needed.

Next is smell, the moment you enter your home, engaging your sense of smell is the first thing you’ll notice. No one likes to walk into a smelly home. By adding a lavender scented candle or plug-in can relax and calm even the most active person. I know from personal experience that lavender is calming, it is a scent I have to use in my house with my four teenage boys around. I really enjoy listening to jazz music while I cook, or while I’m working productively with my team, it creates a lively and fun atmosphere. I know jazz, may not set the mood for everyone, I recommend determining what is the best music for you to listen to. If you work in a setting where there are others around, try and find a medium that will inspire all. Or bet yet come up with a system to rotate music, that way everyone is satisfied, and is working productively.  Lastly, your personal "taste" is what brings the whole thing together.

Addressing all 5 senses as you plan your room will set the mood-- you choose whether you want to make it fun, creative, romantic, or relaxing. You always want to add your personal "taste" to any space and with that you have a complete design package . So, don't forget to include all your senses.