By Edilka Anderson
Our home is where we spend our most precious moments, and a place where we can express our colourful social selves or take refuge in stepping back for more solitary, monochrome peace and quiet.
A sense of self
The décor choices we make when designing our homes are often innately linked to our personalities and even to our hopes and dreams.
Home is the foundation for our sense of belonging, and especially right now, our haven for safety. Our home base is where we can be ourselves, where we can colour outside the lines, and just be.
Warm or cool?
Our colour choices play a big role in the vibe in our home. Though scientists still don’t completely understand the link between colour and mood, we all know that a colour, and its various shades, can definitely affect how we act, think, and feel in a space…. especially when that colour is used in a dominant way. Red, for instance, is an aggressive colour that gives off a completely different vibe than pink, which has been proven to reduce aggressive behaviour.
Letting your space evolve
As our lives and homes ebb and flow, the feeling we want to create and enjoy in each of our spaces changes too. Let’s take a look some of the common threads that experts suggest will help us plan each room in our house or condo to meet certain needs:
A happy space: The living room and kitchen tend to be gathering places and often the space that delivers the first impression. These are great spaces to fill with a sense of comfort and joy that feels light, and airy.
Laid back comfort: Master bedrooms and family rooms are great places to relax with the use of textured fabrics that are rich, and warm inviting colours.
A sense of pride: Impress guests while entertaining in your formal living room and dining room. Here you can invest to create drama, elegance, and a place to celebrate the people who are important to you.
Romance: To create a feeling of romance in a room, the fabrics used should be soft and elegant, and have some drape or flow in them.” Let’s not forget the lighting and scent to add the finishing touches.
Family safety: If there are children, or older adults, in the home, discuss child safety features and eldercare options as well to keep everyone out of harm’s way. Tasteful home healthcare equipment, along with cordless controls, window treatments, and easy-to-use locks and alarms, are easy to have installed.
Whatever the room and wherever the space, large or small, a little creativity and design thoughtfulness, can help you create the right vibe to suit your style. Need help? Ask a decorator or designer to work with you.
After all, making your home, your castle and being the colour in a black and white world is more rewarding than ever.
