Decorating with the senses
An old selling tip Real Estate Agents used to give to their clients was to put on a pot of coffee, bake some bread or even light the fire in winter. Not only did this give the prospective buyers the feeling of some one living there but it was all about ‘emotion’ selling. When looking at changing your home or a change to an environment in one room a great way to start is to look at the senses.
Look
The first things we use are our eyes to scale the room and take in the colours, the style of furniture. Taking in whether the room is cramped, overbearing, small and cluttered or a vision of beauty.
Your entrance of your home should make a visual statement, as this is where you enter everyday and invite people into your home. Large paintings with splashes of colour and a piece of furniture in a style will guarantee a welcome invitation to your home.
Feel/touch
Then we walk and sense the surfaces our feet make a connection with. The comforting boom of timber floor, the soft soothing nature of carpet or a rug over tiles will be the next stage of the senses. Be aware of what you will come in contact being the floor (as described) the textures of the couch, cushions and throws.
Even the textures on the solid surfaces come into play. For the modern high impact feel, high gloss and smooth finishes will give the extra ‘edge’ to your colour scheme where as low-sheen and satin finishes give a soft glow and warm environment.
Smell
This gives time for our noses to sense what is going on around us. A hint of vanilla from a candle on the table, a bunch of scented roses or the fresh smell of newly oiled timber furniture is a hidden layer often ignored.
There is nothing worse than an offending odour that lingers from last nights dinner, freshly chopped onion old runners left by the front door. These odours can be masked by the subtle suggestions given or obvious ones like potpourri in a bowl or plug in air scents that spray fragrances intermittently.
Sound
Do you walk into a void of uncomfortable silence, loud background noise, a wind chime outside, a familiar voice of a dog barking? Sometimes the subtle sounds aren’t noticed till they are interrupted but annoying, repetitive sounds such as a gurgle fridge, a ‘jackhammer’ from your hot taps or a fuzzy speaker will surround you with tension.
Make a list of the invasive noises and put aside a day of maintenance. You will be amazed with the peace you gain.
Taste
You’ve heard the saying ‘good enough to eat’, which means it is something that reacts with your passionate side. Reds have been well documented to encourage and stimulate eating but there are other ways to bring ‘taste’ in your room. The presence of beautiful rich browns with names and colours like latte, coffee and chocolate can evoke any taste buds.
Colours of your favourite foods in rugs, wall colours and couches and chairs can stimulate visions to start an appetite. A combination of colours such as plump eggplant, fresh lime green and tart citrus conjure a delectable food platter, or a décor of browns in varying hue’s of latte, chocolate and coffee will whet any chocoholics appetite.
But there is nothing more appetising than sitting on the couch at the end of the day and some-one hands you a cool glass of chardonnay with the sizzle of your dinner cooking in the background to fully appreciate how much taste your home really has!
by
Shaynna Blaze-Vaughan
www.blankcanvasint.com
