By Marie Feltz, Regional Director, INTERIORS by Decorating Den
What do you expect when you walk into your house?
Is it a haven for you?
Does your home romance you? Does it soothe and relax you? Does it put you in the right frame of mind for regrouping, for rejuvenating and re-energizing?
Decorating your home is more than a matter of color or type of furniture or whether you have carpet or hard floors, or accessorizing, or arranging. Decorating is about breathing personality into your house.
Your space should communicate. It should communicate to you. It should communicate to others. It should express itself in terms of you.
What does your decorating say to you? What does it say about you to others?
Start with balance
Does your favorite room bring you a sense of equilibrium? After a day of juggling your “to do” list, can you walk into a particular room and regain a sense of balance?
When a room feels natural and comfortable, it’s bound to be balanced. There will be a state of equilibrium among objects. If it’s off balance, it will more likely feel alien or uneasy. It will remind you of your busy day; not slow you down and refresh you.
Balance doesn’t mean a room has to be symmetrical or formal, with objects arranged equally on each side of a point of interest. Balance can just as well come from an asymmetrical or more informal arrangement. You can group objects of unequal size and bring them into balance by placing them farther away from the room’s focal point.
While both types of balance can be used beautifully in any room design, generally speaking, a room that combines both kinds of balance is more agreeable and interesting.
Other refreshing tips
There are many other ways to use decorating to create a space that romances you.
Greenery: Nothing can add so much for so little as greenery! There’s a reason that the man in your life brings you flowers. He knows you like them. (Unless you’re allergic). Most women like plants and flowers, but too often we don’t give them enough credit for being a decorative accent—even if they are artificial. Plants cheer up a room and humanize it by adding nature’s own basic color—green.
The romance of music: Nothing can soothe like music, or the reminder of music. If you have a piano, it’s not always easy to position it. But if you love yours and it stimulates wonderful feelings even when it’s not being played, then find a way that’s good for it and for your room. If it’s a grand piano, the curved side should face the room and the straight side should be parallel to the wall, if possible. Maybe it’s simply a nice music stand that can trigger those romantic thoughts; then display so it can communicate with you.
Space: Perhaps your busy days make you feel somewhat closed in and you want your favorite room to give you breathing space. But, you only have a small window in your little retreat. Then extend that window treatment further than the window itself. Voila! The illusion of greater space!
Stripes: They’re one of the most versatile of decorating tools. They can make a room look bigger or wider, more serene or louder. But, as with everything in life, too much of a good thing can sometimes be a bad thing. Here are some helpful hints for using stripes:
- Watch out for wide stripes with dark or bright colors, they tend to be overpowering. Use them in small quantities as an attention getter.
- The wider the room, the wider the stripe can be. Too small a stripe in a large room might get lost.
- A narrow vertical stripe works well in smaller rooms, particularly those with low ceilings. They will make your room appear larger by drawing the eye upward.
- Stripes are the great “mixer.” They are fantastic when coordinated with other patterns such as florals and plaids.
Most importantly, as you re-decorate, make it your objective to create a space that will evoke the emotion you want to experience the moment you enter your special space.
Marie Feltz is a board member of the South Hills Chamber of Commerce and was selected as one of 2005’s Top 50 Businesswomen in Pennsylvania.
