Judith Sutton ABR CRS IDS PMN ASP IAHSP SRES GREEN
Judy@JudithSutton.com 908 803-0472
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How to Use Color as an Inspiration to Your Home
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RE-DECORATING? UPDATING? HERE’S HOW TO DO IT IN 2024!
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Invited Guest Contributor O. Turner
The trick to turning your living room (and your comfort) into a retreat lies in creating a space that feels like a separate destination to the rest of the home. It's a zone where you come to unwind and feels like a special place that is tailored to you and your needs.
You want the space to feel relaxing, so enlisting the help of lighting, color, and cozy design ideas will help a sense of calm wash over you as soon as you shut the door behind you.
Starting with the living room, if you want to create a calming and cocooning destination, you will want a sofa that envelops you in comfort, so think of curved or L-shape sofas that feel gentle and cozy.
Think low-profile furniture too - this helps foster a relaxed and casual space and stops your living room from feeling too stiff and formal. Pairing with your low-level furniture, think about accessories like tabletops, end tables, and coffee tables - allowing you to keep everything in reach.
Bring in cozy textures with a mix of tones and fabrics that work together to soothe and calm. Think linen, velvet, boucle or high pile materials that bring a shaggy feel.
Make a note of how natural light enters the room whether you want to create a retreat that feels dark and cozy, or light and airy. Sheer has been chosen as the texture of choice for 2024 adding a gossamer texture to diffuse light, slightly. Think summer breezes on a summer day!
Color is King! Choose colors that calm. Your color choice scheme is hugely important to creating that coveted retreat feeling.
To achieve a calm, serene vibe, keep contrast to a minimum. Most often, rooms where the design is neutral it will add warmth through natural textures like wood, chunky fabrics or warm metal tones.
Earth tones such as deep blues and greens or warm rusty browns are always calming. A natural palette helps create a soothing aesthetic making it the perfect space to rest and recharge.
Look towards nature to bring indoors which can be as simple as adding an indoor tree or houseplant. select a plant that removes toxins and purifies the air. Natural materials can help soothe the soul too.
Choose materials such as stone, wood or brick- shades of color found in nature. Colors conveyed by natural materials are conducive to our wellbeing and can connect us to the outdoors- even in a cooler climate.
Lighting is so important to bring in that all-over feeling of relaxation. Get rid of that bright overhead lighting and opt instead for ambient lighting. This will bring pockets of light into your space.
Try diffusing the light equally around the room, or behind a houseplant. Don't forget that candles can bring aromatherapy element to the space, adding another layer of luxury!
In a living room, where you may be lounging, watching TV, having conversations, or reading, embrace floor or table lamps. Add sconces for dark corners or to highlight art, and introduce a chandelier for gentle overhead lighting, creating a more tailored and ambient atmosphere.
Create a focal point in your room. Think about the layout of the space and consider how you can give your room a focus. If this is a retreat, you might want to move your TV to another room and instead install a log burner with a fireplace to function as the heart of the space (flickering flames that omit warmth work as a calming focus far better than the blue light of your TV screen!)
Think about the layout of your furniture too and rearrange sofas to face inwards, creating more of a cozy scheme. Point your sofas inwards, centered around a coffee table that can give the room an intimate set-up that sparks natural conversation.
Create surprising seating areas too - like a window seat that gives you a view to nature or a book nook that makes use of an unused alcove or corner of the room, perfect for a spot for reading.
The trick is to envelope the senses. Create a distinction between this room and every other in the home by using the sense of smell. Aromatherapy is a simple way to relax and soothe, and can be a budget-friendly way to create a feeling of retreat. 'Evoke tranquility with aromatherapy by harnessing the power of scents,' urges Ginger Curtis, CEO and founder of Urbanology Designs.
Make your home smell good by introducing the gentle caress of essential oils diffusing through the air, 'or the soft glow of scented candles imbued with calming fragrances like lavender, chamomile, or eucalyptus, known for their stress-relieving properties.
If this is to be a special place for complete relaxation, all your senses should be addressed- 2024 style! Upgrade, rearrange, and treat yourself to an experience of uncluttered bliss!
Need help to stage your home for that next move? Call me. I would be happy to help!
Adding value for my clients and loving where we live!
Judy@JudithSutton.com
COLDWELL BANKER...GUIDING PEOPLE HOME SINCE 1906
908 803-0472
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