Winter is an easy time to let clutter and dust build up in your home. You may not even realize it until those first few bright rays of sunshine peek through the windows and illuminate all you’ve collected in the last few months like a chipmunk and his nuts.
A cluttered and dark room can dampen moods and add to anxiety and depression. In today’s blog from Ellecor, our team of interior design professionals provides easy ways to create an open and bright space that offers light and relaxation.
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Deep Clean & DeClutter
Clutter can be an issue for anyone, especially when we are all staying home more. Before you grab the dust cloth, start to declutter. Rule of thumb: If you don’t love it, if it doesn’t bring you joy, throw it out or donate.
As you look around the room, ask yourself these questions.
Books: “Am I going to read this book again?” If it’s not part of a collection of value, donate it.
Accessories:: “Am I tired of looking at that?”
If your home accents no longer fit your style, offer the right feeling or look old and worn, discard and donate. If you have too many things in a room, pare them down to one or two. Creating open space on shelvings, mantles, and tables allows air to move freely and the human eye to wander. This interior design style signals to the brain that there is open space to breathe.
Once your home is decluttered, clean it. This includes windows, window sills, mantles, and baseboards. Take down window treatments and wash. Consider buying new to create a fresh look for a light and airy feel with interior design.
Window Treatments
If your curtains are dark and heavy, the room will take on that feel. Curtains with large, bold prints can do the same.
Consider changing out your current window treatments for a new, fresh look using linen or a cotton blend. Try lighter colors with small print or texture. Consider hanging the windows closer to the crown molding to give low-ceiling rooms a feeling of height and space.
If changing out curtains doesn’t feel like enough of a change for the look you want, paint color might be your answer for interior design.
Paint
When picking out a new paint color, people tend to get overwhelmed quickly. Staring at the vast number of swatches on the paint aisle can make the bravest DIY decorator start to sweat. In this moment of panic, we tend to grab the nearest white and be on our way. White can be a safe choice but it’s not always the right one for interior design.
The way to combat this is to identify the color palette you want for your room or home. Light and airy color palettes tend to be made up of monochromatic or harmonizing color schemes, meaning schemes that are composed of a single or double tint, hue, and shade. For instance, consider a warm white wall color complemented with creams, wheats, and golds.
If you’re a lover of color, a pale green or light blue accent wall complemented with cooler whites, silvers and darker greens can offer the same bright feel with a touch of color.
If creating a light and airy space is indeed your intention, avoid dark wall colors like black or dark hues in reds, browns, or blues.
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Adding Detail and Final Touches
As with any successful project, creating a finished look can happen in the details. As mentioned earlier, when decluttering, keep only accents that will blend well with your new color palette and offer positive feelings.
When looking for new accessories, consider the following.
Scale. Purchasing vases, pictures, candlesticks and other accessories that are too big for the space that you’re placing them in can make the room suddenly feel small and burdened. In the same manner, choosing things too small can make them get lost in the room.
Texture. Limit your textures to three to four in a room. This limits the visual feel of ‘busyness” and offers a relaxing feel.
Color. Make sure your colors complement one another. Having too many “pops of color” can be overwhelming.
Patterns. The same rule applies to patterns. Often less is more when creating an open and airy space. If you want to mix florals with stripes, consider muted variations of the colors to soften the room.
When you have finished the room, set some rules for yourself. Resist the temptation to bring in more accents once the room is complete. Let the space sit for a while and see how you feel in it weeks later. If you’re still not feeling comfortable, then consider switching out accessories until you achieve the look you want for interior design.
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Ellecor & Home Interior Design
Are you in need of a new look? We would love to talk interior design with you. Contact us online or call (417) 720-2602 for more tips from our award-winning team!