Do you ever look around your home and see pockets of chaos where you were expecting calm?
I am always seeking ways to reduce stress and to provide that calming strength I feel from having less visual noise in my surroundings. Sometimes our eyes and minds just need to rest.
So, here are some of my favorite, no-fail design basics that will help you achieve a lighter, brighter, and less cluttered home.
- Clear your countertops. If you have a favourite item you want to leave on display, make sure it looks intentional.
- Hide your cords. Cords are the number one offender for taking a simple quiet corner and turning it into an absolute mess.
- Make sure your area carpet is the appropriate size. Area rugs not only make a statement, but they also can unify a room and make it cozy.
- Reduce the number of paint colours you use in a space. Painting the baseboards, casements, and doors the same colour as the walls always looks more streamlined. Where you want the eye to go should be part of your consideration. If you don't want it to go to the baseboards and casements first, then paint them the same as the wall colour, or a slightly different intensity than the wall color. Also, when changing wall colours, be sure to do it on an inside corner.
- Don't keep unnecessary pieces of furniture hanging around. Keeping a piece of furniture that looked good in your past home is not a good practice. Pass it along to someone who can use it, or donate or sell the item. This also applies to decorative items on horizontal surfaces or smaller pieces of furniture. Too many small items placed around can tend to look like clutter.
- Size does matter when hanging art. If your piece is too small for the wall, either change it out for something larger or create a composition. When grouping, pick pieces that have a commonality. You can create visual continuity using matching frames and colour matting, common shades in the artwork, or works by the same artist.
- Keep your drapes high and wide, wall to wall, and floor to ceiling.
- Let the sunshine in! Natural light is the key to a space that feels open and airy. Speaking of light, keep the "temperature" of all your bulbs the same otherwise it can look careless. LED bulbs and fixtures come in a variety of temperatures (K or Kelvins); pay attention and keep them all constant.
- Give your eyes a place to rest by learning how to use negative space to your advantage. Edit, curate, and edit again!
My best advice to you is that you must love the items in your home. If you don’t love them, if they don’t hold meaning for you and bring you joy, then why are they there?