Interior design is a never-ending travellator of ideas, suggestions and potential changes. From painting the walls or changing the furniture to knocking through and going “open plan” there are almost no limits to how far you can go. But sometimes people think big and miss some of the smaller things you can do the really bring a room to life. Some people are never totally happy in a room and can never quite pinpoint why. Here is a very short list of just 3 things you can do to a room to breathe life and soul into it and hopefully get that settled feeling of completion.
Art
There are literally millions of lounges, kitchens and dining rooms out there that look all well and good but they are missing something. The owners keep changing things but can never quite get it right.
What are they missing? Well, a lot of the time it is art. Art is created with passion and emotion and by inviting that into your home you can add some of that feeling into a room. It is the one part of the room that has a feeling, of course, you may love your sofa but art gives flair and feeling of life into the mix. Of course, “art” is a big term and can encompass an almost infinite number of different images, sculptures, photos and more. Therefore, it is important to choose well and not to fall into the Ikea art trap.
The Ikea art trap is that moment when someone walks around the store and grabs a generic print to take home and stick to the wall. This generic print will mean next to nothing and it will not bring passion or emotion to the room it will compound the feeling of no direction.
This is not to say people should go and spend £1000s on some art it is saying you should think, do some research and with a budget in mind buy something you care about. Art Companies like artrepublic.com, offer art in very accessible ways and at accessible prices in some case. By spending £200-300 you could have something by a real artist, something you can look at and enjoy, something to talk about and ultimately something that bring life and passion to the room.
Colour Pop
Colour popping is the interior design process of bringing in a single feature into a room that is a lot more colourful than everything else. It can also be an item so a very different colour to everything else. The idea is that literally brings a single “pop” to the room, this pop is exciting, it draws the eye and mentally refreshes whoever is in the room. It is this excitement that can fulfil the rooms’ potential and get rid of that unfinished feeling.
Colour popping can be done using a small addition to a lamp or perhaps just painting a window sill in a very different colour. Furniture companies, create single items that can be brought in to do the job. By buying a single designer chair in yellow and adding it to a blue themed room you can throw a stunning splash of colour in and really change the entire feel.
Fire!
Yes, bringing fire into a room can change it forever. It is worth stating at this point this is not suggesting you should burn anything in the room…although this would certainly change it forever it would not be very a very nice room to be in. Humans have a deep-seated relationship with fire.
It speaks to us at a very basic level and makes us feel safe. The warmth, protection and cooking ability it gave humans is still with us and for the most part a room with some kind of fire it will be a happy one. Wood burning stoves are a very safe and great looking option.
Open fires are great but they do not work in every room a stove, however, can work almost anywhere. Kitchens, Dining rooms, even garden offices can all benefit from a wood burner and the feeling it brings to a room is sublime. There are so many modern and traditional designs out there the wood burner is no longer the preserve of the country cottage.
Fireplace companies are dotted around most towns and can provide all the advice and options you could think of. Once again, a room that never quite feels complete will feel like home the minute that glow from the fire radiates out and the crack and pop of the wood fills the space. Of course, there is then the option of wood baskets and storage items which can also look amazing.
These three things may seem unrelated, and they are, they may seem small in some cases but the difference they make to a room on their own or combined is huge. A lovely room with no art, no bold colour pop and no warm fire may still be lovely but it could be so much more!
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