Design Notes
Do you wonder what people think when they enter your home? Is it inviting? Do they feel welcome and find it easy to relax? As a host, these things matter; you want your guests to have a wonderful time, and often that begins with the atmosphere you set in the home. There are many elements that contribute to creating a welcoming home, including color, patterns, decorative pieces, and furniture. All of this comes together to paint an inviting space where guests leave feeling like family. Sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start or what pieces work best together to create the perfect look. Let’s talk about five ways to create a welcoming atmosphere in your home.
Think Like A Guest
While this may seem a bit odd, shifting your perspective from resident to guest is a great way to reevaluate your home and identify areas where it falls short in the welcome department. We live here every day, so it is easy to become accustomed to our surroundings and overlook how they may appear to others. Hands down, we’ve all looked through windows as we drive by other people’s homes or watched those home tours because we are curious. The same applies to our guests; the best way to determine if our home needs some revamping is to look at it with fresh eyes. Some good questions to ask yourself:
- What is the first thing that catches my eye when I walk through the door?
- Is the room open and inviting, or does it feel cramped?
- Would I want to sit down and relax in this space?
- What style is represented in this home?
- Is there a unified look throughout the home, or do the spaces operate individually?
Going through the motions as if you were a visitor can help you judge how the space makes others feel. Consider what you enjoy about visiting friends at their home and what you didn’t like about others that made you not want to come back. Understanding that can go a long way in knowing exactly what needs to change or adapt in your home and pave the way for a new, inviting space to welcome our guests.
Start With Your Favorites
We want our homes to be welcoming to our guests, but they should still be designed with us in mind, so think about the things that matter. Do you have a favorite color, piece of furniture, or artwork? Let that be your starting point for designing the perfect space. Consider painting an accent wall in the living room or using reclaimed wood. Both ideas add warmth and welcome. If you have a favorite furniture piece, build around it with accent pieces and color schemes. Do you have family photos or artwork that you must have in your home? Use that as a main feature for a hallway or living room wall. A home that is designed around the things that you love will have no problem relaying that emotion to all who enter, whether that is a resident or a guest. Don’t be afraid to incorporate your favorites into your home, as it is a great way for people to know what you value. Talk to your designer about the pieces that matter to you.
A Little Outside In.
There is a sense of peace and calm when we spend time outdoors, and by bringing some of nature inside, those positive vibes can be transferred into the home. There are multiple ways you can do this, such as:
- Have indoor plants
- Natural light
- Additional lighting sources
- Natural materials such as wood
Nature-inspired elements in the design immediately bring a sense of calm to any area of the home and can influence the overall atmosphere for your guests. The colors that indoor plants bring to a space are often enjoyed by everyone, though we recommend selecting ones that won’t cause allergic reactions, such as aloe vera plants. Lighting is a key element for influencing the mood, with natural light sending happy vibes throughout the space. When natural light is limited, make sure to incorporate plenty of other lighting, such as floor and table lamps; this accent lighting can help keep an ambient mood in the room. Including some of nature’s materials in the design also helps create a welcoming atmosphere. Wooden shelves or coffee tables are a great example of this, but there are multiple ways to achieve this. Your designer will have many helpful insights to assist you in creating a beautiful nature-inspired style.
Strive For Balance
Balance is a crucial element in design, as it helps create a space that makes everyone feel at home and at ease. Weight, color, and style all need to be balanced with one another to create the perfect atmosphere. Balance does not mean everything has to match or line up just so; it is about everything having a place and purpose in the room. If a guest enters your living room, which is awash in a rainbow of colors, or every piece feels like it does not blend with the others, it can leave them feeling a little overwhelmed, and their eye does not know where to go first. Think through the overall layout of the room, including the foot traffic, and ensure there are places for people to walk through easily, as well as ample room to be seated. Keep colors in some type of order, such as complementary or contrasting; both serve a purpose. Don’t let one side of the room look or feel heavier than the other, such as using dark colors on only one side. Strive for balance in the overall design of the room; any style or color scheme can be created with balance, and an experienced designer can assist you in doing just that.
Use Accent Pieces Correctly
Often, it is the final details that can have the greatest impact on the atmosphere of the room, which is why we always say that details matter. Some of them include:
- Backsplash
- Rugs
- Window treatments
- Flooring
- Artwork
- Pillows
These elements can help you extend a warm welcome to your guests, such as rugs that add warmth to a room and window treatments that elegantly frame a window. The things you choose to decorate your walls and tables with do make a difference, but don’t forget to let them have meaning for you as well. Accent pieces are designed to highlight the features already present in a room and, like a piece of jewelry, can enhance its overall appearance.
Walker Woodworking Lighting is a crucial aspect of interior design; it significantly influences the mood in the home and alleviates eye strain when there is minimal natural light or when it gets dark. More often than not, a home suffers from insufficient lighting instead of overillumination. For seniors, lighting is even more critical, as the muscles in the eye weaken over time and the pupil size decreases, making it harder for light to enter. Better lighting reduces the chance of bumping or falling over an obstacle and lessens the strain on the eyes as you look around. Good lighting also helps create a comfortable and relaxing environment, exactly what you want for your well-deserved retirement. Let’s talk about how you can have the best lighting, what the benefits are, and which lighting choices are best for certain areas in the home.
Greenbrook DesignColor matters. It is a part of how we tell our story, especially within our homes. In the last few years, homeowners have ventured off the traditional path of neutrals, such as white, gray, and beige, to bring in pops of bold hues like red, green, and even blue. As the demand for brighter colors increases, both manufacturers and designers have risen to the occasion by creating and incorporating a more diverse color palette for their clients. Traditional products, such as tile, furniture, flooring, cabinets, and even glass, come in a wider selection of bold colors, which provide homeowners with the opportunity to blend a variety of bold colors and neutral colors together in a stunning final design. Although color is a fun element in the world of interiors, it can be challenging to determine the right amount and the various ways it can be incorporated into the home to create the perfect balance for everyone to enjoy.
Walker WoodworkingHome is a reflection of you, and one of the best ways to do that is through color. Color is more than a collection of tints and shades; it has more impact on our mood than anything else and can influence the look of our home more than we realize. Color psychology has been studied for decades, with recent findings revealing just how powerful color truly is in the home. Size and style can change by simply selecting different colors for your furniture, accent pieces, or wall color. As color plays such a vital role in the atmosphere and presentation of the home, it can feel a little overwhelming or even intimidating to make color choices. We have compiled a list of 15 simple ways you can add color to your home.
There are many elements that contribute to creating a welcoming home, including color, patterns, decorative pieces, and furniture. All of this comes together to paint an inviting space where guests leave feeling like family. Sometimes it can be difficult to know where to start or what pieces work best together to create the perfect look. Let’s talk about five ways to create a welcoming atmosphere in your home.
Walker Woodworking Does your home need some renovations to bring it back up to speed for your specific lifestyle? Are you ready to transform certain areas into a more functional and purposeful space? Our experienced design team has assisted hundreds of clients in creating new areas that function exactly as they need. How can we help you prioritize your needs through design? Let us help you find the areas of priority in your home!
Walker Woodworking 
Walker Woodworking