After an anxiety-filled 2020 and during the continuing pandemic, many of us are looking to our homes for nearly everything: a place to work, study, sleep, eat, exercise. And don't forget unwind.<\/p>\n
Homes these days can offer calm and relaxation, designers say. Whether that means a decor refresh or a few small additions, they suggest some easy ways to create a more restful home space for 2021.<\/p>\n
Think both big and small as you assess your rooms, says John Eason, an interior designer in New York.<\/p>\n
“The feeling of a soothing room comes not only from the overall effect and esthetic, but from key details,'' he says.<\/p>\n
THE NEW `COZY'<\/p>\n
Don't be limited by conventional ideas of what makes a space cozy, Eason says: "Metal and stone are as comforting for their sturdy dependability as wood is for its flex and give. Deep, rich colours can be as relaxing as cheerful, bright ones.”<\/p>\n
Sustainably produced textiles and environmentally friendly paints with velvety finishes can lend a healthy and comfortable vibe.<\/p>\n
Find apps that play calming music and relaxing stories, or YouTube videos of crackling fireplaces or lapping waters.<\/p>\n
Aromatherapy candles and diffusers wafting scents of nature, or baked goodies, are easy additions, as are soft toss pillows where you'll be binge-watching.<\/p>\n
In recent years, the Danish word “hygge” came to describe the concept of coziness. The Welsh have their own apt term: “cwtch.” Pronounced “kutch,” it loosely references both cozy nooks and extra warm hugs.<\/p>\n
FOLLOW YOUR OWN TASTES<\/p>\n
Create your easy-living vibe based on your own sense of balance, harmony and good energy, says Leigh Spicher, national design director for Atlanta-based home builder Ashton Woods. That’s especially true now when guests are discouraged because of safety concerns.<\/p>\n
“The best way to design a restful, relaxing home is to make it about you and the people you live with,” she advises.<\/p>\n
Choose colours you love, not necessarily what’s trendy. Frame travel pictures and personal photos.<\/p>\n
UNPLUGGED SPACES<\/p>\n
We all need more screens if we’re working and spending more time at home, but allow yourself to escape them too, Spicher says.<\/p>\n
“Make sure there’s a space in your home without tech, including TV,” she says.<\/p>\n
Real plants, and a mix of elements like wood, stone, metal — perhaps even a water feature, like a table fountain — can create a soothing, authentic living space.<\/p>\n
DEFINING THE SPACE<\/p>\n
It can be stressful when too much is going on in a space. Get creative with delineating spaces and their functions.<\/p>\n
“For children, I love to create a designated play area by overlapping a fun, patterned area rug with woven poufs and storage ottomans,” says Amanda Amato, a designer in Caldwell, New Jersey, and style expert for HomeGoods. She also suggests creating a reading nook in a forgotten corner of a room, and reducing clutter in a small bedroom by multi-purposing a writing desk as a nightstand.<\/p>\n
SEE THINGS IN A GOOD LIGHT<\/p>\n
Chip Wade, a designer and architect in Cumming, Georgia, uses light to define different parts of a room and to create a laid-back atmosphere.<\/p>\n
“Lighting is a key component to personalizing my space. Controlling my entire lighting setup remotely on my phone makes it easy to dim and create scenes,” he says.<\/p>\n
You can swap out regular bulbs for colour-changing ones that offer sunrise, sunset and other mood-enhancing hues.<\/p>\n
Eason likes to play with the way light works on various surfaces.<\/p>\n
“An upholstered wall lends a peaceful air to a room for its sound-absorbing qualities, but also for how it affects the play of light," he says. "Creating pools of light in a variety of intensities, rather than an overall brightness, and having that light emit from fixtures that are focal points, can create a sense of focus and calm.”<\/p>\n
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After an anxiety-filled 2020 and during the continuing pandemic, many of us are looking to our homes for nearly everything: a place to work, study, sleep, eat, exercise. And don't forget unwind. Homes these days can offer calm and relaxation, designers say. Whether that means a decor refresh or a few small additions, they suggest […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":445,"featured_media":3176,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"guid":"","source":"The Associated Press","byline":"Kim Cook","published":"2021-02-26T03:24:59","updated":"2020-12-15T00:00:00","_infotelid":"IT81178","_prepressid":"81178","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"region":[322,323,324,325],"class_list":["post-434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inhome","region-kamloops","region-kelowna","region-penticton","region-vernon"],"blocksy_meta":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/434\/right-at-home-resetting-for-a-new-year-with-soothing-decor\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Right at Home: Resetting for a new year with soothing decor","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/434\/right-at-home-resetting-for-a-new-year-with-soothing-decor\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/news\/434\/right-at-home-resetting-for-a-new-year-with-soothing-decor\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/MediaItemID81178-2980.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inhome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/MediaItemID81178-2980.jpg"},"articleSection":"iNhome","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Marshall Jones"}],"creator":["Marshall Jones"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNhome","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2021-02-26T11:24:59Z","datePublished":"2021-02-26T11:24:59Z","dateModified":"2021-02-26T11:24:59Z"},"rendered":"