I am a firm believer that your outer environment affects your inner environment (and vice versa) so investing in your home environment is vital. That's where we spend most of our time, so why shouldn't we put a little extra TLC into our space, even if we are the only ones to see it. When you put love and care into your home, it loves u right back. Furnishing your home is a layered process, so we'll start with the base and move through the layers.
Here are the Five Elements that Make up a Room.
1. Make your staple pieces statement pieces. The first step in styling a room is setting up a base layer of staple pieces of furniture. When I say staple pieces, I mean fundamental pieces that anchor a room, items that tend to be more geared towards comfort and functionality than style. Well I’m here to tell you, they can be both! There are so many places that offer quality furniture at a manageable price. I like to see what furniture outlet stores are near me and start there. The living room is where most families spend the most time, and is one of the most important rooms in the house, according to buyers. Choose pieces of furniture that are well made and that fill the scale of the space well. Be mindful about proportion and scale, take the time to measure it out with a tape measure. Furniture that is too large will dwarf a room, and furniture too small will make a room feel sparse and cold. Couches, coffee tables, and bookcases are all essentially storage systems and exist simply to fulfill our needs. When buying furniture for your home, choose quality pieces that can support your family. Be thoughtful about textures and materials, and choose things that resonate with your design aesthetic, instead of just following trends.
2. Incorporate soft elements into your room. A home is a safe haven, and if you're anything like me, it should have plenty of places to relax. One of the easiest ways to bring soft elements into your room is with throw pillows and throw blankets. A couch is just a couch until you soften it up and style it with some plush throw pillows. You can go neutral or opt for some fun pattern mixing, depending on your style. When mixing patterns, I have found it's best to stick within the same color scheme. Tie everything together with a rug. Be thoughtful about the size of the rug - I usually choose one slightly larger than the width of the couch. Again, go for neutral colors, or a fun pattern depending on your style. Lastly, your lighting can be a soft element. If you're going for a bright room, choose multiple-bulb light fixtures and lamps that illuminate the room, or choose light fixtures with a dimmer switch or faux candles to achieve that relaxing soft glow.
3. Warm up the room with Natural elements. If there’s too much carpeted area, white walls, or cold-toned floors, your room needs warm wood tones or leather to warm up the room. Ever wonder why a live edge wood stool looks so good against a cold marble bathroom floor? The contrasting juxtaposition of something warm and natural against something cold just works. For a living room, consider a sturdy wood coffee table or a bookshelf to anchor your space and warm it up. Bring in natural elements like wood, jute, and leather furniture, or decor pieces like macrame woven baskets, driftwood, and landscape art/photography to create a warm environment. Plants and succulents are also a great way to bring in natural elements to your space!
4. Pieces of flare. This is what makes a room a room. In staging, we like to keep our designs neutral, so that it appeals the most amount of buyers. But in our own homes, we love to be a little more personalized with our design. If neutrals are your thing, show your flare with framed family photos or niche coffee table books. If you’re more eclectic with your style, have fun with your design and don't be shy about letting your personality come through! Go with a bold accent chair, or funky piece of framed art or decor. Maybe it’s your rainbow sorted book collection. Maybe it’s that little ottoman that is funky but comfy. Or maybe it’s your kids framed art! Surround yourself with things that you love and that mean something to you. It’s cheesy, but that’s what makes a house a home!
5. Top off your room with something Shiny. Every room needs shiny things - this means a few sparkling pieces that shine when they are cleaned up- like a mirror, a metal or glass piece of decor, lamps… etc. Your something shiny doesn't have to mean something glitzy, girly, and glam either. A nice flat screen tv, a glass coffee table, or a sleek fireplace could count as your shiny thing. Shiny things are anything that catches the eye. A little eye candy.
Here you have it friends! The 5 Elements that make up a room. I hope this is helpful to anyone thinking about redecorating or rearranging. This was mostly geared towards living rooms, but the same can be applied to bedrooms, offices, game rooms, etc. When we stage a home, we follow this layered approach room by room and we are always happy with the results! See our gallery of past projects here.
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