Creating Harmony in Your Home
Have you ever walked into a home where everything just “feels right”? You might not be able to put your finger on exactly what it is, but all the elements work together to create a feeling of harmony. This isn’t just a happy accident. Good design takes many different elements into consideration in order to create spaces that flow and feel harmonious.
If you’re updating your home and want to have a cohesive look, there are several things to consider. Here are five ways to successfully merge new features with existing elements to create a home you love.
Find Your Style
One of the challenges we face when renovating or updating a home is combining old and new elements together in a way that feels seamless. Knowing your design style will help ensure that each piece works together as part of a whole.
Start by collecting images of interiors you love. As your collection grows, common elements will start to show through. Use these images to narrow in on your style and create a home that is uniquely you.
Focus on A Feeling
Knowing how you want your space to feel will help guide all your future design decisions. But in order for a room to create the right mood and reaction, you have to start with a goal.
Perhaps you want a space that feels serene or you’re looking for a room that makes you feel energized. The colours and furnishings for each of those spaces would be very different. If you were to combine elements of each mood, your space would feel incongruous. But if each piece is chosen to evoke the same feeling, you’ll have a harmonious home.
Use Colour to Create Harmony
Colour can have such an impact on a space. It can affect mood and energy levels, it can tie a room together, but it can also make a room feel off. Even the most beautiful room will always look not-quite-right if it has inconsistent undertones. This is especially important to consider when renovating an outdated space.
One of the main indicators of out-of-date design is the tone of the finishes. Each decade brings with it a new trend. We’ve seen warm Tuscan tones, classic dark browns, and now the cool gray trend is giving way to pale greiges and crisp whites.
You might think beige is beige or gray is gray, but there are so many variations of every neutral that it can be overwhelming. And unfortunately, when they don’t match, your décor will never look quite right. Ensuring that all neutrals feature the same undertone will help create a congruent feeling between the old and new elements.
Create Consistency
Creating consistency doesn’t mean you want everything to be the same, instead you want to use common elements to help the old and the new look like they belong together. When it comes to hard finishes such as flooring and trim, carrying the same style and material through both the old and new sections of your home will help everything flow together.
Consistency can also be achieved through the use of furnishings and textiles. By repeating materials, patterns, and colours you will create a home that looks well planned.
Make it Meaningful
“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful””
Don’t let what matters to other people dictate what you do in your own home. Because trends will come and go, but the things you love will always be special to you. Pieces that tell stories about your life will express your personality and make your home meaningful to you.
If you’re ready for harmony in your home, contact me for a Harmony design consultation. I can help you find your personal style and elevate your space in a way that reflects your interests and lifestyle!