Kiddipedia
We all want to feel at ease within our family home, and proud to welcome guests. Your home is where you show that you love and are loved, but bar surrounding yourself with hundreds of photos of the kids—a trend now well out of date in interior decorating—what tactics can you use to express love?
Here are my top seven tips to imbued a loving feeling in your home:
7.SHAPE
Moreover, I don’t mean love hearts! In decorating, circles and curves imbue a relaxed and casual feel when compared to formal straight lines or restful horizontal lines. A blend is best—include curvaceous shapes and a few circles, but don’t overdo them or you’ll risk creating a busy space. Faces of loved ones are circular and, like bullseyes, which is why they can create a cluttered look! Try hanging family photo collections in the smaller spaces of your home like the hallway or up the stairwell. Florals, circular geometrics, rounded leaves, and soft textured rounded cushions will all help to create a more casual, feminine, soft, and natural feel.
6.ARRANGEMENT
Asymmetrically-balanced spaces have a more informal, loving aesthetic than symmetrically-balanced spaces—that is, a space with the same two items balanced either side of a focal point. For instance, on either side of your master bed, arrange a grouping of three to five items on one side and three to five different things on the other side, but unite them by using the same style or colours to create togetherness, unity, and a feeling of love. For kids, go informal as they can often resent too much informality in the formal home.
5.COLOUR
Did you know that the most loving colour on our planet is green? It’s the colour of growth, forgiveness, giving (of time and money), love of the earth, humanity, and animals. The traditional colours of love can have different effects when applied to the home—pink, while sweet, is used to give little girls more energy, while red expresses business, action, male energy, and sex drive. Use green instead to create a loving décor and invite the outside in. It makes your space seem bigger and connected with nature. If you prefer, use green as your base colour with a myriad of other playful, rich jewel hues to create a fun, upbeat, warm and loving décor. Kids love bright greens and it will help them feel outdoorsy and at ease!
4.FENG SHUI
The ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui teaches us to display pairs of images, never just one, in master bedrooms. Photos or art of two people, two matching sculptures, or two lamps are the general idea. Never have anything bulky or heavy-looking above yours or your child’s bed, or mirrors pointing straight out the door! Pairs do create a more formal balance, but in the bedroom, which is typically symmetrically-balanced anyway, it will feel ordered and loving.
3.IMAGERY
Imagery relevant to your dreams, goals, history, and loves expresses who and what you are. It also helps to reinforce your décor style and colour palette. If you are starting from scratch, begin with your imagery i.e. artwork, and take its colours, style and theme into the rest of your décor! For kids, help them visualise their dreams with a Fantasy Face Portrait or tastefully framed posters. Imagery also includes pictures on vases, wall sculptures anything that sets the theme of your space. You can add more green and theme with faux plants and flowers, both of which create a beautiful, loving feel.
2.ART
Art is the easiest way to unite and express all of the above in a single “wow factor” focal point that defines you and helps you to create a loving atmosphere. Did you know that in decorating, it’s easier to start with art and expand its’ colours, style and theme to the rest of your decor? Art creates beauty and soul! Soul: humanity, emotion, mood, mystery, a story of who you are, your goals… a story that can be, I believe, all about your home your kids, loves and desires. Wallpaper, feature walls, furniture and lights will support this, but they can’t give Soul to your space, your art does. It’s also culturally enriching to surround children with art and invite them to wonder at it and appreciate it.
1.TEXTURE
To warm your space and create luxuriousness, add texture. It’s why all white or all glossy interiors feel so cold; there’s no earth, no humanity to them. The more natural the texture, i.e. stone, slumped glass, pebble and terracotta the more loving your décor will feel. Bring those textures into your artwork with ground pigments and impastos so you can see it from every vantage point to achieve a focal point that, tailored to your decor, will create your dream home.
A loving atmosphere isn’t hard to create. Austerity, minimalism and clutter don’t create a loving feel, nor do those now out-of-date word cutouts, cutesy photos, or even a scattering of pink hearts but, using classic décor rules and cues will convey a classy, warm, peaceful ambience you want and deserve, and, a décor that will set a good example for your children.
Sharron Tancred is an artist and decorator who creates artworks, murals and Built-in Art Assets designed to fix, enhance or inspire interior design and create relevance. See www.tailoredartworks.com.au or call on (07) 3491 6400.
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