Whether youâve just moved into your home or youâve never really put too much thought into not just how you decorate but why you decorate it, it can feel a little alienating. Looking around, you can see that it doesnât really represent you, even if it does represent a certain style. Our moods and how we see ourselves are shaped in part by the environments we spend more time in.
Creating a home that feels more at one with ourselves can help solidify the person we want to be, the values we hold, and even give us a little more self-esteem. Here are a few tips on how to do just that.
Pick furniture that fits your individual needs
All too often, people pick furniture because theyâre aiming for a certain style or theme, rather than picking furniture that fits their individual needs and wants. If youâre the kind of person who easily relaxes on a recliner, then donât get something stiff-backed and compact simply because you want a neat, minimalist look to the room. Indulge your need for comfy, quality furniture that fits your practical needs over your aesthetic tastes. You can customize sai furniture with blankets, throw pillows and the like to bring it more in line with your preferences, as well.
Re-use what you would throw out
Did you bet a seat, only to find that you really donât like the look of it at all? Rather than selling it on or, even worse, throw it out, you should consider looking at anyone near you who can upcycle your furniture for you. Upcycling has a ton of benefits, besides being better for the environment. It allows you to customize your furniture so that it feels a lot more unique to you rather than something that could easily be bought in a store. Furthermore, it can help you see a much longer life out of the furniture in your home, which means you wonât have to buy replacements as often. Of course, there will come a time when even the most resilient of couches can no longer offer the support you need but donât feel like that day has to come anytime soon.
Keep each room true to its purpose
One way for a home to lose any sense of its identity is to also lose the meaning of what each space is for. Some people might think theyâre âmultitaskingâ by giving a room different roles but, in reality, theyâre simply more likely to confuse those purposes until the room doesnât feel well suited to either. For instance, if youâre running a business from home, you should do your best to give yourself a home office, or at least a separate, partitioned space to work in. If you try to fit a work desk into your bedroom, not only will your work suffer due to difficulty in concentrating, but you will find it harder to relax in a room that has been made to accommodate work.
Donât be afraid to get artsy
All too often, people will feel hesitant to add any kind of art to their walls because theyâre worried about what it might say about them. Itâs not high-brow enough, itâs not expressive enough, itâs too avant-garde, and so on and so on. Be courageous and display whatever artwork tickles your fancy, whether itâs a simple stenciled motto or the most abstract of paint splatters. If youâve never chosen wall art, there are some guides that can help you choose something fitting to your style, but itâs all down to your personal preference at the end of the day.
Give space to what you love
Aside from art, another great way to add personality to your walls is to create a photo gallery. Of course, this can just as easily be added to a countertop, fireplace top, table, and so on. Consider whatâs most important or inspiring to you, whether itâs family members and friends, places you have been, or experienced you have been fortunate enough to capture. Find the room to put them on display. Even if the photos donât have much appeal to anyone else, whenever you see them, your heart is going to swell in response. As a result, the home is going to feel like itâs much more personally appealing to you, which is what matters a lot more than how others see it.
Find colors that are all you
The color of the walls, as well as how much you accent them, can do a great job of showing off your personality. Thereâs a lot of personalities we attach to colors as is, as we see red as passionate, blue as relaxed, yellow as sunny and energetic, and so on. How you use colors in the home can depend largely on the size of certain spaces and how much natural light they get. You donât want an airy blue wall in a small, dark room, for instance. But, you can add color to a home without having to repaint or repaper your walls. Accent colors can be some of the most powerful ways to bring out the personality in the color, too.
Consider giving room to your hobbies
Some people are shaped by their tastes, others are shaped by their hobbies. Not only are they interests that add some much-needed fun and enjoyment to our lives, but our hobbies can be paths of self-development and connect us to communities that are greatly important to us. So, no matter what anyone says, there is worth giving your hobbies some space in your home. The easiest way to do this is to be a reader with a dignified looking bookshelf. However, if youâre a gamer, then thereâs plenty of classy video game art you can get, just like you could decorate your wall with vinyl album covers if youâre a music lover.
Find a favorite scent
The feeling and mood of a home are created by much more than how it looks alone. It can engage us in just about every sense. Just like colors can shape how we feel, and we all have our favorite colors, so too can we find the scents that hit us emotionally in ways that none others seemingly can. There are quality home fragrances available in all kinds of flavors, including amber, black pepper, lavender, lemon, cinnamon, fig, geranium, and much more. There are even scents that work better for some rooms than others. Consider experimenting with some scents, getting samples and finding those that best fit the kind of feeling you want for each room in the home.
Create the garden that you want
There are few spaces that are so versatile as the garden, but the truth is that many donât even think to use it to meet their needs. If youâre a gardener, then you already know there are plenty of landscaping and staging choices to create the most gorgeous garden at your disposal. Otherwise, however, the garden can be used as a practical space for growing tomatoes, herbs, and more. It can be an outdoor dining area with the right furniture and decking. You can add a patio, a fire pit, and some lighting to make it an evening socializing spot for when you invite friends over. From meals to meditation, the garden can be used for a lot of stuff so think about how you want to use that space if you have it.
Create a vignette thatâs all you
Just like wall art, vignettes are a way to get much more creative than the confines of decor might normally allow you. The definition can change a little depending on who you ask but, to keep it simple, a vignette is a small, staged collection of items that are supposed to be evocative of a scene, theme, or mood. You can create a vignette of just about anything, including things that are important to you. Some people use them to establish the overall look of a room, but they can just as easily be used to create a focal point thatâs steeped in your own personality.
Consider open shelving
For some people, the plates and cups they choose for the kitchen might be purely practical. However, if youâre someone who invests in kitchenware that matches their look and their vibe, then you should consider keeping it on display more often. Open shelving is becoming a lot more popular, especially for those who like a minimalist, space-saving look. However, itâs also helpful for the fact it keeps your kitchenware on display, allowing you to better show off your tastes.
With the tips above, you should hopefully be able to make the home feel a lot more personal and a lot more suited to your own individual needs.
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