Home improvements are something that we all look to do at different times and can be varied in how much stress they cause. From top to bottom updating the home should be started with clear goals in mind and with a purpose for the rooms you are working on. With that in mind, we are going to take a look at the main rooms that feature in the majority of homes and some of the change that you might consider. Remember, the aim here is to provide you with some sort of idea to enhance your decorating goals.
Living Room
Let’s start with one of the most popular and commonly used rooms in the home, the living room. Sometimes referred to as the front room, this is usually where individuals and families gather these days to watch TV, talk to each other, and relax. The way you decorate this room will need to be designed with various purposes in mind which makes it one of the hardest to conceive ideas for. Whereas the other rooms we are going to discuss tend to be single purpose or at most only used for two or three additional reasons, the living room is a multi-purpose jack of all trades type of room.
So let’s start with how you want to feel when you are in the living room. A style of decorating that is going to come up as we discuss the whole house is using colour psychology. The idea behind colour psychology is that different shades and tones have impacts on your mental health and mood. Using this scientific method to paint or hang wallpaper will be the basis for your living room decorating. So, how do you want to feel in this space? Well, it is most likely going to be the area that you use to unwind at the end of a long day so calming colours are best. That is why blue is the most popular colour for the living room, it encourages a calmer, more stabilizing effect. You might want to combine different colours, so consider pairing blue with greys, whites or yellows.
In addition to the colour of the room, you are also going to need to ensure that the furniture meets your needs. While you will need to be confident that the colour of your furniture doesn’t clash with the walls, your main aim here is to have the furniture serve its purpose. If you are looking at getting a sofa, what do you want from that sofa? If you’re the kind of person that likes to sink into your chairs then you should be buying deeper, softer styles. Whereas those of you who require posture support, then a harder and higher design is best.
Once you are done with your living room you should be able to settle in there of an evening with the TV on or a good book and relax. The colours shouldn’t be garish or distracting and the seating should let your shoulders drop and the noise of the day wash away.
Kitchen
If the living room is the most popular then the kitchen follows just behind as most used for a single purpose. There are many things that you might do in the kitchen, but this room perhaps more than any other has one major job – to help you cook.
So that is what we are going to focus on, the meal preparation aspect of the kitchen. There might be other ways to make the most out of this space, but we are looking at getting your home improvements to be straightforward and simple to jump into. Similar to the previous room, let’s start with the walls. And really, the way you decorate the kitchen comes down to the kind of cook you consider yourself to be. Those of you who like to creatively prepare food might want to use reds or yellows as these colours, based on the psychology, are said to encourage the creative mind to be active. Red also is a stimulant to the appetite so might be the perfect colour for the kitchen.
You will also want to consider the equipment that you will be using to cook your food. There is a fine balance to be struck between utilising the space you have available to you and owning the best cooking tools. You will want to make sure you have room for the everyday items such as an oven, microwave, fridge and freezer. However, there are newer gadgets that you can now use to improve your meal planning such as an air fryer that uses technology to fry foods in a healthier way. Additionally, there has been an introduction of smart tech to the kitchen via the kettle and other objects that will make your overall experience in this room one of ease and comfort.
Hopefully, once you are done with the kitchen it will encourage you to crack out the recipe books and get cooking more elaborate meals than ever before. Or at the very least able to get your dinner prepared with much more ease.
Bedroom
Next up we are going to look at another room that is primarily used for relaxation and mostly to sleep. The bedroom should be a room that encourages a soothing feeling to fall over your body, the idea that you are here to rest and enjoy peace. While your living room is going to be used to relax after a long day, the bedroom is where you are going to translate that relaxation into complete rest. So with that in mind, we are going to not focus too much on the colour psychology this time, only to say that blues once again are said to be the calming colours and so might be best for your bedroom.
No instead here we are going to look at the role of comfort should play in your bedroom. While there other activities that you might do in the bedroom, it does have one priority. And that is to sleep. So your first port of call when it comes to improving your bedroom is to find bedding that suits your needs. Now, it is important here that you are not looking at beds that come highly recommended. No, your bed is a personal choice based on how you like to sleep and the comfort levels your body requires.
There are many parts that go into making the perfect bed. The base, mattress, pillows and covers. You can buy sets, but we would recommend that you mix and match so that your bed is fit for your sleeping style. In addition to this important piece of furniture, you should also be considering light when you decorate the bedroom. There is a fine balance between ensuring your room is dark enough for sleep, but brightens up in the morning to assist a natural wake up. Heavy fabric curtains, for example, will help you keep the light out in the evening but will be counterproductive to any plans for natural light. What you should do is figure out which one of these two lighting situations your bedroom currently benefits from and find a way of neutralising it. That is to say, if your room is naturally light anyway, you should use trial and error to balance it out with darkness in the evenings. Blinds are a good way to go here because you can manipulate the light with their different angles.
Whatever you choose to do with your bedroom bear in mind that you want calming colours and comfort. Declutter the space so that you aren’t surrounded by things that aren’t necessary in the evenings and make sure it is sleep ready.
Around The House
There are some parts of the decorating or home improvement that apply to every room in the house. These include the heating, lighting and houseplants. The last of these might have raised an eyebrow, but every room in your house should be making the most of the natural world for your health both mental and physical. With regards to heating, you will want to make sure you are researching the various products on the market rather than sticking with the traditional. Companies like Only Radiators have a huge range of products that provide better heating solutions than ever before, from underfloor to the room specific tools.
Finally, as discussed in the bedroom, lighting is an important tool in any home. You will want to find a balance between using natural light during the days and electrics in the evening. You as a person will need to encourage natural light into the home because of your body’s needs for vitamin D. However, come the evening your home will need to be lit in a different way so look at the different methods and explore how they complement your individual rooms and the way you have decorated.
Disclosure: This is a featured post.