Bringing the outside into the home in different ways is so key to the balance, flow and harmony of energy that continuously runs through where we eat, sleep and breath. This could be as simple as picking some fresh flowers from your garden in the summer months and arranging them in a few recycled cans you have around for a country feel or in vases you haven’t broken out for years. Or it could be as complex as designing a “green” house in which everything used to build and run the home is environmentally sound.
If you want to bring in more of what you observe in nature, just pay attention. While you are taking a walk, jogging, or even when you are rushing to work, take a moment to stop and watch Mother Nature do her work, and bring some of her ideas in.
One thing I like to do in homes which shine with a lot of wood, wood floors, cabinets and lovely antiques is use tones of greens in the wall color and accessories. The browns and greens working together throughout give the home an outdoorsy feeling. In the bedroom, where you want to be calm and relaxed, use the colors of the ocean, where the sound of waves moving in and out lulls us to a meditative trance. If you are artistic at all, something as tiny as the pattern of a crack in the ice could be inspiration for artwork.
I have walked around town or the woods with my camera to find things which are unique and have an interesting texture or pattern in order to turn them into artwork on my walls. You could either take a picture and have it blown up and framed, or you could sketch or paint what you have captured.
The point is that no matter where you fall in the taste spectrum of design — traditional, casual or modern — gathering ideas inspired by the beauty that surrounds all of us and using those ideas to make your home a serene and comfortable space to enjoy, can be very rewarding and gratifying.
Kristin McClellan is a professional home stager and redesigner who runs her business, HomeCharmers, with her husband, Nathaniel, a flooring expert and furniture craftsman. They work together to make people’s homes more buyer friendly and help homeowners who are staying enjoy it more. You can reach her at 899-1239 or www.homecharmers.net.