We’re all spending significantly longer at home given the current situation with Covid-19, so it’s never been more important to create a space we really enjoy spending time in.
Give your home a sense of cohesion
One of the most important factors to consider when designing your home interior is the concept of cohesion. When homes are built, the design elements (doors, skirting boards, light switches etc) are repeated throughout your home to create a sense of unity.
In order to create a calm and relaxing home interior, the things we fill our homes with should also contribute to this sense of cohesion.
Homes that make us feel relaxed and completely comfortable are ones that have well-designed spaces that flow naturally from one to another. That sense of cohesiveness gives us a sense of ease and “predictability” as we move from one space to the next.
Have a look at your home with fresh eyes and ask yourself whether your home has a clear sense of flow when you move through your spaces. Look for the following elements which might be repeated:
1. Paint colours
Choosing the right paint colours is a vital step towards achieving a good sense of cohesion. Do your paint colours all work well together? Whether or not they are in adjoining spaces, it’s important to have an overall colour scheme that works well as a whole. Homes that look and feel calm and inspiring work within a limited colour palette. These can still be bold colours, but they should sit well together.
2. Textures
Textures, whether side by side, or in adjoining spaces should also sit well together. Consider the textures of your cushions, curtains, rugs, bedding etc. If your home is filled with predominantly natural fibres such as linen, cotton or wool, you may find that high-sheen polyester drapes, or an acrylic shag pile rug don’t work so well.
3. Patterns
Patterns should also complement each other where possible. What patterns do you feel most attracted to? Geometric shapes? Paisley or floral fabrics or wall papers? These patterns should repeat themselves throughout your home in order to contribute to your home’s overall cohesion.
4. Window Treatments
Another simple way to achieve cohesion is by using the same treatment throughout your home, or a combination of roman and full-length drapes . You don’t need to use the same fabric throughout your home, but you’d be wise to ensure that the fabric choices all work well together – in colour, style, pattern and texture.
5. Furniture
The style and finish of furniture within your home also contribute significantly to a sense of cohesion. The most dominant pieces of furniture in your living space for example, lounge suite, dining suite, coffee table and bookcases anchor the overall design style. Therefore, it’s important to get furniture that works well together, and that you love. Furniture can still be eclectic (mine is) but within reason.
6. Accessories
Accessories add visual interest to a space, but even little knick-knacks should sit well together. What are your favourite pieces? What are they made of? Can you see some common elements, or colours, repeated in your accessories? Personally, I love metals and ceramics – or pieces that have a natural and traditional vibe – so I wouldn’t be purchasing an orange Perspex fruit bowl, even if I loved it.
These examples have barely touched the surface, but I guarantee you won’t look at your spaces in the same way after learning about cohesion.
One of the biggest advantages of creating a more cohesive home interior is that your belongings can then be mixed and matched giving you the ability to refresh your interiors by changing things around, instead of feeling you need to buying new things to refresh your space.
(As published in Tommy’s Real Estate Lifestyle Magazine, Issue 346, March 2020).