As the weather gets colder, we stay more at home - and the quality of our home environment gets more important. The question whether we feel well at home comes up again: is our home practical, does it bring joy, or is it loaded with recurring discomfiture and inconvenience?
In this article, we summarize those 5 most important interior design challenges that we need to deal with in the autumn and winter months - to achieve a home interior which is truly pleasant for us.
Of course, these topics take effect on our well-being all year round, they get significant importance in the colder and darker part of the year - adding high priority to them will help us increase the function and atmosphere of our home.
The 5 key interior design tips (challenges) from September to February
1. Light
As the number of daylight hours get lower, and the sky is often cloudy, lights gets more important than ever - you will need to make sure that the lighting of your home is practical and pleasant. Besides functional lighting (reading lamp, kitchen counter lighting) it is a good idea to focus on indirect lighting as well. Indirect lighting is usually not focused to a specific area, it adds to the general light level of the room. On darker days, these indirect lights can be switched on even for the whole day, as supplementary light.
Popular indirect light is for example the LED stripe that works well on the top or bottom furniture, or a cozy wall sconce, maybe an artificial fireplace as well. You can experiment with Christmas lights placed in a jar, or hanging above the sofa, but if you prefer more natural decor, select classic candles (from the bathroom to the bedroom - of course, carefully).
Besides the amount of light, the color of light is also important (also called color temperature). Most of us do not feel well if the light is too cold, so you will need to figure out which color tone is the best for you. Usually a light warm tone works the best for everyday life, and makes the room cozy. You can experiment also with dimmable and adjustable color lights to adapt the light to your current mood and needs - and even with automatic lighting systems if you prefer smart home functionality.
2. Space
The size and shape of space also gets greater importance when we spend more time at home. A too small space can make us feel alone and claustrophobic.
Of course, you cannot change the size of your room, however, there are various interior design tricks you can apply to make the space feel bigger. Smart storage, colors, patterns, optical tricks can all help: read more about it in this article.
At mybettershelf, we contribute to spacious interiors with floating furniture: skipping furniture legs, our products are wall-mounted furniture with hidden mounting. The empty space below these shelves create a look that is airy and it decreases the overcrowded look that takes negative effect on the interior. Also, floating shelves takes advantage of empty wall spaces: so you can increase storage without occupying any more space of your valuable floor area.
3. Private sphere
You do not just need spacious interior, but need private sphere as well - where you can focus on your work without anybody disturbing you. Every one of us requires some me time - some of us more, some of us less - the best way to create this if we can have a room where we can retire for a few hours when there is no or little interaction with others. This space should be organized in a way that the time spent there would offer real
In most of our homes, this space is the bedroom. For most of our customers, the scene of the perfect me-time is the dressing table: besides doing your makeup, this can be your personal space for reading, surfing online or planning your next trip abroad.
Of course, some homes are too small to have the possibility for this kind of separate me-time - for example, when working home office in the same space. However, there are some clever ways to create partially separate spaces even in such interiors as well. Furniture can divide a room into two or more parts. Plants, pieces of decoration do the same. Also, shoji screens can work well if you like japanese or japandi-style interiors.
4. Nature
When we spend more time at home, our connection with nature decreases - it’s something that we’ll be missing quite soon. Be outside as much as you can, but you can also bring nature inside. Besides the trivial option (plants), there are several ways to incorporate nature into our interiors: it’s called biophilia and biophil design. Natural colors, a wallpaper with animals, plants, a piece of wood, stone or fruit for decoration can add so much life to our interiors.
Biophilic design also encourages homeowners to have solid wood furniture instead plastic and other non-natural materials. This is also the reason we make solid wood furniture using oak, walnut and other valuable hardwoods.
5. Comfort
The fifth challenge is achieving the level of comfort that helps us relax. It has some elementary requirements: the ideal temperature, level of light, etc. - but in addition to these, you most likely want to be “cozy” - or create a “hygge” environment (a popular lifestyle originating from North-Europe).
Each of us requires different elements to achieve a cozy look and feel - but there are some popular common pieces we usually like to have: decorative pillows, an ideal sofa in the living room, your leisure clothes… everything that makes you feel cozy. Create your own interior so can live your best life in your home.
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