Fundamentally, every room begins as an empty box; it’s up to you what you make of it. Interior design, however, goes way beyond the aesthetics of a room. It is, in fact, the ambiance you create in each room that will dictate how much you truly enjoy your home.
The ambiance controls the mood, comfort, and expression of a space, which in turn directly affects how you feel every moment you spend in it. Considering your home should be your escape from the wider world, getting this right should be absolutely paramount in the focus of your design.
So, how do you go about creating a cozy ambiance?
1. Colors
The psychology of colour is not something to be underestimated. Color plays a major part in determining the room’s mood, and differing shades of specific colors also play their part.
Lighter blues and greys are often used in bedrooms for their calm and relaxing tones. Yellows and purples are an alternative choice for office spaces as they energize the mind. Deeper reds are often a cozy choice for living rooms, whilst green is supposedly the most relaxing color of them all.
Whatever the primary emotion you’re looking to create in a room, color and tone should lead the way to make the cozy ambiance you’re looking for.
2. Scents
Like colors, different scents can be used effectively across the home to set the tone for each room. Scented candles, diffusers and room sprays are big business these days, with good reason.
Scents traditionally play a huge part in helping you relax and unwind, which is exactly what you should be doing in your home. Just like with colors and furniture, you can ‘layer’ your scents to your liking, meaning they’re more versatile than you might think.
3. Lighting
Lighting represents one of the most simplistic ways of changing the ambiance of the room. After all, an action as basic as drawing back the curtains is enough to completely change the mood of your room.
Lighting options can be as complicated as you want them to be. Whether it’s utilizing quality kitchen blinds or combining natural and unnatural light sources in the bedroom, you can create a relaxing and stylish atmosphere in any part of the home. A well-lit living room can give your whole home a cozy ambiance and welcoming feeling.
Generally speaking, the more natural light you can get, the better, but you can also utilize artificial lighting as a key design point of the room, from hanging light centerpieces to multi-faceted candles on an evening.
4. Materials
Finally, the textures of your furniture will also play their part in setting a tone. Whilst the look of your furniture will almost certainly be the most important thing, the feel of the likes of your sofa and cushions adds its own take on things as well.
Certain fabrics tend to be associated with certain moods and seasons. Think velvet for coziness, linen for a light summer vibe and silk for a touch of class. Whilst, not an overarching factor, focusing on your textures could add the finer details your home design needs.
The great news is you can focus on any one of these areas to help you set the cozy ambiance of your room. Decide what you want to do first, then explore the wonderful ambiances you can create using different elements of color, scent, lighting, and texture.
