Stimulate all five senses within your home

I was thinking about how the interior of your home can affect your mood and wondered how we could all make changes to our homes that would appeal to all five senses. Here are some of my thoughts;

SIGHT
Colour is THE main way of transforming the mood of your home. Whether you want to create an uplifting, wakeful area that will energise you or a restful, relflective area in which you can relax, colour is the key ingredient that will drive it. What works for one person won't neccessarily work for others so tune into your inner palette and choose colours that suit you best. If you're not sure about the colours you like most, try experimenting and hang a wallpaper sample to a wall or paint it and see how it makes you feel. Once you know what you like you can start to experiment and as long as it makes you feel happy then that is all that matters.

 Image: www.fotolia.com

TOUCH
Texture has a huge impact on the look and feel of a room. By layering various textures you can change the image a room projects. I am a lover of change and think it is important to change textures as well as colours with the change of season. You can do this through the use of cushions and throws, swapping heavier wool and fur in winter for linen and lighter cotton in summer. Moving personal objects and accessories from room to room within the home will also create a new look and won't cost a penny.


Image: www.teixidors.com
SMELL
Your home is your kindgom and in it you can create your own positive environment by dispersing smells that stir the emotions and thoughts. Again I like to have smells that go with the seasons so at this time of year light and fresh scents work best. You can add smells to your home in so may ways be it with scented candles, fresh flowers, or incense but also by using scented washing liquids and draw liners. Freshly baked bread, a basket of seasonal fruit (mmm strawberries & peaches), bunches of fresh herbs, ground coffee, cinnamon sticks...


Image: www.artisanbreadinfive.com
SOUND
Life is hectic, busy and often noisy but your home is your haven where peace can reign. So create a calm atmosphere around you with soft furnishings to mute  noise, ban all shoes and pad around in your socks and play music to fit your mood - or open the window & listen to the sounds of nature - if you're lucky enough to live somewhere the sounds coming from outside won't stress you out.



Image: www.bestgreenhometips.com

TASTE
Bit of an odd one when thinking about the style of your home, you may think. But hang on isn't your home where you spend time enjoying food and drink with family and friends, so surely this has an impact of your interior design. Linking back to the sense of smell, prepare food that floods your home with delicious scents and lay your table with pleasure. The experience of enjoying a scrumptious meal is heightened by how you style your table so spend some time thinking about creating the right mood when sitting down to eat.


Image: http://blog.stylizimo.com

All of this has made me hungry now!