Interior design tips to keep your home a place to relax
In these tumultuous times, your home should be a peaceful respite from the chaotic world – an oasis of calm, rest and relaxation.
When creating calming spaces in a home, Christine Conte, owner of Christine Conte Interiors of Huntington, uses the concept of biophilia, a connection between humans and nature which, when used in design, can reduce stress and improve well-being.
“The principle is to reproduce the characteristics of nature in our homes to encourage our mind to enter that restorative state that only nature provides,” explains Conte.
To create a relaxation area, start with a clean slate of an empty room, she advises.
NATURAL COLORS
Consider the color palettes that are represented in nature, such as seaside blues and creams or forest greens and browns, advises Conte.
“For a relaxing space, consider using hues and shades of these colors in your paint selections,†Conte explains. “Use flat finishes that absorb light and colors of the same intensity throughout the room to allow the mind to reset and rest. “
For an overall enveloping feeling, paint the ceiling the same color as the walls, Conte says.
“For more luxury, consider using wallpaper in a natural material, such as linen, wood or cork,†she adds.
HOT LIGHTING
To enhance relaxation, choose adjustable light levels, like recessed lighting on dimmers, suggests Conte.
“Use higher temperature bulbs in lamps or consider investing in color light therapy bulbs,†she says. “Blue light speeds up the relaxation process and green light speeds up sleep.”
ORGANIC FABRICS & TEXTURES
Select fabrics and finishes in the colors of your natural palate, advises Conte.
“Keep the patterns to a minimum and stick with textured solids or ones with an organic pattern,†she says.
For texture, opt for unfinished woods or those that appear closest to their natural state, with live edges, knots and bark.
“Furniture made from stone, limed oak, rattan, and fossilized seashells are very popular now and are an easy way to add natural texture to a room,†says Conte. “Natural fabrics like linen and wool that are textured and lightly treated are soft to the touch and wonderful to use in furniture selections, rugs, pillows and throws as a layer of natural comfort.”
STAY COZY AND NATURAL
Warming the room either through radiant heated floors or by adding a fireplace feature can increase your room’s comfort factor, Conte says.
Art is the final element in defining your natural scene.
“Consider the large-scale photography of nature or of natural pieces themselves, such as grasses, seashells, woven fabrics and wood that have been turned into art,†says Conte.
RENOVATION VIA BIOPHILIA
For a recent bathroom remodel, Conte chose a soft blue and white color scheme echoing the room’s water view.
Porcelain slabs with gray marble veins were used on the shower floor and walls, Conte notes, adding that a custom vanity and storage were made in the same color as the marble vein.
“The vanity is finished with a natural quartzite top that references water and crashing waves,†Conte explains.
Comfort and warmth come from the tub, which is made of a material that’s always warm to the touch, a wall-mounted fireplace, radiant heated floor and heated towel drawer.
“The recessed lighting and the chandelier in the tub are equipped with dimmers for a relaxed atmosphere when using the fireplace and the tub,†she says.
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