- 1). Focus on the visual. Appealing to the sense of sight is probably one of the first steps most people take when decorating. Use rich colors on the walls and soft, filtered lights. Choose wall art that attracts visual interest and interesting or sentimental accessories. Keep the house clean as it is easier to appreciate the beauty of the items on display when the house is tidy.
- 2). Add texture to your decor. Touch is a basic sense and an easy one to address when decorating. Silky fabric, cool, hard surfaces, richly detailed tapestries, thick area rugs, fluffy pillows and soft cashmere throws will all add texture and engage the sense of touch in your home.
- 3). Pipe soothing music through your home. Pleasant music engages the sense of hearing, while it calms the listener. Music also serves as a block to street noise. Even the soft whir of a ceiling fan, babble of a small fountain or hum of an aquarium filter can enhance the sound of your home.
- 4). Display items associated with taste. Home is linked with fresh, tasty food. Even if we're not great cooks ourselves, we manage to associate home with home cooking. There are a number of ways to evoke memories of taste. Place a bowl of shiny fruit in the dining room, hang fresh garlic in the kitchen or place a bowl of chocolate in the den. You can also arrange lemons or cranberries around the base of a bouquet of flowers in large vase. Even submerged in water, the fruit will last longer than the flowers.
- 5). Create "homey" aromas. It is common to smell a particular fragrance and experience a flash of memory attached to the smell. Those memories bring emotions. Fresh flowers, baked goods, fragrant candles, subtle air sprays, dry potpourri in a decorative bowl and lavender sachets will all speak to the sense of smell. Consider rotating the fragrances by seasons: cinnamon apple pie and hot cider in fall, gingerbread and evergreen fragrances in winter and flowery scents during spring and summer months.
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