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Decorating for the Four Senses
One of my very favorite places to be is the beach. Everything about it I love. The beauty of the ocean. The sound of the waves crashing. The smell of the salt water. The feeling of the sand beneath my toes and the wind on my face. I could sit in that atmosphere for hours.
But as much as I love the beach, I normally don't love beach themed rooms. And it's not because they don't look pretty. It's because they don't feel like the beach.
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When we decorate, we normally have only one sense in mind: sight. We want our room to look as good as possible. But what about the other senses?
When we experience a new - or familiar place - we don't just see it. We smell it, touch it and hear it. We use four of our five senses to determine whether or not we like the atmosphere.
If a room looks good but lacks anything else that's spectacular, it will feel flat. We like rooms that arouse all of our senses - sight, sound, smell and touch. So when we decorate we should plan to please all of them.
There are so many ways to incorporate the other three senses into our rooms. Here are some suggestions.
Sound: Put speakers in all of your rooms so you can play music that fits your mood. Get an indoor fountain. Open your windows to hear the birds.
Smell: Use air fresheners or scents. Try scented oil. Light scented candles. Open the windows in the spring and summer. Make a fire. Set out dishes of potpourri. Display a fragrant plant.
Touch: Choose fabrics and blankets that feel good to the touch. Pick flooring you like to walk across barefoot. Install a ceiling fan and let the gentle breeze caress you on warm days. Select furniture pieces that are as nice to sit on as they are to look at.
Smell: Use air fresheners or scents. Try scented oil. Light scented candles. Open the windows in the spring and summer. Make a fire. Set out dishes of potpourri. Display a fragrant plant.
Touch: Choose fabrics and blankets that feel good to the touch. Pick flooring you like to walk across barefoot. Install a ceiling fan and let the gentle breeze caress you on warm days. Select furniture pieces that are as nice to sit on as they are to look at.
Incorporating the four senses when you design is one of the easiest ways to take a room from good to great.
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Posted by Meghan Carter on Thursday, Apr 10, 2008 in
Decorating Tips.
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