hoangviet2827, Author at Stunninteriors

Open kitchen ideas help your house more beautiful

What is an open kitchen?

As its name implies, an open kitchen refers to a cooking place where walls and obstacles are limited, aiming to create a widened space. Obviously, it is the result of the integration of the kitchen and other surrounding areas such as the living room, dining room, backyard, or garden into a large room/space.

The open-concept kitchen appeared in the late 19th century and became more popular in the mid-20th century, especially in the United States. Along with the bloom of minimalism, the open kitchen concept still be a good choice for modern life

Read more: Grey And White Kitchen Ideas

The benefits and drawbacks of an open kitchen

The benefits of exposed kitchen

Convenience for movement

There is no doubt that accessibility and movement will be easier with a kitchen following the open space concept. The fewer barriers and walls, the more convenience in cooking, preparing, and serving food. Therefore, the combination of the dining room and kitchen is very popular because of their function. Sometimes, the dining area can temporarily become a place to prepare food for parties. On the other hand, there are some designs that connect the kitchen to the garden where is full of fruits, vegetables, or spices. It will be very convenient because they can be harvested and moved directly to the kitchen for cooking or processing. The integration of the kitchen and backyard will benefit BBQ parties, the time for BBQ party preparation or cleaning will be shortened and people will have more time for digging and chatting.

For me, an idea that can create an open space among the dining room, backyard, and garden is the best idea ever. The kitchen will be the center area surrounded by these areas.

The feeling of expansive space.

The elimination of the walls and barriers will absolutely create a large space for your house. It is very suitable for a small house or apartment. The open space created by the kitchen, living room, and dining room is very popular in medium-sized apartments. By eliminating walls, there is an uninterrupted line of sight throughout the living areas. It creates a sense of continuity and makes the apartment feel more expansive while the area of that apartment is not changed.

Natural light for the health

Open kitchens often allow more natural light to flow into the space. If there are windows in the nearby areas, the light can easily penetrate the kitchen without any obstruction from walls or barriers. Increased natural light has a significant impact on people’s health such as boosting vitamin D, reducing stress or depression, and killing disease-causing bacteria,…

Increase in face-to-face interaction.

The open concept also brings people or family members closer due to no more separation of obstacles. There will be more talks and social interaction during cooking and preparing food. It will be easier to commute to each other from the kitchen to another room where the wall was eliminated. Sometimes, when the homeowner opens a party, the stage of preparing and cooking food will be more interesting because people can talk, chat, and interact with others while they are working. Finally, it makes the house more lively, bustling, and cozier than a house which has a closed floor plan

The drawbacks of an unenclosed kitchen

Offensive smell

It’s not hard to recognize the smell as a disadvantage of the open kitchen. The house can be totally full of food smells when someone is cooking in the kitchen, especially for heavy-smelling dishes. Furthermore, furniture made of fabric or cotton can easily absorb the smell of food and the situation will become worse if there is some foods are burned in the kitchen.

Unpleasant noise

Noise is another drawback the homeowner has to consider before designing an open kitchen. It is easy to understand that as the space becomes larger, the sound will be louder. Only a small sound in the kitchen can become a loud sound when heard from the living or dining room. Let’s imagine that there are some people watching television or sleeping on the sofa, but the sound from pots, bowls, dishes… hitting together and making them feel bothered while enjoying the TV shows or having a sweet sleep.

Regular cleaning

The open-concept kitchen, especially between the kitchen and living room, also forces the homeowner to always notice whether the kitchen is messy. Because of no walls and barriers, visitors can draw their eyes directly to the kitchen instantly when they have the first step into the living room. Therefore, if the homeowner wants his guests to be stunned by the open concept of the house, he has to ensure that everything is clean and neat. However, in an open kitchen, cabinets or drawers may be eliminated to create more space, which leads to a lack of storage space for cooking tools, pots, and dinnerware. Consequently, the kitchen will easily get messy and cluttered.

The principles for building a kitchen with open-concept

Open layout

Open layout plays a crucial role in building an open kitchen. It will be meaningless if there is an open kitchen which evokes a feeling of narrow or limited space. Therefore, the walls or barriers have to be eliminated enough to create a widened space between the kitchen and surrounding spaces. Along with spaciousness, convenient movement has to be ensured between rooms or function areas.

Natural light

Natural light is one of the essential elements in designing an open-concept kitchen. With the natural light, the sense of spaciousness will be enhanced significantly and the brightness of the kitchen will be optimized, which helps the monthly electric bill decrease.

Functional zones

Because there are no walls to separate the space into function rooms. Thus, the homeowner has to draw down the functional zone logically before building the kitchen to ensure a convenient working flow as well as a beautiful open concept. The logical functional-zone separation will help improve the speed of food preparation, cooking, or cleaning and neatness of the kitchen.

Storage solutions

Storage will be a big problem for a cooking lover or a big family due to a large amount of dinnerware and cooking tools. Therefore, storage optimization is very necessary for an open kitchen where some storage places can be removed to create an open concept. Some storage solutions can be considered to help the kitchen neater such as multi-drawer cabinets, vertical storage, or pantry area…

Seamless transitions

The sense of spaciousness also comes from the consistency among the kitchen and adjoining areas in paint color, design element, and floor patent. For colors, bright colors are highly recommended because they evoke the feeling of a large space. However, if there is an overwhelm of bright colors, it will make the kitchen dazzle. Minimal design elements and no-texture or simple texture patents should be considered for the open kitchen too.

Proper ventilation

As discussed above, the smell is a disadvantage of the open-concept kitchen. Thus building a high-quality ventilation system is a smart choice to limit the smell, smoke, odors, or heat generated during cooking. Proper ventilation promotes a comfortable and healthy environment within the open kitchen space.

Flexible seating

Flexible seating options will help the kitchen have a balance of space creation and functionality. The homeowner can set up bar stools on the kitchen island or lightweight chairs for the dining table. These stools or chairs can be removed to create a wider space if it is necessary, or changed for functional area creation.

Consider acoustics

To eliminate the annoying sounds from the kitchen, the homeowner can apply acoustic treatments such as sound-absorbing materials, rugs, or curtains. However, he should not abuse them to much, because they will help to minimize the noise but their material is an ideal place for mold or unpleasant smell to linger.

Some open kitchen concept ideas for your reference

Open Kitchen With Island And Bar Seating

The kitchen island not only helps the kitchen have a widened look but also is a functional area. A kitchen island with some bar seating around will be a good place for eating, drinking, and preparing food. Sometimes, it will be a place for working, studying, and entertaining.

Large Windows or Glass Walls For Exposed Kitchen

There is no doubt that natural light will make a place look larger and brighter. Therefore, let the kitchen dive into the natural light from windows or glass walls.

Double-Sided Fireplace For A Cozy Open Kitchen

There is an idea to suit nations having freezing winters, which is a double-sided fireplace. The kitchen and another room such as the living room or dining room will share the fireplace together. Besides, the fireplace will ensure that the sight from the kitchen can easily go through it to the shared fireplace room.

Unclosed Kitchen And Open Shelving Dividers

Image credit: Architecturaldigest/FRENCH+TYE

There is a similar idea with the double-sided fireplace above but everyone can apply it without the weather consideration. It has the same formula as the double-sided fireplace but now is the double-sided shelf.

Hidden Appliances For A Seamless Open Kitchen

White paint color, natural light, and hidden appliances are a perfect combo for the spacious sense. Thus, hidden appliances will create a seamless sight for the kitchen. The appliances will be out of sight because they are hidden in the cabinet or covered by the same surrounding pattern. Finally, there will be nothing to distract the eyes from the overall view of the kitchen, which invokes the larger kitchen feeling.

Modern Open Kitchen With Peninsula

If the kitchen lacks space for the kitchen island idea, let’s consider the kitchen peninsula. The peninsula has similar functions as the island and it is usually near the entrance to the kitchen. So that, it can help widen the sight into the kitchen and make the space opener.

Mirrors For Kitchen Space Duplication

We can not deny the fact that the mirrors will reflect the light which makes the kitchen brighter and wider. Moreover, it also evokes a spacious feeling because of its image reflection feature. There are some ideas that can help the kitchen look larger such as mirror/glass-door cabinets or mirror backsplash as in the picture above.

Grey and white kitchen ideas

There are many ideas to design the kitchen, but it is not easy to find out kitchen ideas to keep the kitchen stay away from outdatedness for a long time. Grey and white kitchen ideas will help the kitchen look modern, fresh, and bright for decades. They are really suitable for people who have a simple life and do not want many changes.

What is a grey and white kitchen?

A grey and white kitchen is simply a kitchen with a domination of grey and white. These colors may come from paint colors or materials of furniture, tools, or stuff in the kitchen. However, the most important thing is the idea of the grey and white combination to create a harmonious kitchen.

Why is the grey and white kitchen?

Grey and white kitchen ideas seem to be never going out of style. They bring simplicity, modernity, and cleanliness to the kitchen. White can make the kitchen look large, bright, fresh, and simple. However, it will create emptiness and unfriendliness if the kitchen is totally white. Thus, a combination with another color, such as grey, is a must. Grey can evoke the senses of hi-technology, intelligence, and dignity. That is the reason making the kitchen look more modern with grey. The combination of grey and white will create a timeless kitchen and it also suits people who follow minimalism.

Grey and white kitchen ideas

Below are some considerable grey and white kitchen ideas for a beautiful, modern, and timeless kitchen.

Grey cabinets and white backsplash

The kitchen idea with grey cabinets and white backsplash is very common. All cabinets and drawers will be painted medium or dark grey, and the backsplash will be filled with white tiles. With this design, because of the white backsplash, the countertop seems to be larger and brighter. The cabinets and drawers will not get dirty too quickly because of medium or dark grey. However, the dirt will be easily detected on the white backsplash, so the backsplash must be cleaned regularly.

Grey backsplash and white cabinets

This idea is contrary to the idea above, all cabinets and drawers are white, while the backsplash is medium or dark grey. This design will make the countertop look narrow and small. But, in the general view, the kitchen will look large. Moreover, the backsplash does not need to be cleaned too regularly. Instead of that, the cabinets and drawers now need more care to keep them clean. In my opinion, I prefer the idea of grey cabinets and white backsplash to this idea, because it is easier to clean the backsplash surface than cabinets and drawers.

White kitchen island in the gray kitchen

If the kitchen island is selected as the focal point of the kitchen, this idea will highlight the kitchen island. In this design, all the cabinets and drawers will be dark grey and the backsplash can be light or medium grey, and a white kitchen will absolutely be outstanding to attract visitors’ eyes. The ceiling is recommended to paint white. Because if it is grey too, the kitchen will look so tight and small.

Grey lower cabinets and no upper cabinets

If the kitchen has a big window, this idea will be very good for this type of kitchen. Because there are no upper cabinets, it is not necessary to remove and close off the window. Therefore, the natural light will come through the window to the kitchen and combine with the white of the backsplash and wall to create a bright kitchen. The space from the countertop to the ceiling of the kitchen also seems to be neat and open due to no upper cabinets. Besides, there may be a lack of storage because there are only lower cabinets. This idea will suit a cooking hater, couple, or small family because it is not too much crockery and other things.

Grey lower cabinets and white upper cabinets

This idea is quite similar to the no-upper cabinet design above. The only different thing is the upper cabinet’s existence. If the homeowner has many things in the kitchen, the upper cabinets are necessary for storage space. In this design, all upper cabinets will be painted white as same as the wall along with a white backsplash. Thus, the space from the countertop to the ceiling of the kitchen still looks more open and wider.

Grey-to-white kitchen idea

As its name implies, this idea will show the change from grey to white. it is started with dark grey lower cabinets to the medium grey backsplash. Finally, the white upper cabinets along with the white of the wall and ceiling. This idea is quite interesting because it shows 3 colors separately: dark grey at the bottom, medium grey in the middle, and white at the top. In my opinion, it will be better if the floor is a dark color such as a dark wood floor for the suitability of dark grey cabinets and the floor.

White kitchen with grey texture

Grey textures from Marble are commonly used in the kitchen. Marble, a natural stone, is usually white with existing textures on it, these textures could be grey, orange, or yellow… but grey textures are the most common. Another option is white porcelain slabs with Marble textures. Both Marble and porcelain surfaces are easy to maintain and clean, so it is very suitable for the backsplash and countertop. To emphasize the grey textures, it should be white walls and light grey cabinets for the kitchen.

Conclusion

In conclusion, grey and white kitchen ideas are the best for those who love simplicity and minimalism. These ideas create a bright, wide, and modern kitchen for a long time. That is the reason why these ideas are commonly applied by interior designers to build timeless kitchens over the world.

Best bedroom colors for sleep! How to have a restful sleep?

Some people think that they have insomnia, but the reason may come from their bedroom. This article will help to improve sleep through bedroom colors and other factors such as bedding, mattress, air, smell, and curtain…

Best bedroom colors for sleep

The relevance between color and psychology was demonstrated by researchers, so the color was applied to improve sleep quality. There are some colors such as blue, peach color, and pink… can help the brain calm down for a night of deep sleep.

A cozy peach color bedroom for sleep

Peach color represents communication, friendship, and happiness. It also has a positive influence on our emotions.
Peach color evokes feelings of comfort, joy, and warmth. Peach color will provide a serene impact on our mind, so it will protect us from negative emotions such as sadness and disappointment.
With those features of peach color, it can improve sleep as well. In winter, especially, when the weather becomes cold and the atmosphere is dreary, which evokes lonely and sad feelings. Stepping into a cozy bedroom with peach color will make sleep more comfortable.

Blue paint colors for the bedroom to have a restful sleep

When looking at the blue color, people usually think about the ocean or sky. So, blue is a symbol of freedom, imagination, and open spaces. It also represents trust, royalty, serenity, and peace.
For psychological impact, the blue color will create feelings of calmness, relaxation, confidence, and reliability. The association of blue with serenity and calm was demonstrated in a research named “Interior Color and Psychological Functioning in a University Residence Hall” in 2018. According to the study, I think blue is the best color for the bedroom to have a deep sleep.
On the other hand, dark blue can also evoke feelings of sadness and depression. Therefore, I prefer using light blue rather than dark blue for the bedroom to have the best effect.

White and grey bedroom colors for sleep

Another choice for your bedroom color is a combination of white and grey color. White is associated with purity, freshness, and innocence, while grey is known as a color of balance, neutrality, and stability.
White can re-freshen our minds, but there is a disadvantage that has a bad impact on sleep. A bedroom dominated by white looks more bright than others because white reflects all the visible wavelengths of light that shine on it. To reduce the impact of the light reflection of white color on our sleep, let’s combine white with other colors such as grey. Grey affects the brain with some supportive emotions for sleep such as calmness, relaxation, and soothing. However, like dark blue, dark grey can raise a gloomy atmosphere, so using light grey (silver color) for the bedroom to have a good sleep. In this combination, using silver color for the bedding set is preferred to white color, because a white color bedding set will easily show dirt on them and get old quickly. Image credit: PaintGreen

Positive impacts of pink bedroom colors on sleep

*Image credit: Instagram/ Sherwinwilliams*

Pink, a favorite color of most girls, presents femininity, love, and playfulness. It has some good effects on the emotional state that can help us sleep well. Pink may evoke feelings of calmness, peace, relaxation, and satisfaction. In the late 1960s, a researcher, Alexander Schauss, studied psychological and physiological responses to the color pink. He convinced the directors of a Naval correctional institute in Seattle, Washington to paint some prison confinement cells pink, Baker-Miller Pink, to see the effect of pink on prisoners. As the result, pink was demonstrated to reduce aggression and lower blood pressure.

However, hot pink can bring the effect as same as red, that are increasing energy, blood pressure, and pulse, and causing palpitations. Therefore, in order to have a nice sleep, soft pink is recommended for the bedroom color.

Worst bedroom colors for sleep

Besides the best colors for sleep, there are also some colors having bad effects on sleep.

Red bedroom

Red usually symbolizes excitement, danger, energy, or action. So, it has some negative impacts on the emotional state, which make us hard to fall asleep. Red stimulates energy, evokes aggression or anger, and increases blood pressure and heart rate. Red also creates the feeling of caution, which is the reason why red is used in signals and alerts of caution. With those negative traits, the red color is absolutely a bad idea for the bedroom.

Purple paint for bedroom

Purple is another bad color for the bedroom. It is associated with a variety of meaning such as creativity, luxury, power, and magic… Purple stimulates creativity and imagination, which means the brain is still working, so it is not easy to wind down for sleep. Keeping purple out of the bedroom is a smart choice.

Black bedroom

When mentioning black, many people will think that black is so dark, so it’s a suitable color for the bedroom. However, the effect of black is the opposite. Black presents power, elegance, and strength, but it is also known as a symbol of total sadness and depression, fear, evil, and death. Sleeping in a bedroom dominated by black will evoke feelings of sadness, loneliness, and fear, especially for kids, and the probability of having a dark nightmare is higher than in other colors. Therefore, black is not recommended for the bedroom.

Other factors combine with bedroom colors for a nice sleep.

Along with bedroom colors, other factors such as bed size, bedding, mattress, air, and light… are also considered for deep sleep.

Bed size

To sleep like a baby, the first thing we have to do is choose the right bed size. The bed selection is based on aspects such as the bedroom size; whether the bed is the focal point; the number, height, and weight of people lying on that bed. In this article, the bed selection is only based on the aspect of the normal adult number. A twin bed is enough for one person, but I recommend a full double or queen bed for people who live alone. Because it will be more comfortable in case a friend visits and stays overnight. For a couple, the ideal size is a queen bed. And for a family with 1 child, a king bed is a perfect choice.

Bedding and mattress

Bedding and mattress play an important role in our sleep. Determining the sleep position is the first step in selecting the right bedding and mattress. The mattress is commonly divided into 6 firmness levels including Extra-Soft, Soft, Medium, Medium-Firm, Firm, and Extra firm.
For side sleepers, a combination of a Soft/ Medium mattress with a thick/firm pillow is a suitable choice, because it will help to support the neck and keep the spine aligned.
For back sleepers, the best mattress firmness levels for these people are Medium and Medium-Firm. A medium-thick pillow is usually the favorite of a back sleeper. If a back sleeper uses a set of a soft mattress and thick pillows, like side sleepers, his head will be pushed too far forward and hurt the neck.
For stomach sleepers, they will look for a Medium-Firm/Firm mattress and soft/fairly flat pillows to help their neck stay in line with the spine.
For those who have a variety of sleep positions, a medium mattress and medium-thick pillows are the common choices.
Duvet, comforter, or blanket is the factor that we also need to focus on. I recommend using the duvet instead of a comforter or blanket for two reasons. First, the duvet cover, which a comforter or blanket does not have, can be changed and washed easily. The owner can change the color of the duvet at a cheap price. He can also switch to a cooling duvet cover when the summer comes. Second, a duvet tends to be heavier than a comforter or normal blanket, so it will have the function of insomnia treatment as a weighted blanket. This function was demonstrated by a study conducted by researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden.

Night light

In 2017, researchers conduct a study to find out which color light is the best for sleep. As the result, The researchers determined that the preferred color light will make people fall asleep quicker than dark, white light, and non-preferred color light. Therefore, a combination of bedroom colors and a preferred color night lamp is the best for sleep. I recommend using a night lamp that can adjust the brightness to achieve the best effect.

Air and smell

Air quality plays an important role in sleep, research has found that ventilation or fresher air is associated with better sleep. So, adding some plants such as Jade plants, Aloe Vera, or Lavender…. to the bedroom will improve air quality. They will produce oxygen at night and purify the air.
A bad smell is really bad for sleep, so let’s keep it stay away from the bedroom. Instead of that, A scented candle can help to improve the quality of sleep. I suggest the lavender-scented candle because Lavender was demonstrated that has good impacts on sleep.

Curtain

The curtain will help to block light from sunlight, streetlight, or lightning to support a restful sleep. Blackout curtains are an ideal choice for the bedroom. They will completely prevent the lights and noises from outside.

Bedside table (nightstand)

The bedside table is absolutely a must. That table will help store the stuff that supports sleep. It may be a phone for those who have the behavior of using the phone before sleep, a book for the book lover, a scented candle, a plant, or a bedside lamp…

Carpet

Setting up some carpets around the bed is very supportive for sleep. It will help reduce the noise if someone is walking around the bed. It also provides a comfortable sense for the feet when waking up for going to the toilet at night, the feet will be not shocked by the cold floor.

Conclusion

In conclusion, some colors can be applied to the bedroom to enhance sleep quality such as blue, peach color, white and grey (silver grey), and pink… Besides, some colors that harm sleep should be avoided such as red, purple, and black… Furthermore, sleep can also be better by other factors such as bed size, bedding, mattress, night light, air, smell, and bedroom furniture setup.

Focal point in interior design

In Art, a focal point is the feature of an artwork, that is strongly highlighted to make people concentrate on or pay a lot of attention to it. And, interior design is a work of art, so it will absolutely appear in interior design. This article will mention the focal point in interior design and some tips to emphasize it by using lighting, color and stuff arrangement….

Focal point definition in interior design

A focal point in interiors is a feature which attracts visitor’s eyes immediately when they go into that room or space. It can be a picture, mirror, television or artwork…. it is also one of the most fundamental elements of interior design. It is not necessary to be located in the center room or space, the interior designer will do the arrangement of stuff such as furniture, decorative elements and lighting… to highlight the focal point.

Why focal point in interior design is important?

For homeowners, the focal point will create interest for the visitors when they walk into a room and are attracted by the thing which the homeowner wants to show off. The focal point usually is the hobby of the homeowner, for instance, if the homeowner is a picture lover, there will be at least one with the picture in the house. It can be considered a signal that the homeowner wants to send to find out the people have the same hobby.

For interior designers, If the homeowner has a focal point request in detail, it will help the interior designers very much in their job. They will know what they have to do to meet the requirements of the homeowner. They will easily arrange furniture and set decoration elements to highlight the thing which the homeowner wants to show off. In contrast case, the homeowner will give interior designers nothing, but his demand has to be satisfied. Sometimes, the brain of interior designers wants to explode in this hard case.

Some focal point ideas in interior design

Picture

If the homeowner does not plan to use wallpaper or draw Murals, let’s try setting up the focal point with pictures. To catch the eyes easier, the main color of that picture should be outstanding with the wall paint color. If there is a blue wall, the dominant color of the picture should be a warm color such as red, orange, yellow…

Television

Television is also a good choice if the homeowner’s family has a watching TV habit. It will be better when using a TV that can turn into a picture when it is turned off, then the focal point will change from a television into a picture. However, there is a small note that setting a spot light for television or placing a light nearby is not necessary, it will distract the attention from watching TV.

Flower vase

The flower is the best idea for the flower lover and it really suits rooms with natural light. The flower will bring the room closer to the natural mother and provide a fragrance to the house. However, it will be inconvenient, for natural flowers, as they will be replaced often before they wilted, and for artificial flowers, it will get hard for cleaning work when they are stuck by dust.

Mirror

The mirror is one of the common options for the focal point. The homeowner should consider whether the mirror suits the room in size, shape and frame… to catch the eyes of visitors easily. The size of the mirror should be large enough with a customized shape or a beautiful frame also a good option to create an eye-catching mirror.

Fireplace

Along with warmth providing function, a fireplace can be designed as a focal point. Interior designs usually make the surround of the fireplace outstanding to attract attention. The surround should have a contrasting color with the wall and adding some textures is also recommended.

Furniture

Furniture also can be a focal point such as the bed for the bedroom, bathtub for the bathroom, working table for the home office… It is not necessary that it must be the bed for the bedroom. However, when stepping into a bedroom, the bed is usually the first thing people think about, so it is an advantage for making the bed a focal point. This also applies to with the bathroom, home office, kitchen…

Tips to emphasize the focal point (using lighting, color, texture and stuff arrangement….)

Lighting for the focal point

Lighting is a considerable element that highlights the focal point, it will be more effective at the night. Scientists believe that lighting will attract the attention of people. Therefore, the focal point should have a spotlight on them to attract visitor’s attention except for the television. Lighting will have a bad effect on the experience with the television.

Negative space

The focal point is absolutely a positive space which can be outstanding by being surrounded by negative spaces. However, if there are too many negative spaces, that “positive space” will be isolated and become a mistake.

Many focal points in a house but should be one in a room

Homeowners can totally build many focal points in the house following the path that visitors have to go through to make their home visit a journey. However, there should be one in a specific room or space. If the room is big, there can be more than one , but it should be one main focal point and others is auxiliary

Contrast color

Contrast color will help the focal point be more eye-catching. For instance, if the wall is white, a picture with a dark color theme will be outstanding on that wall. For other elements nearby, it will be better if their color is not too outstanding to avoid causing distraction.

Outstanding texture

Adding some beautiful texture is a method that interior designers usually use to create a stunning focal point. For example, a fireplace surround will be more attractive if it has some special textures on it.

Frame the area

“Framing” is the way interior designers emphasize the focal point area by stuff arrangement. For instance, the picture below is the simplest way to frame the television

The interior designer put the TV stand below it although the TV was hung on the wall. He put a lamp and a basket of wool on the left side to balance the tree and bracket on the right side. The lamp and basket have a similar height to the tree and bracket respectively. The tree and lamp were placed on the outermost of either side, and the next things were the bracket and basket. The stuff on the TV stand is also small and has a balanced arrangement, so they do not cause distraction from the TV.

Wall decoration ideas for the living room

The living room is usually the guest reception place in your house, so it should be decorated carefully and impressively. You have a lot of things to make your living room more gorgeous such as designing the ceiling, choosing furniture and decoration elements, setting the lights and decorating the walls.
Sometimes, decorating the living room walls will go into a deadlock, because you do not have enough decoration ideas for large living room walls. The 9 ideas for living room wall decoration below are for your reference.

1. Wall decoration idea for the living room with mirrors

Mirrors are a popular element for wall decoration in the living room. Mirrors on the wall will make you feel the living room space is larger, so it is effective for small living rooms. It optimizes the brightness for the large or low-light living room because it reflects the light. Parallel with functions of decoration, space duplication and light multiplication, you can use those mirrors to look at yourself before you go out.

2. Use plants to make the living room more green

Image credit: *Pinterest/Tableclothsfactory*

Adding some plants is a smart idea to create some fresh air for your house. This time, let’s try hanging them on the living room wall instead of placing them on the floor. However, you have to consider the type of plants which will be hung on the wall. I recommend indoor plants from the Crassulaceae family such as Burro’s-tail, Sedum, Jade Plant…for wall decoration. Because most of them are small and neat, they will be easily hung on the wall. They are CAM plants, so their features are arid condition adaptability and oxygen release at night. With those features, you do not need to water them too much, which can make the wall dirty, and your health will not be affected at night.

3. Shelves for wall decoration in the living room

Using shelves is also a good idea to decorate your living room wall. Parallel with the decoration purpose, you can use those shelves for storing objects. However, Decoration shelves, for themselves, are also decor elements, so their structure sometimes will not be as concrete as normal shelves. Therefore, you should not put heavy stuff or too many things on those decoration shelves.

4.light up the living room wall

Decorative light is also a two-function decoration element. It is not only decorating the living room wall but also lighting up the room. There are a lot of ideas you can go with the light for living room wall decoration. For the simplest example, you can run LED wire from the ceiling to the floor with random bright points as rain. You can also use LED Strip to draw some simple things such as your signature, symbols, easy pictures…However, I recommend using LED strips/wire combined with other decoration elements or using decorative wall lamps. Because it will be boring at day if you only use LED strip or wire.

5. Decorate the living room wall with pictures

Almost people will think about pictures when they try to decorate their living room walls. This is a classic method that appeared a long time ago, but it is still effective in modern life. If you are a drawing lover, living room walls are ideal places to show off your talent. However, you have to consider whether the pictures hung on the wall are in harmony with the living room or not. Picture content, color and size are the main points on that you need to focus for choosing a picture and hanging it on the living room walls

6. Wood slat idea for living room wall

Wood slat is one of the special ideas for the living room wall decoration. There are a lot of ways to install wood slats on your living wall. For example, wood slats can be set up vertically, horizontally, or diagonally as well as you can create some simple textures with them. The vertical wood slat wall is my favorite because it takes the least time to build and limits dust from sticking to them.

7. Build Gallery for the living room wall

Living room walls are also the best places to set up the gallery about something which means to you. It may be memorable places, photo collections or family photos. Normally, there will be 7 steps to create a gallery.

Decide the theme of your gallery
Choose the outstanding photos
Select the picture frame
Measure and design the layout on your living room wall
Hanging
Have a final look

8. Decorate the living room with Murals

Image credit: *Pinterest/ Color My World Artistry*

The mural is a large picture which is drawn directly to the surfaces of the walls, ceilings or other permanent substrates. The mural is known as the oldest human art form, as cave paintings, and can be found around the world. In interior design, Mural is popular for wall and ceiling decoration. However, you should not try decorating your living room wall with murals by yourself if you are not a dexterous person. I recommend hiring a mural artist to save time and effort.

9. Design an accent wall

An accent wall is a wall with a different design compared with other walls in that room. It could be a different color, material or structure. For example, if your living room is mainly decorated with light colors like white, you can choose a neuter color like gray for the accent wall to maintain the light color theme of the room. Alternatively, the Dark Army Green is a good choice for a contrastive color accent wall. Wallpaper, tile or special textures are other methods to design an outstanding accent wall.

In conclusion, there are many ways and ideas to decorate your living room walls, but the 9 ideas that I shared above are the most popular. I hope with these ideas your living room walls will become more outstanding and stunning.

Positive and Negative space in interior design

Do you want to know about positive and negative space in interior design? This article will give you a general view of two types of these spaces in interior design.

Positive and negative space in interior design

In interior design, positive space is an area or space that is occupied by objects (furniture, decor element, tools, equipment….). Sometimes, paint color or light is also the component creating the positive space. Negative space is an area or space that is blank or empty around and among the objects. Negative space will combine with positive space to create space in interior design. If positive space dominates your room space, it will make you feel your room is cluttered (this is the feeling, the reality that your room was not). If negative space takes the majority of the room space, it will make the room look empty and boring. So, designers usually figure out the balance between positive and negative space in interior design.

Tips for using positive space in interior design.

Use different colors to create positive space

Color is an important thing in interior design. With successful color coordination, you can create many amazing things including building a positive space in interior design. For instance, you can use a contrastive paint color to create some positive area in a wall or you can also use that method to highlight columns or ceilings in your house so that they become more “positive space”. Furniture with different colors is a good selection for making the positive space created by them outstanding. However, 3-4 main colors are recommended, do not make your house become a cluttered color box.

Build positive space with picture

Picture is also a smart choice to create positive space in interior design, you can hang a picture on some empty areas on the wall. But the way you choose the picture is also important, you have to choose a suitable picture with the area on which the picture is hung. For example, you can hang a picture on the area above a long couch to create positive space, but do not pick a picture which is too small or too big. For me, a 2×3 picture with a length equal to 2/3 the length of the couch is enough and the main color of that picture has to be outstanding with the wall paint color.

Set up the light for positive space in interior design

Positive space in interior design, created by lighting, are the areas having different brightness or color of the light compared with the room light. Using light to make positive space is very effective when the sun goes down. You can use different brightness or color light to highlight the ceiling or some areas in a wall. You can set up the LED strip light to run along with the edges to create depth for the ceiling. You can also light up the wall area behind the desktop screen to make your working space more brilliant. Setting the LED strip light along with the edge between the stair and the wall is also a smart choice. It’s not only making your stair more beautiful but also creating safety when you move on that stairs.

Note the arrangement among objects

Building positive space in interior design does not mean that you put many things (furniture, decorations, artwork…) into a room. You have to control the quantity of stuff and have a wise arrangement. You have to find a suitable quantity of objects in your room based on the space of that room and the object size. The object arrangement is also important, you are not only creating positive space but also creating negative space. In other words, negative space in the interior is also the space among objects in your room, so you have to consider a suitable space among them. Furthermore, let’s ensure that the function of the object is not affected by your object arrangement. For instance, you should not put a flower vase too close to the television, because it may cover a part of the television screen.

Tips for using negative space in interior design

Hide items to create negative space

Sometimes, you try to eliminate stuff to balance negative and positive space in your room, but you face difficulty because there are a lot of things you cannot remove. The kitchen, for example, has many things supporting your cooking such as dishes, bowls, pots, pans, and spices…, so you should store them in the kitchen cabinet or a cupboard with non-transferred doors. Let’s stay away from the glass kitchen cabinet door if it is not necessary, because it will show all of the things inside that cupboard or kitchen cabinet, and your hiding-item purpose will fail.

The wire is also a problem you have to handle perfectly. There are many tools which can help to have good cable management such as cable organizers, clips, sleeves, ties, raceway, and on-wall cord covers…. You can try using those things to hide wires behind the TV/PC screen, TV stand or under desk, so that your room will be neater and you will eliminate the unnecessary positive space.

Ensure the walking path is negative space

In your furniture arrangement, you have to make sure that the walking path is always negative space. It’s really silly when you put some furniture in front of the door or on the walking path. They will become obstacles which make your movement in your house more difficult or uncomfortable, especially when you are in a rush. Therefore, you should note down the negative space for walking space in Floor Plan, so that you can avoid those negative spaces.

Let the natural light come into your room with negative space

Along with the walking path, the areas in front of the windows should be also dominated by negative spaces. You should not put many things in those areas, because they may block the natural light going into your room. For another function, you can move easily near the window for closing, opening, or cleaning that window.

Highlight your stuff by negative space

It’s really easy to understand that the positive space will be outstanding, if that positive space is surrounded by negative space. You can apply this rule to show off the stuff which you are interested in or proud of. For instance, if you want to show off your beautiful armchair, let’s try to erase the positive space around it and that armchair will catch the eye of visitors

How do the interiors impact your mood?

The interiors may impact your mood in many ways. However, in my opinion, there are 4 main factors in the interiors that make your mood better on an exhausting day.

1. Paint Colors can impact your mood

The paint color is one of the factors in interiors that impact your mood directly and instantly when you open the door. Let’s see the two pictures below and analyze them together.

This is a picture which is about a room with dark paint color,

And now you turn to this picture with a light paint color room,

As you can see, when you look at the light paint color room, it will make you more comfortable rather than the dark one. Dark colors can evoke feelings of sadness and loneliness, light colors can refresh your mind and boost your energy. Dark and light colors can impact your mood in that way. This is also the reason people usually use light color paint for their house.

Moreover, colors can influence your state of mind by their meaning, for instance, warm colors such as red, yellow and orange will awaken higher arousal emotions like love, happiness, passion and anger. By contrast, cool colors like blue, green and purple will make you feel calm, sad and indifferent. You can learn more about color impacts on the behavior to choose the right color suiting with your house.

To avoid monotonous in your house, you can mix two or three colors but I think you should not try to mix too many colors.

2. Furniture and furniture arrangement affect your state of mind

For furniture, you need to take care of material, color and size. First, you need to choose the material which suits the purpose of that furniture. The color should be in harmony with room color and other furniture colors and sometimes the color will cover the weakness of that furniture. And the size of the furniture has to suit the room space or the space for that furniture and convenience during usage.

*Furniture and furniture arrangement impact your mood*

For instance, If you want to choose a sofa for a white room, you can choose a fabric sofa for your comfort. However, nothing is perfect, you have to clean it regularly if you don’t want mold, dust or dust mites that are easily accumulated on the fabric sofa to affect your mood when you lie on that sofa. For color, I think the cool gray should be chosen for this sofa, the cool gray does not contrast with the white painting and it also apart covers the dust color. Finally, you should choose a suitable size with room space. If there is a lot of furniture in your room, you have to share the space logically, so the space for the sofa may be decreased for other furniture, and finally, you have to choose a smaller sofa to fit that space. the aspect of convenience for the user is also considered, you will prefer to pick a sofa that is easy to sit on and comfortable to lie on.

The way you choose furniture which I discuss above not only gives you a good experience when you use it but also gives you balance and harmony in color and space. Balance and harmony will impact positively to your mood

3. light also impacts your emotional state

Light is one of the important elements which help you show how beautiful your room is. The light should be evenly distributed around the room. you need to avoid arranging furniture to cover the light from the window or the light. you should arrange the lights and make sure your room has just enough. If there is too much light, your eyes maybe not like it. If there is a lack of light, you will awaken sadness and boredom inside you.

Always use a mix of overhead light, decoration lamp and table lamp and a mix of warm and cool light. Warm light will bring coziness to your room. In some cases, warm light with low intensity will be very effective when you have a snap or watch movies with your girlfriend for instance. So, I recommend you set up your warm light with an intensity controller.

4. Space influences your feeling

You can not change the actual size of the room, but you can use paint as well as furniture arrangement to change the feeling of that room’s space. And you should consider “positive” space and “negative” space in building space feeling

These two spaces play an important role in interior design. If your room is completely filled with furniture, artwork, decor elements…, it will lead to the feeling of being stuffy and cluttered. By contrast, if there is too much negative space, it will make your room soulless and sparse. Therefore, you should balance them to create a good feeling for you.

In conclusion, according to the information I provide you above, I hope you will understand the way interiors impact your mood. Moreover, you can apply them to your house and they maybe help your mood become better and release your stress when you come back home after an exhausting working day.