“Home is a shelter from storms – all sorts of storms.”
William J. Bennet
Our living room is a safe haven. It is where our family
gathers to escape the chaos of life and to just be. We read, we play music, we cuddle, we worship. We recharge. When
we’re gathered as a family in the living room, we focus on enjoying time with
one another and growing our family spiritually.
When you’re in my living room, I hope that the noise of the
world is shut out and that the restful peace of a Christian home is evident to
you. I hope the comfort of cushy chairs and the attractiveness of a pretty room
pales in comparison to the beauty and solace of a home without strife. I hope
you feel loved like family and refreshed like an honored guest.
I want my living room to be pretty, but more importantly I want
it to be inviting; a place where you automatically know that you are welcome to
kick your shoes off and put your feet on the couch. Not a sterile museum where
you should be afraid to touch anything. A museum isn’t a practical place to
live with five kids anyway.
The living room was the room I was most excited about decorating
in Michigan. I spent a lot of time in
there (nursing, playing on the floor with toddlers… I even birthed a baby in
there). I was determined to make it a room that I loved because I am very…
shall we say… impressionable. Meaning, my environment has a huge effect on my
emotional state. I need at least one room in my house where I can find beauty,
relaxation, and calm. Life is just better that way. My goal was to make my
living room a place where my guests could find the same.
Speaking of being impressionable, have you heard of color
psychology? Color psychology is the study of hues as a determining factor on
behavior. Color influences the way we think, feel, and even taste. It is widely
used in marketing to appeal to consumers’ emotions. Companies are interested in
this stuff. Ever heard about car insurance companies charging more if your car
is red? That’s because a bright red encourages energy and it really does
influence drivers to speed, leading to a higher likelihood of accidents.
When I chose the paint for my living room I did a little
research on what color was most likely to promote relaxation and calm. Let’s
run through some color theories real quick, keeping in mind your goal for your own
living room (or any other room in your house).
Red: Bold,
Exciting, Energy, Power, Ambition, Emotionally Intense *Studies show that the color
red increases heart rate, blood pressure, and metabolism. A good color for a
race car, but maybe not for your bedroom.
Pink: Love,
Respect, Warmth, Sensitive, Nurture *Valentine’s Day, anyone? I want to paint
my kitchen pink.
Purple: Deep, Creativity,
Dignity, Independence *Studies show that children are extremely attracted to
this color and it is often used to market toys.
Green: Growth,
Restore, Clarity, Balance *Promotes tranquility and restfulness – a popular
color for bedrooms
Blue: Content,
Perspective, Calm, Order, Success *Shown to suppress one’s appetite and promote
productivity. Maybe not the best choice for a dining room. Unless you’re on a
diet?
Orange: Instinct,
Optimistic, Freedom, Motivation, Social *Stimulates mental activity. A good
color to accent a school room.
Yellow: Joy,
Happiness, Intellect *When overused, yellow can have a distressing effect.
Studies show that babies cry more in yellow rooms. Who knew?
Black: Authoritative,
Mysterious, Formality, Elegance *Known to have a slimming effect.
White: Purity,
Cleanliness, Safety *Used to encourage a fresh look, or a “clean slate.”
Obviously, this is not true for everybody all the time. It
depends on your own personality, and can vary by age and gender. Personally,
I’ve found these to be true to a large extent. For my living room I wanted
something calming and refreshing. Based on the color psychology listed above,
both Green and Blue would fit my need. Living in Michigan where it is often
dark and overcast, I wanted something that would remind me of clear skies, so I
went with “Horizon Blue” for the walls.
I had something of a nature theme going on with the sky blue
walls, so I played on that by adding several plants, my favorite of which was
ivy hanging from the ceiling in the corner. Plants are proven to reduce stress,
help you sleep better, purify the air, and improve your overall wellbeing. I
love houseplants, but I do have a hard time keeping them alive. My ivy was
looking pretty pitiful by the time these pictures were taken.
I mentioned in the last post that it’s a great idea to try
to have repeating elements in each room to tie your overall décor together. One
way I tied the living room in with the dining room was by using the same twine
from the map display to create a “laundry line” of family pictures, using wood clothespins
to hang them. I was going for Shabby Chic/White Picket Fence feel in the room
and I liked how this laundry line idea gave it that effect. (It was complete
with a burlap bag that I really did use to store socks missing their mates.)
We had no ceiling light. I would have preferred to have the
option of overhead lighting, but the lamps did give it a cozy feel. I also
would have liked to have gotten curtains on the windows. I’m just not a fan of
blinds. And I wanted to find whitewashed shutters to create some wall art. Alas,
we moved before I found any. Instead I hung an ocean and lighthouse painting
that a dear friend from church painted for us, which I absolutely love! I miss
this room and hope to somewhat replicate it when we get into a new place where
I can paint.
{Oh, and I must brag on several pieces of furniture in this
room. My dad built the gorgeous hope chest in the corner for my 18th
birthday. The digital piano was my husband’s wedding gift to me. The upright
piano was my “wooden” anniversary gift from him. I also can’t leave out the
wooden box that he built to hold my sheet music :)}
Back to the decorating…
Decorating a room where people feel comfortable largely
depends on decorating in a way that makes YOU comfortable. If you’re
comfortable, people will sense that and relax. If you decorate your living room
in a popular style that everyone else loves but makes you feel “meh,” then
you’re not going to feel comfortable in there and neither will your guests.
When we have guests over, the conversations that start at
the dining room table usually end in the living room. My goal is to start
conversations geared toward the Gospel, so it’s important to me to make the
living room a place where friends feel relaxed and welcome to carry on the
discussion. When people are relaxed, they are more open o the Word.
So, what do you think about this whole “Color Psychology”
thing? I’m removing clocks to get people to stay longer, painting walls to
influence emotions… What kind of mind games am I playing??! But at least they’re
well intentioned mind games, right? Right.
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