New Year, New Beginnings…

No doubt we are all beginning this new decade with hopes of starting afresh. And yet, it looks as if our homes will remain at the heart of our lives for the foreseeable future. This year at Susie Watson Designs, we will be focusing our attentions on how Interior Design can positively affect the way we feel. Small changes in colour, layout and fabrics really can affect our frame of mind and promote relaxation, serenity and restfulness. These small changes have been shown to improve energy levels, reduce stress and depression and improve relationships and sleep. Now that we are spending more and more of our time at home, these changes are proving more important than ever.

But how to make such small but important changes? At the heart of every Interior Design decision is colour. Colour alters everything, not just in aesthetic terms but also in its psychological impact. For example, greens and blues can lower blood pressure slightly and induce calm, whereas red can stimulate concentration and blood-flow. Warmer shades of yellow and orange can boost creativity. Perhaps the most interesting studies have been done into the ‘white effect’, which has found that blankness can actually be disruptive and distracting, because there is a lack of detail to let the mind relax. Colour therefore, is a perfect place to start. Take a closer look at using colours in the home in our collection of Colour Stories.

The interiors of our homes should appeal to as many of our senses as possible: sight, sound, touch and smell. Take touch, for instance; along with adding visual and tactile appeal, texture can greatly affect the tone and weight of a room. Using rough, natural textures will serve a room differently than smoother, glossier fabrics. This year, we will take a closer look at how indulging all the senses can enhance and accentuate a colour scheme.

Personalising your home is an important part of self-expression and self-actualisation. So many of us get caught up in fashions and fads – not wanting to seem too this or too that - that our homes can sometimes feel like space that don’t belong to us. Believe it or not, this can cause unhappiness. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests clutter can negatively affect our mood; making us anxious and distracted. There is an oft quoted adage that ‘our third eye does not like clutter’ and this is because clutter is impersonal and meaningless. The overwhelming advice is to surround yourself with things which you love and which are meaningful to you. In short: do you what makes you happy.

In the recent past, homes have been forced to adapt to become workplaces as well places to enjoy family time and find rest and relaxation. This year we’ll be looking at using space more efficiently, both for entertaining as well as being alone and how versatile pieces of furniture can help accommodate many different purposes.