DESIGNING FOR THE FIVE SENSES
When we talk about designing a room, we almost always start with what we can see.
What color should we paint the walls? What sofa should we buy? Where should the artwork go? What kind of rug works with the furniture?
All important questions.
But we don’t experience a room with only our eyes.
We hear it. We smell it. We touch it. We eat and drink in it. We feel the temperature and the light and the texture underneath our feet.
All of those senses are gathering information at the same time and collectively creating our experience of a space.
Sometimes you walk into a room and immediately want to stay awhile, even though you can’t quite explain why.
Other times, a room is objectively beautiful and you have absolutely no desire to sit down.
That difference is worth paying attention to.
Good design isn’t just about how a room looks.
It’s about how it feels to be there.
SIGHT: DESIGN THE ROOM FOR REAL LIFE
Obviously, what we see matters.
Color, scale, furniture placement, artwork, contrast and visual texture all shape how we experience a room. But one of the most important—and most overlooked—parts of what we see is light.
Natural light and artificial light aren’t interchangeable.
Pay attention to how much natural light a room receives and when it receives it. A room flooded with morning light may feel completely different by 7:00 at night.
Then think about what happens when the sun goes down.
Does the room have one overhead fixture bright enough to interrogate someone?
Or are there layers of light?
Lamps, sconces, pendants and other smaller light sources allow you to change the atmosphere depending on what the room is being used for. Dimmers can make an enormous difference in spaces that need to function differently throughout the day.
The color temperature of your bulbs matters too. A beautiful room can suddenly feel like a doctor’s office under the wrong light.
And then there is visual texture.
Wood grain, linen, stone, plaster, woven baskets, velvet, old leather and other materials add depth even before we touch them. Our eyes recognize texture, and in a way, we begin experiencing those materials before our hands ever reach them.
Color plays into this too. If you’re trying to figure out where to begin, READ: How to Use AI to Create the Perfect Color Palette in Seconds is an easy way to pull colors from something you already love instead of choosing them in isolation.
Don’t design a room only for the photograph.
Design it for Tuesday night at 8:30 when someone is actually sitting in it.
TOUCH: YOUR BODY IS IN THE ROOM TOO
This is where design becomes very physical.
What does the rug feel like under bare feet?
Is the sofa actually comfortable?
Are the sheets soft?
Is there somewhere to lean your head when you’re reading?
Does that beautiful chair make you want to sit down—or is the upholstery scratchy and the shape awkward to sit in?
Six months ago, I put an oversized designer sofa in our living room. I don’t regret the decision. I love it.
I moved our old sofa upstairs to the loft.
And guess what?
The kids keep going upstairs to sit on the old sofa.
Why?
“Because it’s so comfortable.”
There it is.
I can design the living room beautifully, choose the sofa I love and make the whole space look exactly the way I want it to look. But the people actually living in the house are still going to seek out the place that feels good to sit in.
That matters.
We interact physically with our homes all day long.
That means texture shouldn’t only be selected because it looks interesting. It should make sense for the way the room will actually be used.
Think about the difference between cool stone and warm wood. Crisp cotton and heavy linen. Smooth leather and nubby upholstery. A thick rug under your feet versus a bare floor.
Layering those materials gives a room dimension visually, but it also changes the physical experience of being there.
This is especially important in bedrooms and living spaces, where comfort is part of the purpose of the room.
You shouldn’t have to choose between beautiful and comfortable.
The best rooms are both.
And often, the most interesting rooms get there by mixing things that weren’t necessarily sold together. READ: How to Make an STR Look Collected Instead of Shipped In From Amazon
SOUND: LISTEN TO THE ROOM
Close your eyes in a room and listen.
What do you hear?
Maybe it’s traffic. An air conditioner. A refrigerator humming. A ceiling fan clicking just enough to make you crazy.
Rooms have sound whether we intentionally design it or not.
Hard surfaces tend to bounce sound around. Rugs, curtains, upholstered furniture and other textiles can soften it.
But designing for sound isn’t only about eliminating noise.
Sometimes we should add it.
A small fountain or water feature can completely change the atmosphere of an outdoor space. Wind chimes can bring gentle movement and sound to a porch. Music can transform the feeling of a kitchen, living room or patio.
If music makes sense in a space, make it easy to play.
And consider what each particular room should sound like.
A bedroom should probably feel quiet and restful. A gathering room can handle more life. An outdoor seating area might be made even better by the sound of moving water, wind through trees or a carefully chosen set of chimes.
You don’t necessarily need to fill every quiet space with sound.
Sometimes quiet is exactly what you’re designing for.
The point is to notice it.
SMELL: CLEAN DOES NOT HAVE TO SMELL LIKE CHEMICALS
Smell may be one of the fastest ways we form an opinion about a room.
And this is especially important in short-term rentals.
We obviously want a space to smell clean.
But clean and heavily fragranced are not the same thing.
If I can taste the disinfectant, we have gone too far.
Walking into a room and being hit with an overwhelming cloud of artificial lavender, lemon cleaner or whatever scent has been plugged into every available outlet doesn’t necessarily make the room feel cleaner.
Sometimes it just makes you wonder what we’re trying to cover up.
Start with actually fresh.
Clean textiles. Empty trash cans. Clean drains. Good ventilation. Bathrooms that have been properly cleaned. Kitchens without lingering cooking odors. Fresh air whenever possible.
Pay attention to humidity too. A bathroom that stays damp can develop a musty smell no amount of fragrance is going to fix.
Then, if you want to introduce scent, do it intentionally and lightly.
Fragrance should never have to fight the room.
And remember that not everyone likes the same scents—or wants to smell them at all.
Sometimes the best-smelling room simply smells like absolutely nothing.
This is also one of those places where cleanliness and the perception of cleanliness overlap. READ: How Clean Is Clean Enough for an STR?
TASTE: YES, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO EAT ON THE SOFA
Taste seems like the odd one out when we’re talking about interior design.
After all, there may be absolutely nothing to eat in the room.
Except people are going to bring something in.
They’re going to drink coffee in the bedroom.
They’re going to eat popcorn on movie night.
They’re going to carry breakfast onto the porch.
They’re going to put a glass beside the sofa.
And yes, somebody is eventually going to eat fast food on that $2,000 sofa.
Plan accordingly.
Designing for taste means thinking about how eating and drinking naturally become part of the experience of a room.
Is there a comfortable place to sit with morning coffee?
Is there somewhere within reach to put the cup?
Does the porch have a table where breakfast would actually be enjoyable?
Can everyone gather around the kitchen island with snacks?
If you’re designing a short-term rental, these questions matter even more because people are there to relax. And relaxed people have a remarkable ability to carry snacks everywhere.
So choose materials accordingly.
That doesn’t mean everything needs to be brown, commercial-grade and vaguely indestructible.
We still want beautiful.
But washable slipcovers, durable upholstery, performance fabrics, forgiving rugs and surfaces that can actually be wiped down allow people to use a room without every glass of red wine becoming a potential financial event.
And if we’re talking about designing an STR around how people actually eat, drink and gather, the kitchen deserves the same consideration. READ: What Should Actually Go in Your STR Kitchen?
A room should be beautiful enough to make someone want to sit down and comfortable enough that they actually do.
Then it should be durable enough to survive what happens next.
THINK ABOUT THE SENSES TOGETHER
The interesting thing is that we don’t actually experience any of these things separately.
Imagine sitting in a comfortable chair beside an open window.
There’s warm lamplight beside you.
Your feet are on a soft rug.
You can hear rain outside.
There’s a cup of coffee on the table.
The room smells fresh.
Maybe music is playing quietly somewhere in the background.
Which one of those things made the room feel good?
All of them.
Our senses are constantly working together to tell us how we feel about our surroundings.
That’s why sometimes changing one seemingly small thing can completely change a room.
Turn off the harsh overhead light and turn on two lamps.
Open the window.
Put down a rug.
Fix the rattling ceiling fan.
Wash the throw blankets.
Bring in a chair that’s actually comfortable.
Give someone somewhere to set their coffee.
None of those things is particularly dramatic.
Together, they can completely change the experience of being there.
This is also why I like designing around things that already mean something to you instead of beginning with an empty room and a shopping list. READ: Start With the One Thing You Love
DESIGN FOR THE PERSON WHO WILL ACTUALLY BE THERE
It is easy to design for a photograph.
Photographs don’t care whether a sofa is comfortable.
They don’t notice scratchy sheets, hear the refrigerator buzzing, smell the bathroom or wonder where they’re supposed to put their coffee.
People do.
So when you’re designing a room, stop every once in a while and look beyond what you can see.
What does this room sound like?
What does it smell like?
What does it feel like underneath your feet?
Where would you sit with your coffee?
What happens when the sun goes down?
And what is going to happen when somebody inevitably drops popcorn between the sofa cushions?
Design for that.
Because a truly beautiful room isn’t simply one that’s beautiful to look at.
It’s one that feels good to live in.
CONTINUE READING
How to Mix Decorating Styles Without Choosing Just One
Coastal STR Design: 10 Ways to Create a Stay That Feels Like the Coast
How to Use AI to Create the Perfect Color Palette in Seconds
DESIGNING FOR THE FIVE SENSES
When we talk about designing a room, we almost always start with what we can see.
What color should we paint the walls? What sofa should we buy? Where should the artwork go? What kind of rug works with the furniture?
All important questions.
But we don’t experience a room with only our eyes.
We hear it. We smell it. We touch it. We eat and drink in it. We feel the temperature and the light and the texture underneath our feet.
All of those senses are gathering information at the same time and collectively creating our experience of a space.
Sometimes you walk into a room and immediately want to stay awhile, even though you can’t quite explain why.
Other times, a room is objectively beautiful and you have absolutely no desire to sit down.
That difference is worth paying attention to.
Good design isn’t just about how a room looks.
It’s about how it feels to be there.
SIGHT: DESIGN THE ROOM FOR REAL LIFE
Obviously, what we see matters.
Color, scale, furniture placement, artwork, contrast and visual texture all shape how we experience a room. But one of the most important—and most overlooked—parts of what we see is light.
Natural light and artificial light aren’t interchangeable.
Pay attention to how much natural light a room receives and when it receives it. A room flooded with morning light may feel completely different by 7:00 at night.
Then think about what happens when the sun goes down.
Does the room have one overhead fixture bright enough to interrogate someone?
Or are there layers of light?
Lamps, sconces, pendants and other smaller light sources allow you to change the atmosphere depending on what the room is being used for. Dimmers can make an enormous difference in spaces that need to function differently throughout the day.
The color temperature of your bulbs matters too. A beautiful room can suddenly feel like a doctor’s office under the wrong light.
And then there is visual texture.
Wood grain, linen, stone, plaster, woven baskets, velvet, old leather and other materials add depth even before we touch them. Our eyes recognize texture, and in a way, we begin experiencing those materials before our hands ever reach them.
Color plays into this too. If you’re trying to figure out where to begin, READ: How to Use AI to Create the Perfect Color Palette in Seconds is an easy way to pull colors from something you already love instead of choosing them in isolation.
Don’t design a room only for the photograph.
Design it for Tuesday night at 8:30 when someone is actually sitting in it.
TOUCH: YOUR BODY IS IN THE ROOM TOO
This is where design becomes very physical.
What does the rug feel like under bare feet?
Is the sofa actually comfortable?
Are the sheets soft?
Is there somewhere to lean your head when you’re reading?
Does that beautiful chair make you want to sit down—or is the upholstery scratchy and the shape awkward to sit in?
Six months ago, I put an oversized designer sofa in our living room. I don’t regret the decision. I love it.
I moved our old sofa upstairs to the loft.
And guess what?
The kids keep going upstairs to sit on the old sofa.
Why?
“Because it’s so comfortable.”
There it is.
I can design the living room beautifully, choose the sofa I love and make the whole space look exactly the way I want it to look. But the people actually living in the house are still going to seek out the place that feels good to sit in.
That matters.
We interact physically with our homes all day long.
That means texture shouldn’t only be selected because it looks interesting. It should make sense for the way the room will actually be used.
Think about the difference between cool stone and warm wood. Crisp cotton and heavy linen. Smooth leather and nubby upholstery. A thick rug under your feet versus a bare floor.
Layering those materials gives a room dimension visually, but it also changes the physical experience of being there.
This is especially important in bedrooms and living spaces, where comfort is part of the purpose of the room.
You shouldn’t have to choose between beautiful and comfortable.
The best rooms are both.
And often, the most interesting rooms get there by mixing things that weren’t necessarily sold together. READ: How to Make an STR Look Collected Instead of Shipped In From Amazon
SOUND: LISTEN TO THE ROOM
Close your eyes in a room and listen.
What do you hear?
Maybe it’s traffic. An air conditioner. A refrigerator humming. A ceiling fan clicking just enough to make you crazy.
Rooms have sound whether we intentionally design it or not.
Hard surfaces tend to bounce sound around. Rugs, curtains, upholstered furniture and other textiles can soften it.
But designing for sound isn’t only about eliminating noise.
Sometimes we should add it.
A small fountain or water feature can completely change the atmosphere of an outdoor space. Wind chimes can bring gentle movement and sound to a porch. Music can transform the feeling of a kitchen, living room or patio.
If music makes sense in a space, make it easy to play.
And consider what each particular room should sound like.
A bedroom should probably feel quiet and restful. A gathering room can handle more life. An outdoor seating area might be made even better by the sound of moving water, wind through trees or a carefully chosen set of chimes.
You don’t necessarily need to fill every quiet space with sound.
Sometimes quiet is exactly what you’re designing for.
The point is to notice it.
SMELL: CLEAN DOES NOT HAVE TO SMELL LIKE CHEMICALS
Smell may be one of the fastest ways we form an opinion about a room.
And this is especially important in short-term rentals.
We obviously want a space to smell clean.
But clean and heavily fragranced are not the same thing.
If I can taste the disinfectant, we have gone too far.
Walking into a room and being hit with an overwhelming cloud of artificial lavender, lemon cleaner or whatever scent has been plugged into every available outlet doesn’t necessarily make the room feel cleaner.
Sometimes it just makes you wonder what we’re trying to cover up.
Start with actually fresh.
Clean textiles. Empty trash cans. Clean drains. Good ventilation. Bathrooms that have been properly cleaned. Kitchens without lingering cooking odors. Fresh air whenever possible.
Pay attention to humidity too. A bathroom that stays damp can develop a musty smell no amount of fragrance is going to fix.
Then, if you want to introduce scent, do it intentionally and lightly.
Fragrance should never have to fight the room.
And remember that not everyone likes the same scents—or wants to smell them at all.
Sometimes the best-smelling room simply smells like absolutely nothing.
This is also one of those places where cleanliness and the perception of cleanliness overlap. READ: How Clean Is Clean Enough for an STR?
TASTE: YES, PEOPLE ARE GOING TO EAT ON THE SOFA
Taste seems like the odd one out when we’re talking about interior design.
After all, there may be absolutely nothing to eat in the room.
Except people are going to bring something in.
They’re going to drink coffee in the bedroom.
They’re going to eat popcorn on movie night.
They’re going to carry breakfast onto the porch.
They’re going to put a glass beside the sofa.
And yes, somebody is eventually going to eat fast food on that $2,000 sofa.
Plan accordingly.
Designing for taste means thinking about how eating and drinking naturally become part of the experience of a room.
Is there a comfortable place to sit with morning coffee?
Is there somewhere within reach to put the cup?
Does the porch have a table where breakfast would actually be enjoyable?
Can everyone gather around the kitchen island with snacks?
If you’re designing a short-term rental, these questions matter even more because people are there to relax. And relaxed people have a remarkable ability to carry snacks everywhere.
So choose materials accordingly.
That doesn’t mean everything needs to be brown, commercial-grade and vaguely indestructible.
We still want beautiful.
But washable slipcovers, durable upholstery, performance fabrics, forgiving rugs and surfaces that can actually be wiped down allow people to use a room without every glass of red wine becoming a potential financial event.
And if we’re talking about designing an STR around how people actually eat, drink and gather, the kitchen deserves the same consideration. READ: What Should Actually Go in Your STR Kitchen?
A room should be beautiful enough to make someone want to sit down and comfortable enough that they actually do.
Then it should be durable enough to survive what happens next.
THINK ABOUT THE SENSES TOGETHER
The interesting thing is that we don’t actually experience any of these things separately.
Imagine sitting in a comfortable chair beside an open window.
There’s warm lamplight beside you.
Your feet are on a soft rug.
You can hear rain outside.
There’s a cup of coffee on the table.
The room smells fresh.
Maybe music is playing quietly somewhere in the background.
Which one of those things made the room feel good?
All of them.
Our senses are constantly working together to tell us how we feel about our surroundings.
That’s why sometimes changing one seemingly small thing can completely change a room.
Turn off the harsh overhead light and turn on two lamps.
Open the window.
Put down a rug.
Fix the rattling ceiling fan.
Wash the throw blankets.
Bring in a chair that’s actually comfortable.
Give someone somewhere to set their coffee.
None of those things is particularly dramatic.
Together, they can completely change the experience of being there.
This is also why I like designing around things that already mean something to you instead of beginning with an empty room and a shopping list. READ: Start With the One Thing You Love
DESIGN FOR THE PERSON WHO WILL ACTUALLY BE THERE
It is easy to design for a photograph.
Photographs don’t care whether a sofa is comfortable.
They don’t notice scratchy sheets, hear the refrigerator buzzing, smell the bathroom or wonder where they’re supposed to put their coffee.
People do.
So when you’re designing a room, stop every once in a while and look beyond what you can see.
What does this room sound like?
What does it smell like?
What does it feel like underneath your feet?
Where would you sit with your coffee?
What happens when the sun goes down?
And what is going to happen when somebody inevitably drops popcorn between the sofa cushions?
Design for that.
Because a truly beautiful room isn’t simply one that’s beautiful to look at.
It’s one that feels good to live in.
CONTINUE READING
How to Mix Decorating Styles Without Choosing Just One
Coastal STR Design: 10 Ways to Create a Stay That Feels Like the Coast
How to Use AI to Create the Perfect Color Palette in Seconds