Putting together a party in your home can be overwhelming. Whether you’re planning a wedding reception, a dinner party or a casual gathering, you want everything to be picture perfect. It not only has to look pleasing, but it also has to feel and smell welcoming. Many interior designers focus on our senses to help make decisions about what to add to a room.
Consider these tips on how to design spaces using all five senses for an unforgettable experience:
Smell
The smell of a room will most likely be the first thing you notice. Smell is the one sense that’s strongly linked to memory. A single scent is often recognized years after coming into contact with it. Candles, air fresheners, and even strong smelling flowers like Gardenia can add a beautiful scent to a room with little effort. Make sure to add flowers and plants to the areas where people will congregate. Place plants and air fresheners within those gathering spaces and walkways.
It’s also important to remove certain odors. The room’s proximity to the bathroom are good to note as well as the placement of trash cans. Keep in mind, some items introduced into newly designed spaces, like carpet, can have a strong odor that will linger for a while.
Taste
This design aspect is a bit harder to incorporate. Taste is one of those senses that’s directly connected to smell. A pleasant smell can have a mouth-watering effect on people. Smelling popcorn or fresh baked cookies can make people want to snack on something similar. On the same note, smelling bad odors can create an unpleasant taste in the mouth. Make sure your gathering space has a pleasing aroma, so your guests aren’t put off by bad tastes as well.
Carefully select the foods and drinks that you serve to complement the tastes and scents of the room. For an event with a lighter spirit, Jasmine flowers pair excellently with a white wine and fish with a lemon dressing. A bolder choice incorporates scents of oak and basil with a serving of red wine and meatballs.
Sight
You want your space to be visually pleasing. Aesthetics can create strong emotion for those who enter the room. Ensuring that your space is easy on the eyes is an essential part of designing for the senses.
Create clean lines by choosing furniture that correlates to the room’s theme. Color plays a substantial part in making sure a place is visually pleasing. Adding natural colors with plants can create a calming sense of peace and adds texture. Using plants also allows for bringing in the living feeling of outdoor landscaping design.
Staging furniture to create designated zones within the room is also important. Place chairs and couches together to form a conversational space. Workspaces can include desks and functional storage pieces. Make sure people can walk around with ease within the area. Remember that lighting is a huge part of sight. Access to natural light is best but adding light fixtures in dark corners is also helpful.
Touch
Different rooms will have various aspects of touch. Meeting rooms don’t have to be filled with hard, plastic chairs. Include plush fabrics that are cozy and inviting. A child’s party room should consist of a variety of fabrics and materials that create a fun and whimsical look. Flooring is an integral part of the sense of touch. You don’t want a hard, cold surface. Low pile carpet flooring options are better for office spaces.
Sound
Designing with sound in mind can be a bit tricky. However, many designers use tools to muffle or accentuate sound. Hardwood floors are popular in most buildings but you must keep in mind that sound carries further in these rooms. Carpeted flooring, rugs, or even furniture can help mute the sound within a space.
Some office managers look for event spaces with features that will drown out the constant ding of elevator doors or phone conversations. Sometimes all it takes is opening a window to hear the soothing sound of nature. But if all you hear is the sound of traffic, consider adding soft music. You can also add an interior water fountain to promote a sense of peace in the main gathering room.
Designing a new space can be both exciting and overwhelming. Consider all the senses when creating a new space that will be pleasing to all.