It happens like this - you come to visit, and the house seems clean, and bright, and the style can be seen, but it’s uncomfortable. Or vice versa - there seems to be nothing special in the house, but it’s still cozy, good, and you don’t want to leave. What cozy items in the house create the atmosphere in it? What's the matter? Is it only in the hospitality of the owners?
Lucky are those who are endowed with an inner sense of style and intuitively understand what a comfortable home should be like. Many articles have been written about how to create comfort in your home, and there are master classes and lectures. But the topic is still relevant. This article contains all kinds of tips and tricks on how to create comfort in your home with your own hands.
Harmony in a room is created by adding simple but necessary things to the interior. Products for home comfort can be found in literally any store. For example, regular curtain, selected according to the rules, can create the desired atmosphere in the room, and if not followed simple conditions will only add to the chaos.
If the rooms in the house are small, then you should not clutter them with heavy furniture. It’s better to think about an economical one, but effective option, where all cabinets and shelves will be strictly functional, and the space will be designed to be as useful as possible. In a small room there is no need to hang a heavy multi-layer curtain; a simple cute curtain will be enough.
If a window sill is provided, then a small pot with a flower will be very appropriate. But if you don’t “get along” with fresh flowers, if they die and dry out, then you don’t need to overpower yourself and try to urgently become a florist. Dried, unkempt plants only spoil the impression. In this case, give preference to small bouquets of artificial flowers, especially since they can be placed not only on the windowsill, but also on the upper tiers of cabinets.
If you are a renowned florist, people come to you for advice on growing various house plants and for seedlings, then you, like no one else, know how to create comfort in the house, and that flowers always put you in a positive mood. Plants planted in original flower pots, as well as stands for them, artificial butterflies and ladybugs will give the premises freshness and beauty.
Accordingly, if you are the owner large rooms, then you can choose any plants - even a palm tree in a tub, or shy violets in small pots. In this case, you just need to wisely choose the place where the flowers will look most advantageous. If your rooms are not gigantic in size, then give preference to medium-sized and small plants. And remember about quantity - too many flowering flora representatives can turn your house into an arboretum, and this will clearly not be beneficial.
In addition to the flowers decorating the window sills, well-chosen curtains are needed to decorate the window space. The main condition when choosing window curtains is compliance general style apartments. For example, if Japanese minimalism prevails in your home, then heavy multi-layer curtains will look very inappropriate, just like simple ones. paper blinds will not fit into a luxurious oriental interior.
Lighting in any room must be effective. For example, in the kitchen bright light is important, while in the bedroom it should be soft and intimate.
Light and brightly lit rooms should be:
Soft, diffused light is preferable for the bedroom and dining room. In the living room, as in children's rooms, it is better to be able to change the lighting from bright to soft.
Where does it begin? cozy home? That's right, from the hallway. Even earlier - with front door and from her rug. Today you can buy absolutely any rug: with inscriptions, with drawings, even with 3D effects, it all depends on your sense of humor and financial capabilities.
There is nothing easier than creating comfort in your home if you start from the very door. If the hallway space allows, place a small sofa or soft cube poufs there, this will make it more convenient for you and your guests to put on and take off their shoes.
In the bedroom, as in any room of the house, small details create comfort. Here, by the way, a multilayer curtain will look advantageous, even if it visually conceals the space, because twilight and intimacy are needed in this room. A bedroom is a room where it is desirable to smooth out the corners as much as possible. Even a bed with right angles can become soft if you cover it with a chic satin bedspread with a “soft” pattern.
In the bedroom, you can refuse a chandelier in the center of the ceiling; soft, diffused light is more appropriate here. Two will be enough table lamps on or
But here it is required bright lighting at any time of the day or night. Welcome big window and lamps around the entire perimeter of the kitchen, the concentration of which should be predominantly above the work surfaces.
The main rule of the kitchen is functionality. And, nevertheless, here it is possible to implement different ideas for comfort in the home. You just need to choose the right kitchen utensils uniform style, design kitchen apron and furniture. Salt shakers, elegant napkin stands, shelves with spices, cereals and other things - these are the very little things and details of comfort in the house.
Trying to create harmony in the bathroom and toilet, many make the same mistake - they place various cute trinkets and hang a lot of shelves. As a result, the opposite effect is created, and the room looks cluttered and cramped.
If you want your closet to always look cozy, remove all unnecessary things from there. Clear functionality and cleanliness are important in these rooms, and this is difficult to achieve if foreign objects are present. Particularly spoiling the appearance are various household cleaning items, buckets, brushes and rags, which many people store in the bathroom or toilet. For these items, it is better to allocate some nook in the house, perhaps a pencil case in the hallway. Or, if the layout allows, make a special place and remove all the paraphernalia for cleaning. If you still prefer to place these items in the bathroom, then make a special cabinet for them, preferably in the main colors of the room. The main goal is to hide everything unnecessary. By the way, you can hide a basket for dirty laundry in such a cabinet.
Only two or three shelves should be left in the bathroom itself, and two or three shelves are more than enough for them. Accents will help to place original towel holders, rugs on the floor, as well as cute stickers on the plumbing, which you can choose to your liking.
This is the place where you can show all your imagination and create comfort in your home with your own hands. After all, the living room is often a relaxation area for all household members and a place for parties. Here, too, it is important not to overdo it and maintain space - there should be enough for everyone. Soft fluffy carpet, comfortable chairs, sofa cushions- this is something without which a cozy home is simply unthinkable. The main thing is not to overdo it.
How to create comfort in a house where small children live? This is the most pressing issue for young families with children. of different ages. Even if they have their own room, kids prefer to play where adults are, so the living room often becomes the location for almost all of the baby’s toys. Designate a space for games, place a puzzle mat there and place a basket for toys.
A fire in the fireplace always creates an atmosphere of festivity and mystery, and dim light only enhances the overall impression. The firewood is burning, slightly crackling, and the light from the fire falls on the lying fluffy carpet, cozy soft chairs... Romance.
If you can’t afford a real fireplace in your home, then who’s stopping you from making an imitation of it? Free up the necessary space on one of the walls - and start creating! Here is a small master class on creating a fireplace from ordinary cardboard boxes.
Take a lot of cardboard boxes of different sizes and form them into a square arch. Secure the boxes together with tape. Cover them with wallpaper with a brick image or Now all that remains is to attach your fireplace to the wall - and voila - a beautiful imitation of a mantelpiece is ready! Decorate the space in front of the fireplace and place a garland inside. Shimmering with different lights, it perfectly replaces a natural fire source, and on the mantelpiece you can put framed photographs, place plush animals or arrange family china.
Come up with your family's coat of arms, draw it and attach it to the wall above the fireplace. This will give your home a special personality and charm.
The main rule cozy home- purity. Because even if the furnishings of your home were designed by famous designers, and the ideas were embodied by famous construction companies, dirt and dust in the house ruin the entire impression of a magnificent renovation. Many housewives have adopted the Fly Lady system for cleaning.
The idea is to spend exactly 15 minutes a day cleaning. After all, cleanliness and comfort in the house is not always a condition for titanic efforts. The entire space of the house is divided into zones, and every day you will clean one of the zones. As a result, the system will inevitably lead to the fact that the house will be constantly clean, and you will not spend the whole day off on hassles.
In addition, there are many so-called life hacks for cleaning (and these are the secrets of comfort in the house), which make the life of a housewife much easier. For example, everyone knows that special greasy kitchen dust and dirt constantly accumulate on the upper surfaces of kitchen cabinets, which requires considerable effort to remove. By covering the tops of your cabinets with clear cling film, you'll see how much less cleaning will be done in that area. After all, all you have to do is regularly replace the dirty film with a new one. You can cover with the same film internal surfaces kitchen cabinets, this will also help reduce the time spent cleaning the kitchen. In general, almost every housewife has her own secrets for keeping the house clean, and someone can even give a master class on home comfort.
To shine glass and mirror surfaces, use the solution ammonia. Add a little fabric softener to the water you plan to use to get rid of dust. Then the dust will not bother you for a long time, and the house will smell fragrant after cleaning.
But try not to overdo it with cleanliness, because museum sterility completely kills the charm of the house. By handing your guests shoe covers at the entrance and keeping a vigilant eye on the things they touch, you run the risk of never seeing anyone in your home other than your own reflection in a perfectly clean mirror.
Perhaps the most important rule of a cozy home is the atmosphere created not by furnishings or things, but by people. Cheerful, hospitable hosts, cheerful guests, delicious food, laughter, lively conversations - this is what creates the atmosphere of any home.
And don't forget about the smells! Unpleasant odors will ruin all your efforts, so don't give them a chance to seep into your apartment. All cracks in the walls, floor and ceiling should be identified and filled, this way you will get rid of obsessive basement smells or the smell coming from your neighbors.
The kitchen of a cozy home is filled with the aromas of fresh pies, coffee and cinnamon, the bedroom and living room are dominated by light floral notes, and the bathroom and toilet are filled with a fresh aroma with notes of citrus or pine. Modern air fresheners can handle any of these tasks.
In the kitchen, you can place a small picture made using coffee, cinnamon, dried lemon; it will exude a subtle, pleasant aroma. Flower petals poured into glass containers will not only maintain a fragrant atmosphere, but can become a stylish part of the interior.
In other words, a cozy home is a house where attention is paid to the little things, or rather, there are no little things in such a house. Everything is in its place and everything is harmoniously located in space.
When decorating your home, it can be difficult to find the right balance between functionality, comfort and style. No matter how much money we spend on decent furniture, the rooms are always missing something and end up looking nothing like the ideal apartments we see in magazines.
Sometimes the situation can be solved with the help of small tricks that take only a few minutes of your time and do not require any money. Read the following tips to find out how you can make your home more stylish and cozy with minimal effort.
You should not forget about the front door, even if you live in apartment building, since it is she who creates the first impression of your home. Take care of her the same way you would interior doors. Add a few pots of flowers, hang a seasonal wreath or decorations, update your license plate, or paint your door a bright color.
As in many fields and disciplines, the rule of three is actively used in decoration and styling. A trio of pieces looks more visually appealing and more balanced, especially when it comes to size, height and materials.
Start small and decorate a small corner in your living room or a table. For example, place a vase of flowers, a basket of books and a clock. You will see how cute and cozy this composition looks. But do not oversaturate the room with such decorative details, otherwise the effect will be read incorrectly.
Place a small, thick rug on top of a larger, more neutral rug. This is also a great way to test how you feel about bold experiments in the interior, and such design move will make the room more comfortable and stylish. Thanks to this tip, you can divide the space into zones or emphasize the necessary places.
A vertical or slightly tilted stack of books is the norm for classic interior. Alternative placement speaks of a bold and modern style. Try alternating shelves, arranging books either vertically or horizontally. Horizontal lines will break up the pattern of vertical lines and attract attention. You can place additional items on book shelves. Just make sure the order is random, as a rigid layout is very noticeable.
This advice is a little more complicated than it sounds, because not every person wants to show off objects dear to their hearts and realize that no one else is impressed with them except themselves.
To grab people's attention, your favorite items need to stand out. environment and immediately catch your eye. Don't forget that you don't have to cross an ocean to find something worth telling others about. As long as you have a cherished memory associated with the item, you can captivate your guest with this topic.
Next time you have beautiful bottle from alcohol, milk or perfume, don’t dare throw it away. Save it and use it as a vessel for liquid soap or vases. Alternatively, fill it with beads and tie a bow with twine. But first, soak the bottle in warm, soapy water until all the labels come off easily. The transparent vessel looks very stylish and futuristic.
Nothing kills style like dust. You may have been cleaning just yesterday, but the dust will quickly find its way back. Take a closer look and find the surfaces where it is most noticeable in daylight, and be sure to wipe these areas between “general cleanings”. This way you can enjoy clean air and don’t worry when guests show up unexpectedly.
When you receive bouquets, place them somewhere in the corner of the room, and never in a central place. Bonus points if they are wildflowers or garden flowers. Random placement makes it feel like the flowers are an integral part of your home and you're not trying to show off or impress others.
We are used to moving things around within one enclosed space, and it is not natural to move furniture from room to room. In fact, things may look much better in the new space, or serve more functionality. When you don't have the time or budget to buy new home decor, the most... quick way refreshing any room in your home means rearranging the furniture.
It's a personal choice, but White color towels give a feeling of freshness and cleanliness. Plus, having more than one towel in your bathroom adds casual hospitality and attention to detail.
Books instantly add style and provide entertainment for guests. Be sure to include your favorite book and several works of different genres. You can put just books or mix them with magazines and photos. This perfect place to apply the rule of threes and combine books with decorative elements and small objects.
Whether you drink tap or bottled water, store it in a jug. There's nothing cuter than putting it on the table during lunch with your family or dinner with guests. If it's a clear jug, you can add cucumber or lemon slices to the water.
Leave the jug on bedside table, to both humidify the air and add some style points.
Most often, things in an apartment do not fit well with each other due to different styles, colors and finishes. Paint some furniture the same color as the walls, or choose curtains/rug/cushions to match exactly. This will create a certain unity of space. Such items should be scattered throughout the room, not too close to each other. There is no need to repaint everything - even a small dose will help create a harmonious composition.
This may seem counterintuitive, but it actually creates the illusion of a clean home and order in the family (especially if you have children). Napkins are also a great way to add color and pattern to your kitchen interior. They can be inexpensive, plastic, rubber or paper. You can also make napkins with my own hands by cutting the fabric into small squares. The main thing is to take into account the color scheme.
Choose one type of product that you have enough of. For example, fruits, and the brighter the color, the better. You can also use some kind of vegetable or simple elements that are found in nature, such as stones or wood.
Place them in a vase or bowl and place them in a visible place, but not in the center. The goal is to attract attention, so the vase should be simple in shape and ordinary material.
Gather all the candles you have and place them in small groups throughout your apartment. The living room is the first place. Lighting candles in groups is much more effective than lighting them individually as they provide more light, which is ideal for an evening with guests.
When purchasing candles, avoid fussy designs and scents. The best ones are classic white candles, which are ideal for grouping.
Plants not only bring freshness and color to a room, but are also an important decorative element. Place them near large pieces of furniture or use them to fill empty corners. Small plants can be mixed in a composition, following the rule of three.
If you're a fan of small trinkets, decorative items, works of art, rugs, pillows, your home most likely resembles a folk art museum. Minimalism in home interior looks much better than an abundance of unnecessary things. Try removing some accessories, replacing them, adding something else until you are happy with the result. It is best to decorate the house with one type of decorative items. It looks stylish and cozy.
Not only does a lightweight blanket feel cozy, it can add texture and color to a fairly flat or neutral room. If you want to add just one colorful touch, make sure that the blanket is not neatly folded, but casually thrown over the back.
A basket is a lifeline when you need to clear away clutter before guests arrive or move things from room to room. They seem much more expensive and exotic than they really are. Baskets can be different sizes and shapes, but they should be made of the same material or have a common color so as not to create too much chaos. They can be a completely unique and loud splash in a neutral space in your room. If the interior of your home is made in light colors, select more baskets dark shades, and vice versa.
This The best way organize space in your kitchen and add a stylish touch to the interior. Store grains, spices, cookies and other foods in containers. Glass containers look beautiful, but they can be expensive. Use inexpensive options. The point is not to have the whole set. The key is to keep the containers the same material and color to create a clean, organized look in your kitchen or pantry.
Many people avoid decorating their walls because they don't have enough money to spend. expensive works art. But you don't need fancy paintings because anything can be art as long as it evokes feelings in you. Hang magazine pages, photographs, or your own drawings in a chaotic manner to add dynamics to the wall. From time to time, change the images to update the interior a little.
Don't be shy about showing your hobby openly. Firstly, it will be a topic for interesting discussions. Secondly, you can hang the results of your labor on the walls, or randomly place them on shelves or simply leave them on the floor. This is guaranteed to add uniqueness to your home.
Be it a fireplace, an old piano, large furniture, appliances, empty corners... Place books, vases, plants there, and unnecessary items will instantly turn into stylish interior elements.
Most stylish houses are decorated with photographs of their residents. But here are the houses from real life in which they live interesting personalities, filled with things the owners love. Musical instruments, books, old cassette tapes... After all, the simplest and reliable way Making your home more stylish means adding more information about who you are and what you like.
Take the time and turn your home not only stylish, but also your favorite place on Earth!
What do you associate with the word comfort? Probably, for some part of people, these are memories of grandma’s house in the village, filled with the aromas of freshly baked bread and pies, where everything was sweet and pleasant.
Someone cannot imagine a house without cleanliness, and only clean house It is considered cozy and conducive to life for them. For some, comfort is certainly associated with good lighting, large windows, which, when opened, allow one to come into contact with the surrounding nature.
For the fourth, it is a modern layout and the currently fashionable minimalism style, a combination of certain colors. But some people like “chaos of things,” and only in such an interior do these people feel comfortable; “sterile cleanliness” and neatly laid out things make them sad.
Whatever category you belong to, today's article is intended for those who want to create cozy interior your home, but doesn’t quite understand where to start and what principles to follow.
In creating the interior, the house itself plays an important role, its appearance, the materials from which it is made, the dimensions of the rooms. If you inherited a small wooden house in the village, then a high-tech interior will be completely out of place in it.
It's more likely here style will suit country, where you can save some of the old things by repairing, updating or restoring them. Wooden furniture can be sanded and painted in the desired color, sofas and armchairs can be reupholstered.
It's not only practical solution, but also beautiful, especially if the house is a country house. Relaxing in a country-style house is much more pleasant than in the modern interior that fills our apartments, offices, and various centers.
Formerly wooden village houses built on a small scale. As a rule, they were divided into several small rooms by partitions (often not reaching the ceilings).
To fill your home with light and air, dismantle all partitions, redesign the space into the most convenient and comfortable rooms, combining the kitchen, dining room and living room, and create a sleeping area.
After all, a large living room is conducive to spending time together as a family and communicating between different generations. Where, if not at the dacha, can you gather big family, arrange a holiday and discuss pressing problems, ask for advice in a casual conversation.
Small windows are another problem with old houses, but it can be solved quite simply. Expand window openings in wooden house easy by installing windows bigger size without bindings, you will fill the house with light and fresh air.
If the premises are still small size, then some will help make them visually wider and taller design techniques. Light walls and ceiling visually expand the space; wallpaper with vertical stripes will “raise” the ceiling, and wallpaper with horizontal stripes will “expand” the walls. But too much bright wallpaper striped in small room can harm him, use them fragmentarily, combining them with plain wallpaper companions.
Painted wooden walls light colors will give a country style interior a special charm. But if abundance natural wood If you don’t enjoy it, then perhaps you will be interested in the Provence style.
The interior in this style is distinguished by lightness and naturalness; it is characterized by light shades and floral motifs. Provence style is appropriate in a country house. In addition, it is not at all difficult to fill the interior with furniture. Can be applied old furniture, having worked with her a little.
If you inherited from your grandmother products of her creativity (Cutwork tablecloths, crocheted napkins, valances, etc.), which cannot be used in a city apartment, and these products are dear to your heart, you can safely use them in the design of a Provencal interior.
The interior in the shabby chic style is interesting from a design point of view.
Artificially aged walls, antique furniture, pastel shades- its constituent parts. A bunch of small items: various figurines in the form of birds and roses, preferably with chips and cracks, an abundance of pillows, blankets, decorated with lace, create a cozy interior.
There will also be framed vintage photos of your beloved relatives. Modern photos can be aged using a photo editor and printed. An integral part interior design in shabby chic style is an antique rocking chair. Interior items such as Appliances and electronics must be camouflaged.
As you can see, you can create comfort in your home with small means, showing ingenuity, creativity and resourcefulness.
I would like to dwell a little more on the topic of furniture. It is no secret that a country house that serves as a summer cottage is rarely used year-round. Most often this is a vacation spot on weekends and summer days. For this reason, not everyone buys for furnishing country interior new furniture.
It happens that after renovating a city apartment, some of the furniture is transported to the country house. To ensure that the dacha does not remind you of an apartment before renovation and does not turn into a warehouse of unnecessary things, modify the old furniture and bring it to the chosen style.
Our rest largely depends on the visual perception of surrounding objects. Try giving old things new life. The secrets of transforming old things can be gleaned from the Internet. Many craftsmen and designers are happy to share their experiences with readers.
Old window frame can act in a new role, for example, become a mirror, a floor lamp made from a street lamp will find a place in your living room. Build an ottoman from an old Soviet folding bed. Grandma's foot not working sewing machine can turn into an original dressing table or desk, and old suitcases will make a magnificent chest of drawers.
You can even make interior items.
A construction reel for winding cables can be changed beyond recognition, turning it into original table. Sometimes it is enough to simply repaint the furniture in a new color and replace the fittings to radically change its appearance.
To remove the old layer of paint, use special chemicals for these purposes. Wooden surfaces needs to be cleaned with fine sandpaper or a grinding machine. You can also apply different kinds decoration – decoupage, artificial aging of furniture and interior items.
Helps make your home more comfortable right choice textiles Harmonious combination of all fabrics in the interior (furniture upholstery, sofa cushions, curtains, tablecloth, carpet, etc.) will make the interior cozy and conducive to rest and work.
Sometimes it’s worth changing the curtains and sewing new covers for the sofa cushions, and the interior will radically change and transform.
In the interior country house you can arrange or hang items of your own creativity (embroidery, tapestries, photo frames, boxes, wicker baskets, decorated vases, etc.)
Take advantage of our advice and show interest in your country house and start creative alterations. Let your dacha remind cozy corner, and not a pile of old and, at first glance, completely unnecessary items. Beauty created with your own hands is doubly pleasant.
Comfort is defined as the quality of the living environment. This is accurate, but too dry. Creating comfort at home means breathing soul into it. It's vague, but truer. No one ever says or writes: make it cozy or build comfort. Souls are different, and similar souls also want to express themselves materially, in things and objects, in different ways, otherwise they would not be souls, but programs. In this article we will look at how to create comfort with and for the soul.
...by design. Comfort in the interior is created according to the principle: we carefully, perhaps for a long time, think through everything to the end, and implement it in things slowly, piece by piece. Comfort is created not only for yourself. If you do everything planned at once, your family and guests will experience something like a culture shock, and what is truly cozy will never seem that way to them again - they will not perceive it as a subcortex.
When thinking within yourself, you need to be even more careful and as concise as possible. Let's imagine that comfort is developed by a computer program. There is one thing that creates comfort; it needs another one that is in harmony with the first. The third item must be included in the ensemble three times so as not to disrupt the interaction of the first two. The fourth must be coordinated 6 times already: it should not only be in harmony with the first 3 separately, but also not destroy the coordination of 3 pairs: 1-2, 1-3 and 2-3. As the material expression of an idea expands, the number of necessary approvals grows so rapidly that no analytical abilities and computing facilities not enough to bring the idea to even a sketch. Therefore, comfort in an apartment is thought out intuitively, and this requires a lot of time, trial and error, thinking and rethinking. Finally, just a suitable mood and physical condition: best ideas creations of comfort come in dreams.
Note: in due time in similar situation turned out to be D.I. Mendeleev. Chemists for centuries have been trying to find some kind of order in the world. chemical elements and they were completely desperate. Dmitry Ivanovich also puzzled over this, for a long time and without success. And then suddenly periodic table elements, in which a successful schoolchild now freely navigates, Mendeleev... just dreamed it, all that remains is to jump up and write it down.
The comfort of the entire house is also thought out step by step. They start with the living room or the most significant room, it could even be the kitchen. For a bachelor-intellectual, this will most likely be an office, for an artist a studio, and for a woman leading a free lifestyle, it is most natural to start creating general comfort from the boudoir or bedroom. When the comfort in the room, so to speak, of the first rank, is embodied in things and properly appreciated by home or visitors, they begin to think about the next most important room, etc. In general, there will be enough work for years, but it is a rewarding occupation, and in terms of its beneficial effects on health, psyche and appearance, it has few competitors. The results of this approach, coming out of diligent minds and hands, are simply amazing, see Fig., it doesn’t matter whether the work was done by a professional or an amateur.
Note: In a one-room apartment or studio apartment, comfort is created gradually by zones, as in a house by rooms.
In a complex business it is difficult to avoid mistakes, and creating comfort is no exception. The first thing you need to follow when thinking about how to create comfort in a room is not to make it small or flicker. And after all, they buy potatoes by weight, but how many potatoes there will be, that depends.
Here, for example, on the left in Fig. – the most typical, even under glass and in a museum, interior in fashionable style shabby chic. Formally, from the point of view of how designers are taught, everything is correct. And the room is not small. But even the owners here need to walk carefully, so as not to catch something and knock it over. What kind of comfort can there be in cramped circumstances? It's like the freedom of a bankrupt. And most importantly, everything clutters each other. In order for there to be comfort in the house, you need some kind of idea, a super task, a connecting rod. In the author’s thoughts, something similar, if it existed, was lost in things. Do not forget: comfort is a material expression of the movements of the soul, and things have their own properties and things require appropriate treatment.
The example in the center in Fig. - a case when there was no single basis for the interior in thoughts. A living illustration of the saying: we wanted the best, but it turned out as always. We wanted comfort - what we got was a bunch of rubbish. Example on the right in Fig. – the approach was the opposite, too purposeful and tied to one subject, fixated on it. Specifically, on the coffee table. The table is excellent, but it clearly doesn’t fit into this interior. And only because of too light varnish and slanted legs. But everything else is correct (see below): light, a contrasting spot, trinkets, pillows, elements of chaos, even a wicker pouf.
But what and how should you do to create comfort with your own hands? An inveterate idealist will not deny that the soul needs not only a material container, but also a material basis for existence outside it. So comfort is created first of all on the basis of weighty, rough, visible primary material factors, and only then the decor is thought out and embodied in things that directly create comfort; This, so to speak, is already materialism of the highest order.
The primary basics of comfort are simple:
Why is clear. If the house is damp, stuffy, cold or hot, dusty to the point of sneezing, then no cute little things will create a comfortable living environment. Coziness ideas are appropriate after proper physical comfort has been achieved and consistently maintained, including regular cleaning and furniture care. And also for cute little things, remember this when considering their quantity and estimating their properties.
Natural light is especially important; it kills germs. Pathogenic bacteria survive on average 1.6 hours in the dark; on a scattered sunlight 15 minutes, and on a straight line most of them die instantly. The average, again, for many types of diseases, infection time is 35 minutes. No explanation required.
Air temperature and humidity are of particular importance. The atmosphere of comfort is not a metaphor: excessively dry or steamy air in the house aggravates the effect of all other harmful factors on people and simply spoils the things that create comfort. It is quite simple to increase air humidity, for example, by using trays of water on heating radiators. But reducing it is much more difficult. If the dampness is small and occurs periodically, you need to introduce more wooden things into the interior (MDF is also good) and/or line the walls at least partially with soft natural stone: limestone, dolomite, sandstone, shale. All these materials will be accumulators of water vapor, absorbing their excess and releasing it when there is a lack of moisture in the air. If the house is very damp, then complex and expensive technical measures may be required: site drainage, warm basement, supply and exhaust ventilation.
Note: Problems with air humidity are much less common in houses with stove heating and fireplaces. Keep this in mind, especially since the fireplace itself is powerful tool creating comfort.
The basis of interior decor, the very core on which it rests home comfort- room decoration style. Most interior styles can be animated without problems, but there are also difficult ones: if the designer or you yourself missed the mark initially, it will not be easy to breathe soul into them with material additives.
The first of these are the styles of shabby chic, Provence, haberdashery and Russian bourgeois. They express the owners’ commitment to simple, ordinary life without any heavenly soarings. Everyday routine is boring and it is impossible to cope with boredom with feigned gaiety or a far-fetched hobby. However, creating a feeling of comfort in the interior of a “down-to-earth” style is actually simple: an open bookcase or shelving unit, several works of object art, meaningful photographs or paintings - and that’s it, there is a coziness, a pose. 1 in Fig. Yes, I (we, mine, mine) like it that way, but we are not such ordinary people.
Just don’t overdo it, either quantitatively or qualitatively, especially with books: with “petty” styles it’s easy to get caught up in flickering, and their monumentality spoils them. For example, an encyclopedia and “World History” in dark calico bindings should be kept in a library or a locked cabinet. "Library of World Literature" in light dust jackets, but 190 volumes per in this case too much. “The Life of Animals” and “The Life of Plants” in light, bright dust jackets, there are not many volumes here and there, but these are special monographs. But 5 volumes of Vasari’s Lives in solid, light covers with patterns will only add respect to the owners: anyone can read them, plus interesting illustrations.
It is more difficult to create coziness in an Art Deco interior: this style is designed to emphasize the ambitions of the owners. You can establish your reputation without being snobbish and puffed up like a boyar with objects that create comfort and cause admiration in themselves: an expensive fireplace (item 2), a round sculpture, antiques. It’s easier if Art Deco is a “closed” variety: they say, this is my cave, but otherwise I’m a normal guy. In such an interior, comfort is created quite simply in the usual ways(see below): contrasting spots (colored panel and light sofa in position 3), elements of controlled disorder (zebra rug in the same place).
The high-tech style is also difficult to animate: it expresses the desire for a Spartan lifestyle and disdain for all sorts of frills. An ordinary, “normal” high-tech tree will revive one fairly tall, but slender, not spreading or dense indoor tree (pos. 4). In a “good”, monochromatic, light-colored high-tech, the main plant can be thicker and more magnificent, and in addition there are 1-2 more; The element of chaos below is not forbidden, for example. rug that contrasts with the overall tone irregular shape(pos. 5). But one, and only one, animating plant in “evil” high-tech, with glossy sparkling planes and colored lighting (pos. 6) should be selected experienced designer at the interior design stage. However, those who can afford high-tech technology have no problems paying a high-end designer.
Note: For more information on using plants to create coziness, see below.
A good way to achieve comfort simply and inexpensively is to completely abandon the design style as such, but organize the interior according to the rules of general color. There are many different ones; It will be easier for an amateur to start with the seasons. For example, in the middle zone and to the south the autumn interior will be pleasant, on the left in Fig. Autumn time– the charm of the eyes, a time of abundance and preparation for winter holidays. The highlight here is not only in the overall color scheme, but also in the pillows (see also below): on the sofa they imitate dense leaf fall, and those in the chairs imitate small fallen leaves on the ground. An original contrast arises.
Interiors “Seasons”
The spring interior (in the center) will please the eye and provide peace in places to the north. Green curtains, if for some reason they turn out to be out of place, can be pulled apart. But the “summer” interior (on the right) will create comfort in housing in the Arctic Circle: in it, with 24-hour artificial lighting Artificial trees also look appropriate. Construction principle: everything in moderately bright warm colors, on which the green crowns of trees stand out.
Methods of material embodiment of ideas for creating comfort include not only things as such, but also other material manifestations of nature and spirituality:
At pos. 1 pic. Almost all of the indicated means are presented below, except for the stove or fireplace; you can see how they animate a very strict and laconic interior. Heating devices with a live flame or a fairly skillful imitation of it - exclusively effective remedy liven up the room; the first, with a natural flame from burning fuel, also stabilize the microclimate of the house within optimal limits. But enough has been written about stoves, fireplaces and fireplace stoves in other sources, so this vast, fascinating topic, unfortunately, will have to be ignored here.
Note: Pay attention to the clock too. Little is written about their role in animating an interior, but watches are also a very effective and versatile means of creating coziness. In addition, it is incomparably cheaper and portable.
At pos. 1, the role of pillows as mobile carriers of color spots is also clearly visible, and a spot is at the same time color, contrast, and an element of chaos, without which a living soul is difficult to see, see below. Pillows are easy and/or inexpensive to sew; they can be rearranged as desired or replaced with new ones. An embroidered pillow can have a picture, i.e. become an intellectual expression of the soul, poses. 2. In addition, a pillow can be a carrier of colored spots: in the form of seats and backs of wicker furniture, such a solution is enough to make a large empty room cozy, pos. 3. The pillow also copes well with the role of an element of disorder (see below), so it is not for nothing that it is considered the most accessible means add coziness and comfort to any interior.
In petty (in a good sense, i.e. detailed) interiors of soft light colors, the role of a stain from a pillow passes to a bouquet of flowers (possibly good artificial ones) and wall panels, pos. 4. But in interiors of coldish and darkish tones, the role of the main organizer of comfort shifts from color spots to light. The easiest way to do this is to arrange directional local lighting, however, if it is possible to use natural lighting, you can achieve results that are astonishing in their depth of positive impact.
Take a look at pos. 5. A 10-minute contemplation at sunset, after the day’s hassle and bustle, of a light spot slowly crawling across the sofa is equivalent in terms of the mental cleansing effect of a 2-hour meditation according to the yoga system or 40-minute relaxation using auto-training methods. The secret here is in the interaction of colors with light: the walls are monochromatic, cold in tone. The sofa is lighter, warmer in tone, motley. The pillows on it are even lighter and warmer, again monochromatic. This is the so-called. rule of contrast flow. It operates at full strength when illuminated by a slowly moving source.
The light spot can also be treacherous. You see that in pos. 6? The blinding glare of polarized light literally kills comfort. All that was needed was to install a matte laminate or cover the flooring with matte varnish. And it would be more comfortable to walk, not so slippery. True, cleaning is more difficult.
Functional, i.e. necessary regardless of comfort, interior items are most often used to create color contrast as such. Contrast is both a blur and an element of chaos. Floor and Wall lights In addition, they also provide light spots. True, motionless.
Furniture animates a room with its shape, color and texture. The latter, in turn, is determined by upholstery textiles. The role of fabrics in creating coziness is well known, and we will linger a little on wooden furniture frames.
Wicker furniture is the center of ordered chaos and... accordingly, it breathes the soul into the room with a powerful stream. Depending on the type of weaving, wicker furniture fits into any interior, see picture, but it is expensive. Viennese furniture made of bent wood is more affordable, but it does not fit everywhere and “breathes the soul” less well.
IN Lately Furniture made from layers of bent rods has appeared on sale (bottom right in the figure). It is just as soulful and fits in everywhere as wicker. On sale, such furniture is not cheaper than wicker, but home craftsmen should keep in mind: furniture made from sheet-bent rods turns out beautiful and strong, being made not only from expensive walnut or rattan, but also from calibrated willow or alder rods.
One fairly well-known interior designer, having drunk himself among his friends, put it this way: “Comfort is a piece of landfill in the barracks.” The fact is that absolute order is tantamount to complete chaos. Both have nowhere to develop further, and the lack of the possibility of movement is death, soullessness. Therefore, the element of organized disorder is universal remedy creating comfort in any interior.
Note: organized disorder means deliberately created, clean and easily removed.
The simplest ways to bring a piece of chaos into the interior are shown in pos. Fig. 1-3: scattered pillows, a colorful blanket in warm colors on a blue armchair, a black skin rug and an umbrella on the door handle in white rooms. Often the element of chaos is highlighted not only by form, but also by color: the color spot, contrast and form as a piece of chaos complement each other and are in harmony with each other.
A type of controlled chaos is separating dissonance. In this way you can turn even a corner into a cozy rented apartment. The dissonant surface should then be larger (for example, a screen) and, very preferably, artistically designed, i.e. semantic, informative. The separating dissonance requires a spot of light (position 5): remember Hemingway’s story “A Bright Cozy Place”?
All interior design can be built on apparently chaotic dissonances. This is the so-called. boho style; some consider it not a style, but a method. The essence of boho is in dissonant couples, neutralizing their negativity so that comfort remains, just as toxic chlorine and sodium provide beneficial table salt. At pos. 6 we can distinguish at least 7 such pairs both in color and shape. Let's give you a hint: leopard print upholstery on the chair and pillow against the gray-bluish walls. A colorful carpet against a lesbian pink sofa. The chair is either Empire or Baroque - against the classic shelving unit. A soft sofa with rounded corners is against a hard glass table. For the rest, practice it yourself if you want.
Reason is a clearly formed movement of the soul. Works of art and literature are the fruit of the joint work of intellect and spirit, therefore they are capable and should create comfort. Those who claim that books are worthless dust collectors are simply subjects with a pathologically destructively deformed psyche. Personal library of 3-5 thousand volumes in a properly organized bookcase or on a rack requires care no more than 2-3 times a year. But in this chapter we will deal only with images and books as sources of comfort: the animating effect of round sculpture, stucco molding and artistic plasticity is the same as that of trinkets, see below.
Classic and generally not strict interiors can be animated without anything, either with easel painting or photographs, but not with printed reproductions of paintings on paper, this is already bad taste. The location is arbitrary. Grouping either by subject or simply by size (item 1 in the figure), it doesn’t matter.
In futuristic-technologically laconic interiors, abstract painting or photography are most often used to create comfort in intelligent ways. In general, there are no problems with abstraction, hang it as you like. Abstract painting is meaningful and expressive no less than realistic painting, but it is easier for mediocrities to imitate abstraction in the eyes of amateurs.
With photographs, as well as engravings, etchings, watercolors, gouache, collections of butterflies, beetles, sea shells, etc. in a clear modern interior it is more difficult. Photos will make the room more comfortable if you hang them in the form of rectangular panels with a symmetrical overall composition, pos. 2 and 3. Pictures must be in the same frames.
Note: try to find it on pos. 2nd element of chaos. Look on the left by the window.
It is better to place heterogeneous images in heterogeneous frames and scatter them quasi-chaotically interspersed with functional things, poses. 4. The heterogeneity of the framing should be clearly visible and contrasting (we’ll organize a piece of chaos at once), otherwise it will just turn out to be an uncomfortable mess, as in pos. 5.
Books can animate and make any interior cozy, even without stains, contrasts and pieces of chaos. To do this, they need interaction with the furniture, and the designer needs to adapt the bindings: solid volumes in dark calico - into a monumental interior with solid cabinets; in light modern interiors - shelves with books in light or colored covers, see fig.
Small items for purely decorative purposes are specifically designed to create coziness; they can breathe soul into any room, see fig., even a removable corner or a student dorm. The film “The Dawns Here Are Quiet” shows how women decorated the barracks with random trinkets. Homemade trinkets are the most powerful - they contain a piece of your soul. Therefore, it is impossible to overdo it with homemade trinkets to the point of flickering, as with store-bought ones.
Note: According to the method of production and the nature of creating coziness, appliqués on the walls also belong to trinkets, on the right in Fig. But from the point of view of comfort, wall painting is already painting.
Many plants will animate any classic and traditional interior (rustic, country, colonial), pos. 1 and 2 in Fig. Also a large number of plants are appropriate in “naked” styles, such as constructivist minimalism, poses. 3. In modern, laconic interiors, the rule generally applies: the darker the overall color scheme, the fewer, but larger, plants are needed. 4 and 5. If the visible basis of comfort is achieved by spots, contrast and small chaos (zebra pillows and a discordantly shaped chair in position 6), then for complete mental comfort one thing is enough large plant. In an interior with little contrast, it is better to place a plant with bluish (pos. 7) or striped leaves; it will become a piece of chaos.
The bad thing about plants as sources of comfort is that they tie their owners to the house. If the interior is colorful and playful, then 1-2 small unpretentious perennial, top left in Fig. During your departure, you can entrust them to your friends.
Bonsai have a powerful animating effect in any interior, especially since some of the plants from which they are formed bloom profusely and beautifully. Bonsais require daily care, but there are specialized companies that provide such services to absent owners; Bonsais can be given to them during the holidays. It is not cheap, but bonsai are generally a pleasure for the wealthy or very patient: growing from seed and forming a bonsai takes many years and decades.
Succulents (succulents, in Russian) include cacti, aloe, crassula, stone plants (aizoonaceae), haworthia, echeveria, etc. living rooms, especially with children and pets, you should not have euphorbias (succulent euphorbias), they are filled with caustic poisonous juice. At the end of the first film, “The Gods Must Be Crazy,” there is an episode where a dangerous armed terrorist was neutralized with drops of euphorbia juice.
Succulents can go without any care or watering for months and are good as sources of comfort: a small collection of them on a bare windowsill is already pretty, see fig. But these are not all their advantages. Succulents come from hot, dry places. It is impossible to live a full life there during the day, the sun will burn you, so their photosynthesis is not quite the same as that of other plants: succulents release oxygen at night. Just when there is not enough of it in the air of the apartment. It is this, and not the mythical absorption of radiation, that explains the beneficial effect of succulents on the home atmosphere in the literal and figurative sense. For information on growing succulents at home, see the video:
The best home atmosphere freshener is agave, aloe vera, which has long taken root in rooms, in the center in Fig. The record holder for medicinal qualities of aloe vera is inferior to it in this regard. Aloe arborescens grows into a large, lush bush and fits into almost any interior. In an extremely laconic room it can be replaced by the “pike tail”, sansevieria, on the right in Fig.
Note: Sometimes they try to make the air in the room cozy with the help of interior perfumes or scented candles. In the first case, you don’t need to be like the French courtiers of Madame Pompadour’s time, who doused themselves in cologne to fight off the smell of unclean linen: the key to a cozy atmosphere in an apartment is its cleanliness.. And in the second, you need to remember that the main thing for fresh air is oxygen. Candles consume it, and the aromas do not last in a ventilated room.
An unsurpassed means of creating comfort in any environment is an aquarium with live plants and fish. An aquarium can turn a bare wall into a cozy corner, see fig. A bitter drunkard freezes in front of a well-established aquarium, having wandered in to visit in the hope of getting drunk on freebies, having forgotten that his “pipes are on fire.”
Unfortunately, an aquarium ties you to your home more tightly than an apartment greenhouse: it requires regular, diligent care. Many pet store workers earn extra money by looking after the aquariums of their owners when they are away; There are also companies specializing in this. However, such services are not much cheaper than temporary maintenance of bonsai, and outsiders will have to be given access to the house: a live aquarium does not move from its place.
Antiques and vintage (simply old things) convey the spirit of the time, particles of the soul of the masters to housing, and thereby create comfort. The Russian samovar is undeservedly half-forgotten in this regard, but it will perfectly animate almost any interior, see fig. Perhaps, anyone at all: there are samovars on sale that are compatible in design with evil high-tech.
It is not necessary to take a flammable wood-burning samovar, electric will do. Tea from a samovar is especially tasty because the teapot is smoothly and evenly heated from all sides to the optimal temperature for brewing by the hot steam flowing around it. And spiritual tea drinking is already comfort.
