5 Problems With Designing Your Home Entirely Around 'Calm' — And What Experts Do Instead so a Space Doesn't End Up Boring or Impersonal
It's not about negating a relaxing atmosphere altogether, but rather curating an ambiance with dimension
As a home wellness writer, I find that most of the homes I explore are designed with calm at their core. However, there's a difference between designing a home entirely around this feeling and interspersing pockets of relaxation to envelop you at the end of the day.
The main problems with a home curated solely to calm include a lack of emotional registers, monotonously neutral palettes, rigid visual perfection, impersonal spaces, and rooms that fall flat. As with most aesthetics, it's about finding the balance between making your home feel calm without compromising dimension.
So if you've chased this style of interiors your whole life, here's why it might be slightly overrated once you catch up.
1. Lack of Emotional Registers
DO INSTEAD: Consider the objective of the room and let the interior style tie into the way it feels.
"You might want a bedroom to feel restful, but does your kitchen, dining room, hallway, children's room and sitting room all need to make you feel exactly the same way?" says interior designer Hayley Fellows-Prior.
"Ideally, some rooms should energize you, some should encourage conversation, some can be playful, and some should feel cocooning." Designing each room for a different mood will ultimately make your home feel far more stimulating.
This vase from Kelly Wearstler x H&M's latest collaboration is a low-stakes way to cheer up a space with a vibrant bouquet.
Hayley Fellows-Prior is the founder and creative director of Atelier 44, an Essex-based interior design studio creating warm, layered and highly considered homes for modern family living. Her work focuses on homes that feel refined but lived-in, combining earthy palettes, texture, vintage pieces and thoughtful spatial planning. She is particularly passionate about helping homeowners make confident decisions early in the process, avoiding costly mistakes and creating homes that feel personal, functional and beautifully pulled together.
2. Overdoing Neutral Palettes
DO INSTEAD: Don't be afraid to introduce color outside the boundaries of a neutral scheme.
"Going with an all-neutral palette with no variation or contrast is a big problem with designing homes entirely around calm," says interior designer Jennifer Jones. "All white walls and furniture can feel sterile instead of serene."
Instead, she recommends designing in a range of tones and textures to maintain a warm feel. And if you can't help but favor simple colors, try using minimalist palettes that don't feel one-dimensional.
Buying a rug with a cool pattern or a bold color will instantly wake your space up from its all neutral slumber.
Jennifer Jones is the principal designer and founder of San Francisco-based Niche Interiors. Jennifer is a native Californian who studied art history in Rome, and she now serves as an ambassador to the Sustainable Furnishings Council and a founding member of the Good Future Design Alliance. Jennifer’s designs achieve an elusive blend of sophistication and sustainability.
3. Visual Perfection Leaves No Room for Relaxation
DO INSTEAD: Embrace the wabi-sabi of your home for a space that genuinely evokes a sense of restfulness.
"If everything has to remain perfectly styled, concealed, and clutter-free, you can end up creating a home you're frightened to actually live in," says Hayley. "A genuinely comfortable home should tolerate the chaos that a Tuesday morning can bring, everyone trying to rush out of the door at once and coffee mugs piled in the sink!"
For this problem, I prescribe the Japanese art of fukinsei, or the charming concept of wabi-sabi. It'll help you embrace asymmetry and imperfection for a home that feels more livable.
A hint of patina, as manufactured into these ceramic planters, makes your home feel more comfortably lived in.
4. You're Left with Impersonal Spaces
DO INSTEAD: Let your home's story speak to the memories you've made.
"Typically, I find that a calm home can simply feel boring," Jennifer points out. "There's no interesting artwork, color, or unique patterns that lend a home soul and personality."
And if all you're being fed by your calm-coded algorithm is beige homes, then this is your sign to snap out of your feed and avoid copycat interiors. Instead, take a moment to get your taste back. I have a feeling your house will feel more like a home before you know it.
Even a black-and-white picture will look twice as stylish in this pattern-drenched frame.
5. No Contrast Equals a Flat Aesthetic
DO INSTEAD: Start with one interesting thing in every room to offset its neutrality.
"One of the problems with designing entirely around calm is that everything can end up speaking at the same volume. If the furniture, artwork, lighting, color and accessories are all deliberately quiet, there's nothing for the eye to land on and a room can feel surprisingly flat," says Hayley.
"Calm doesn't have to mean removing contrast. Often it's one stronger element, whether that's an oversized artwork, a deeper color, or an unusual piece of furniture, that gives all of the quieter elements around it a reason to exist."
My favorite way to introduce a spoonful of visual interest is through the unexpected red theory, mismatched dining chairs, and color capping. Sometimes, all you need is a single element of surprise to breathe life into a room.
If you're willing to test your limits, a statement piece like this Tetris Wall Mirror from Seletti will make everyone stop, stare, and enquire.
If the one aspect you're not willing to experiment with is paint, then consider quiet colors for living room walls that aren't absolutely neutral. And in the meantime, sign up for the Livingetc newsletter for more design advice.
