Interior Design By Milka Mungai

5 COMMON SENSES PLUS 1

1. SEEING: This is anything pleasing to the eyes. Our eyes are forever roving and will linger or settle on anything attractive igniting our hearts with pleasant feelings. Thus, when you enter a room the eyes take a 360 degree round trip, identifying and soaking in the beauty. Attractive items in the living room could be colour, accent pillows, sofas, carpet, décor items, LIVE plants and wall hangings and so on. All these need to have balance and harmony with each other, what I call a relationship. They have to talk to each other and agree that they are sitting pretty with a nod, and then you enter a room and nod to that with “WOW”.

2. HEARING: Babbling brooks, fountains, music (rock and roll, soul, spiritual, funk), and chirping of birds, rain sound on rooftops, whistling tree. The sound should be music to our ear. However, it is important to note that what is soothing to the ear, maybe noise disturbance to someone else. Some people thrive on high intensity of city life while some prefer quieter solitude of rural setup or suburbs. What sound makes you happy? Use it.

3. TOUCHING: Velvet, satin, silk, carets, fabric upholstered sofa v/s leather pets, kiss, handshake, hugs- B.C (before corona), and flower petals are good examples of touch sense. Use and distribute them in the living room. Dust, clutter and sharp décor are counter effect avoid them.

4. SMELLING: Scented candles, perfumes, diffusers, flowers, freshly brewed coffee, cookies in the oven, aroma of accurately flavoured food (not smell of burnt onions, or food,). All this elevates a sense of goodness and wellness wetting our appetites. Again, just like sound, this sense is subjective one man’s meat could be another man’s poison. Know the scent of your house and capitalize on it.

5. TASTING: This is what goes into the mouth. It is not enough to look good, feel good, smell good, but it got to taste good. When relaxing and consuming the aura of the living space it has to taste good. People refer by saying you got “good taste”. What is your style? Are you a minimalistic person going for linear, lighter space-saving furniture? Alternatively, are you contemporary style person? Balance and harmony is key again when it comes to your style.

6. THE VIBE (ing): This is the gut feeling or intuition when something good is about to happen. A promotion at work, pay raise, good exam results. How you feel when you “click” with a person. This longing you get when you just want to go home, the sanctuary and leave busy hasty life behind. When you know goodness, love from family and beckoning of rest awaits you. Mmm cannot wait to get home!