DECORATING FOR THE FIVE SENSES
I was visiting a friend’s home recently and was so struck by the way her home enticed and welcomed and enveloped me! It’s not overly extravagant or perfectly decorated but it is so so welcoming! Her style is lovely and is a reflection of who she is and a treat to my five senses! It dawned on me that visiting her home is a sensory experience. And it impressed upon me just how important it is to decorate a home to speak to our senses!
Today, let’s think of ways to create a home that engages each of our five senses!
SIGHT
Decorating with sight in mind is the easiest of the five senses to explore and engage. Light, form, style, and color are a few ways to make our rooms look pleasing. The best rooms incorporate heights and textures too so our eyes dance around the room looking from one thing to another.
A room that has a sense of “movement” is a room that seems inviting. It’s important to express your own personality and personal style in the rooms you create. Can people see YOU when they see your home? If you don’t love a piece of furniture, don’t live with it the way it is. Cover it, paint it, consign it. Create a home that looks like YOU live there. Make it a comfortable, personal feast for your eyes.
TOUCH
Decorate so that people just have to touch something in your room! Think texture! Rough, smooth, shiny, silky, furry, bumpy, burnished, rugged… and more!
Most people won’t really touch things in your home, but their eyes will. Our eyes can “feel” texture and are drawn to it! Make sure you have a mix of textures to draw people into a room.
SMELL
I have a very acute sense of smell. I often think I should have been a “nose” for a perfumery. Did you know that memories are made by aromas? I can still remember the smell of my grandmother’s basement. For some reason I loved that smell… it felt warm and cozy, not musty at all!
What aromas can you still conjure up from your past? I’m sure you carry a memory for that smell! For good or bad our sense of smell is strongly connected to our feelings!
It only makes sense (No pun intended) to fill our homes with memory making aromas. But just a caution, use a little restraint. Don’t overpower your home with scents! Just like perfume, a dab will do!
I am a huge fan of organic oils in defusers. They smell “real” and have no harmful chemicals in them. My favorite are Young Living Oils in Purification and Thieves.
I also love to simmer a mix of citrus and spices on the stove, especially during the fall and through Christmas. My son can tell what time of the year it is by the aromas simmering in our home.
You might like to make these seasonal simmering potpourri…
Fall Simmering Potpourri
Christmas Is In The Air Simmering Potpourri
HEARING
Let’s state the obvious… music is the best way to bring the sense of sound to your home. It’s also a very strong mood setter. When I’m cleaning I want loud and upbeat and fast paced music to get me moving. When I’m dining that fast music would probably give me indigestion! I am a classical music lover so when I am at home alone I’ll play the music I love best. My husband loves head-banging rock and country music. When he is working on a home diy project our house is filled with his favorites.
Music is very very powerful! Use it to set the atmosphere in your home.
Much more subtle, is the use of furniture and rugs to muffle unwanted sounds like that hollow sound of a room without many soft furnishings or clackity-clack sounds of shoes on a hard floor.
Other sounds that ring a welcome tone are wind chimes (you either love them or hate them), moving water and fountains.
TASTE
When it comes to decorating we sense “taste” differently. A bowl of lemons or apples will bring a bright pop of color to a room but also rev up our taste buds! Our kitchen should be a prime area for tasting things with our eyes. A jar of cookies, a bowl of just picked cherries or a loaf of bread will work wonders on our sense of taste.
Don’t forget to enjoy a bowl of chocolates or a glass of tea or a great cup of coffee. These yummy treats will awaken and delight our sense of taste!
The way we experience our homes through our senses is important to the overall welcoming and comfortable feel we get when we walk in our front door. These are deep primal sensory observations that may not overtly be noticed, but our senses play a very important part in how we feel and interact in our homes.
Make your home a sensory delight to live in! One that represents YOU!
Please share… what are some ways you play to the senses in your home?
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Love those crochet pillows. Where did you find them ,Yvonne? Once again, Thanks for a great article.
Hi Julie, I get lots of inquiries about those pillows. I got them at our local Pottery Barn Outlet several years ago. I have not seen them for awhile. I hope Pottery Barn brings them back.
Why not buy a cream colored sweater at Goodwill, cut it to fit a pillow form, stitch around it, and WOW.
Thanks for all the tips, decorating for all the five senses! Your home is gorgeous! I love those textured pillows.
I love all your tips, I usually pine one for future use!!!!
Great ideas – sensory decorating is a new idea for me – thanks for sharing.
Love all the textures!
Great post, Yvonne. Makes me look at decorating from a different perspective.
Ah yes! great article. Just like pops of color in the kitchen , I love pops of color on my walls,
when I walk in a room without art on the wall I feel sad, lonely, but I am also loving the new farmhouse style art which is black n white with only words, but words are encouraging, so that can lift my spirit and make me smile and give a warm fuzzy feeling to my senses also,….can you tell I am an artist…see my stuff on heritagegalleryoutdoorart.com
love your blog!
I never considered decorating using my 5 senses! What a great idea! I use texture in throw pillows and alway strive to make sure my home smells nice. I have 3 dogs so that can be challenging! I always tell my daughter if she smells “dog”, to let me know!
We are dealing with that right now too. Our little dog Scamp is almost 20 years old and now wears a diaper. He is still active and alert and eats great, but I’m always worried our home will smell. Have you heard of Nature’s Miracle? It’s fabulous for getting rid of dog and urine smell. Also I use Thieves cleaner to get things disinfected and clean.
Your home always looks so calm, serene- I just want to come and sit in that chair with a cup of tea. I love all the textures and “eye candy” your accessories provide. Great post.
I like this article!! I look forward to the smells of Fall. Summer is clean and beach… sun and sand, cool breezes. fall, all warm and homey. Textures and aroma……. crisp.
Great article. ?
Hugs, Gee
You say it so well Gee!
Yvonne, a great post about decorating with our senses. So much that you spoke about certainly resonated with me and you shared great ideas and of course, beautiful photos! Have a wonderful Thursday, Pam @ Everyday Living
Yvonne, I don’t know why this name popped up on my comments! That is really unbelievable! I apologize to Nancy. An obvious glitch somewhere!
Oh the horrors of techie things!!!!
I enjoyed today’s post
Added some items to my to do list while reading this article…I’ll probably add more as the day goes on. One thing new I can suggest is a homemade furniture polish of lemon juice and olive oil. It smells really good and cleans and nourishes the wood so well. I won’t suggest amounts because I use far less oil than the recipe I found online – it will depend on the furniture you’re cleaning. I use some old rags and shake my mixture often in a jar.
P.S. I’ve found that I’ll ruminate for days after reading one of your blogs, coming up with solutions to some of your suggestions. Two recent ones were getting appliances off the kitchen counters and what to do when you lack an entryway. After getting rid of some no longer used items in my cabinets, I was able to store both my toaster and crock pot behind doors. For my “entryway” I switched to a larger hand woven black rug in front of the door, added a small black chair to the side, switched out my bronze boot tray for my black one, and added a large woven basket for flip flops, slippers, etc. I put a black wire basket on the chair with some books in it, drapped a wrap over the back of the chair, and hung a decorative tin with silk flowers in it next to the door. The tin is shaped like a gift bag so I hung it by the handle. I still have the large pottery vase there that my son made. Switching out to black items gives it the feel of separateness. Not everything is black (basket, wrap, pottery, and tin). I may switch things out a bit more over the next days, but I’m very pleased with the results. Thanks for all of the suggestions, Yvonne.
Jen, thanks so much for letting me know how StoneGable has inspired your decorating!!!!! Your entryway sounds amazing! LOVE IT!
Great post and how true, the senses are so important in decorating terms. Regarding smell and scent, I only have to see a photo of a horse or pony and I can imagine myself running my fingers through it’s mane, stroking it’s coat, I can breath in and smell the scent of ponies, they were such an everyday part of my childhood.
I love the inspiration you give me each day! Thank you!
One of my favorite visual delights is family pictures in a home. (Not the collage on the wall type!) Beautifully displayed pictures make me feel like part of the family even if it’s a first time visit. Today’s blog was a treasure trove of great advice. Thank you.
Thanks for this–was wanting to ask you for tips on a good smelling house! My entry closet and front entryway contains everyone’s shoes, so I need to find a better solution (can get smelly in the summer!). My “mudroom/ laundry room is small so I’d have a hard time finding room there. Anyways, love your blog!
Thanks Yvonne for the great tips! Your pictures of your home are beautiful! Looks like a place I would love to visit.
Remember the “old” rings that you place around a lightbulb in a lamp? I still love those for that sense of smell. I use an oil with a spicy fragrance as I’m not fond of floral smells. Every time the lamp is on the oil heats and fills the room with great aromas!
love the pillows, looks like I’d better get sewing.
I didn’t realize how decorating with the 5 senses can really effect us until I had stayed at a couple of bed-n-breakfasts. They had done such a wonderful job of engaging the senses that you immediately felt relaxed and at home. Once I had figured out what they were doing (just like you did, Yvonne regarding your friends house), I began to look at and decorate my house differently. The two I have the most difficulty with are taste (I tend to eat the cookies I make too fast) and smell (I worry about forgetting a candle is burning and leaving the house). And it is fun and pretty economical to change things up with the different seasons (pillow covers, plants, scents, etc.). Thanks again for the inspiration! And I never get tired of looking at your home!
Hi Julie, Try a defuser with essential oils instead of a candle. Works great!
Thanks Yvonne – while I’ve always focused on sight and feel and try to remember sound ( usually half way through a dinner party I’ll remember to turn on some music) I’ve never even considered taste …..Thanks for making me think again!
I garden that way too thx
Oh, what a great idea, Sherry! Thanks!
Oh my Yvonne, you have nailed it with this article! You have captured everything I had in my mind when thinking about Home and the creation of a warm respite for guests to enjoy and feel invited while visiting…..Thank you?
Thank you for the great blog about decorating with the senses! Your home looks so beautiful and inviting!
Do you remember the “old rings” that you place on a lightbulb in a lamp? I still use them. I fill them with scented oil and then when the lamp is turned on the heat from the bulb warms up the oil and a beautiful fragrance fills the room! I prefer spicy to flowery so I usually use Apple, cinnamon, or fall type fragrances.
I do remember those rings. I don’t use flowery scents in my home. Mostly the smell of herbs and spices. If it smells like a cookie, I love to use it in my kitchen.
I love it.
Great post Yvonne. The only thing I could add to it, at least for me, would be light. I love my flameless candles to bring warmth to every room in the evening. Don’t have to worry about leaving them lit as they are on timers. Adding the scent defusers take care of the fragrance. When I get home from work each night – it truly feels like I’m “home”.
I agree! So thankful they were “invented” aren’t you? I am going to try the defusers.
Hi Yvonne, I enjoy the seasonal scents so much…and I love to light candles…but a scented candle can vie with a natural element simmering potpourri..so I use flameless candles …the best brand by far is Moving Flame Candles…formerly known as Luminara Candles…so realistic…the technology is used at the Haunted Mansion ride in Disney world…they are pricey but beautiful…and I never have to be concerned about leaving a candle ‘lit’ …! …..Smiles…..Anne
I’m going through my fabric today. Love the textured pillows in this blog. I know hidden somewhere I have linen burlap or something similar . New sewing project for today. Our ac quit last night so I must do something to occupy my mind until repair gets here. I ,too, make the wonderful smells with orange peels, cloves and cinnamon sticks.
Love the potpourri! Great idea for Christmas gifts!
What a great post!!!! So many wonderful tips! I must admit I have never thought of all these elements, but you are so right when you visit someone’s home that has all these gifts for the senses you are immediately delighted!
Thank you!
Thanks for another great post. I have always burnt candles for their scents but I too worry about them. I have recently brought defuses into my house and like them but it seems they lose their scent. I switch the stick frequently. Do you have this problem?
Also if I find a pretty containers I’ll save them and pour the oils from a not so attractive bottle into one I’ve save.
My home is not perfect, but I have told by many that it’s homey and comfortable. I am pleased by that type of comment since it’s really what I was striving for. I like the soy candle from Grove Collaborative in lavender. In the fal lI use Yankee candles in variety of fall scents.
It is a beautiful morning in Minnesota and your great post made it even more. Thank you for sharing.
As I have commented previously, I have spent most of the summer purging the house of clutter and am nearly done!!Today’s post reminded me so much about the nostalgic effect of scents. I so want to imbue our house with something so special that my family will always associate that with “Nana”s house”–think I’ll be looking for just the right combination of spices to simmer on the stove!
I love cleaning as aromatherapy. Mrs. Meyers and Caldrea make wonderful natural cleaning products in many seasonal and non seasonal fragrances.
I love the smell of fresh carnations in the bathroom. Soft and not overpowering.
A small bouquet from the grocery store will last about 10 days, if I replace the water daily.
A variety of textures and patterns is certainly pleasing to the eye and can sounds and smells help obtain a desired effect. It does take some skill to pull them all together so that they don’t clash. Your rooms always have an interesting yet calming appeal. Thanks for all the inspiration. I have traded candles in for diffusers and essential oils.
Great post today Yvonne! I, too, try to decorate my home in this way. I love some of your suggestions and will incorporate them in my decor. Have a blessed day!
Love the article,
Great ideas. I’ll have to figure out more ways to bring scent into my day.
How amazing to realize that our 5 senses are everywhere, but decorating with a bent toward them is great. I must use potpourri now and bring in more flowers from the garden. I love the fragrances of fall. Beautiful pics and I love, love your home!
As always, your use of natural ways to give a sense of “welcome to my home” is inspiring. I love the fragrances of Fall and the Winter season., but I also love “clean” scents of summer as well!
Your home is always picture perfect!
Love this blog. Always affords valuable decorating ideas.
Sincerely enjoyed this today. Thank you and God Bless
Hello Yvonne, You certainly have inspired me to add more texture to our home and it makes a wonderful improvement. Thank you for your thoughtful blog today. While I make a point of addressing the five senses for a party, I don’t do it for everyday living. I think I will be more gracious to myself in the future!
Well done article, Yvonne, you covered all bases!!!! I get busy and as I’ve gotten older, sometimes tend to forget to put on music! Thanks for the reminders!
Music makes me happy and the first thing I do in the mornings is turn on the Bose to play my favorite CDs. Sometimes I have theme weeks and play a certain genre-sometimes I can only listen to the music a few days. I cannot live without my Bose!
Decorating for the senses isn’t something I’ve ever thought about, but I will certainly be more aware of now that I’ve read today’s blog.
Thank you, Yvonne, for always broadening my horizons!❤️
Great post – as usual! But what I am really excited about is HOME GOODS is opening a store in my area on Sunday!! I couldn’t be more excited. You have so many pretty things from there and I was always disappointed because I didn’t have one close – I. Can’t. Wait!! Have a wonderful weekend!
Great post. Thanks Yvonne for sharing some theseideas. Love to read your post!
I gotta step it up on the smell and taste senses. I usually have bananas sitting out on my counter, not on purpose, only because I don’t know what else to do with them. Thanks for the post!
A great post. I love simmering potpourrt at Christmas also.
Thanks for reminder…so easy to get caught up in only visual bc the nature of internet.
I have auto mmune problems which greatly diminish my sense of smell. On top of this, I foster cats. Since I can’t smell cat box odors, I am fanatical in keeping them clean so guests can’t smell them.
The texture part of your post is something I’m going to review at my house tomorrow, especially important as the weather cools.
Great post.
How long do you dry the lrmon/orange peel before using in potpourri?
Won’t it mold when packed in jar as gift?
Always love pics of your home. Never tire of seeing your ideas and decorating suggestions.
Thank you! Bringing on the brainstorming!
Your home looks so bright and pretty. I love all the light colors. That’s amazing that Scamp is almost 20 ! The Lord has TRUELY blessed you for his long life. We had one of our dogs for almost 19 years !
I have always tried to include the 5 senses in my home. I always have to have music on throughout the house, and another big one for me in the sound sense, is moving water. I have a wall fountain on all of the time and little table fountains in various rooms, as well. Outside in the yard we have a water pond with waterfall on onside and a three tier fountain on the other side of the yard.
Natural light is very important to use and we are lucky to have skylights in several rooms in the house. Light always gives me an uplifting and works as a great natural anti depressant, I have found. Plants help to give a living effect that gives off good feelings, as well as cleaning the air for a fresh smell in the home, too.
Thanks for sharing all of you great ideas!!
Okay. You’ve convinced me it’s time to refill my Aunt Jenny’s crystal candy dish with chocolate kisses, just like she used to when I was a little girl. Sweet!
Thanks for the 5 sense info! Love a home to smell plesant! People say they feel homey at my house so I must be doing something right! I can be overly neat but I like it that way. Doesn’t bother me in the least when the grandkids make a mess. I know I can clean up the next day.
We incorporated the sense of smell last week…and not in a good way! Our dog got “skunked!” TWICE! Thankfully the house and Sadie are [mostly] back to normal….
We are a smell sensitive family. The wrong scent may send us into allergy attack mode, which can be so unpleasant. We, too have introduced Young Living essential oils into our home, as well as health routines. Great reminder that our homes should be pleasing to our 5 senses.
This gives so many wonderful ideas to create a welcoming home with all the senses. Thank you for this great perspective and ideas.
When expecting company I place fresh cut herbs – mint & basil- in a pitcher filled with water, on the vanity in our guest bathroom. I add a few garden flowers for a pop of color. The green herbs are long lasting and add a lovely fragrance in an unexpected spot in our home .
Luv this post!!! Ur the best!!
Love today’s post Yvonne. I love to bring the outdoors in our home,in the early morning I like to go out in my flower gardens and take cuttings to make arrangements.The arrangements bring color to the rooms and also fills the house with a sweet fragrance.
Awe I learn so much from all your amazing posts 🙂
Wonderful suggestions that don’t necessarily cost an arm and a leg. Love your style! Beautiful rooms!
Yvonne I love the way you use baskets and books. What a GREAT idea with the topiary plants. Can you tell me where to look for baskets and the lovely topiary? Your ideas are so new and exciting! Can’t wait to hear from you.
Thanks Nancy
Totally agree!!
Even if the house isn’t “clean,” having these elements can give that illusion. Especially scent and food!! Most people are not going to notice the dust when these two are present. 😉
I am so glad I have found your wonderful site. THere are so many ideas I want to try. I especially love all the attention you show on details. Just recently I suggested to my BFF to sign up for your site. Can’t wait until your next blog and see what new ideas I will be able to use in my soon to be French decorated home. Thanks so much!!
Hi Eileen, Thanks for spreading the word about StoneGable! So nice to hear!
Decorating with the 5 senses, I never thought of decorating this way but when I think about how my home is, I guess I do. With every article you write I usually find something to think about, change, or think ” I do that, too”. If you have a minute or Two, I remember an article you wrote about pillow covers you buy and change out with your pillow forms. Would you mind to tell me where you buy your covers again. You named several……would appreciate, Thanks!
Another great article!
Smart décor is u sing your five senses. At least that is what I feel.
I’m new to your blog and absolutely love it. I love your designs and the way you decorate. Your look is comfortable and welcoming. Than you. ?
Welcome to the StoneGablefamily, Debbie! So glad you found us!
Thank you for an engaging and always interesting blog. I truly love everything that you do. I look forward to getting my StoneGable email everyday.
Lovely article. Thanks for the tip about a carrying a timer around. Way better than a scorched pan. Your potpourri is beautiful.
Scent has always been my most powerful of the senses. I can serve me well and sometimes that is a big disadvantage. I am proud to say that I always receive comments on the nice smells in my home.
Thanks for your blog!! Love it!
Paula in Dallas
This was a great article on accommodating the five senses in our homes.
No questions about it I got to get one of you fabulous designers to our home. I love everything and I do mean everything you do. Thank you so much for sharing.
I really want the pillow showed for “touch”! Where can I find it?
Love the inspiration to address ALL of the senses! Love all of the texture you provide and I will definitely be working on that!!
Well, I have been back and forth and round and round your blog all afternoon, and enjoyed every minute of it. You are so creative, and can explain your decorating ideas so well. I am very thankful to have found you. Thanks for all the great ideas. Keep them coming. -Liz
Hi Liz!
We are glad you found us too! Welcome to the StoneGable family!
Hi!
I was wondering how you like the white sofa? Does it get dirty quickly and how do u clean them? Trying to decide to order white for a tv room.
Its just my husband and I so it may not be used as much as a family with children.
Thanks Yvonne!
What a great question, Clair! My best advice it to do lots of homework. I love my white sofa but it is slipcovered with a performance fabric which means it most stains can be blotted up. I have washed it and dried it according to the manufacturer’s instructions and they still look amazing.
I would definitely buy another white sofa but it will have slipcover and be fabric that I can blot off stains! Hope this helps