Small Space Interior Design – Choosing Calming Nature Inspired Prints in Smaller Rooms
You don’t need to have a large home to benefit from beautiful botanical fine art. While larger homes have more room to design, there’s no reason that a small home can’t also be a serene and comfortable environment. In fact, due to the limitations of small space designs, homeowners may choose to think through their decisions more carefully. Each item, each object and each element becomes a significant contributor to the overall ambiance of the space.
Additionally, since small space designs typically require fewer objects, the items that do remain will have a more pronounced effect on the character of the space. Therefore, choosing nature-inspired artwork in a small space can contribute significantly to its ability to evoke feelings of serenity, and the softening of a room's appearance.
Why Small Spaces Are Prone to Feeling Overwhelmed
Generally speaking, all spaces are prone to becoming cramped. However, small spaces have an increased likelihood of developing a claustrophobic and overwhelming sensation. This is primarily due to overcrowded furniture arrangements, the excessive display of decorations and overly ornate wall decor. When this occurs, a room can develop a stressful and anxiety-producing environment instead of being a source of relaxation.
Because of these issues, careful consideration should be given to designing small space interiors. Rather than attempting to fill every available inch of space with furniture and other elements, the goal is to create a space that emphasizes balance, allows for adequate airflow and creates a flowing visual arrangement throughout the room. Because of this unique combination of factors, botanical prints can be particularly well-suited for use in small spaces. This is because botanical prints tend to create a softer impression within a space while simultaneously maintaining a lightness that doesn't burden the senses with heavy elements.
How to Choose Artwork That Creates a Sense of Calm
As previously stated, artwork has a profound affect upon the emotional tone of an entire room. Due to their size, color palette and composition style, oversized artwork pieces can produce an overpowering sense of enclosure in a small space. Conversely, artworks that incorporate soft colors, delicate flower details, organic forms and gentle curves can produce a soothing effect. Fine art botanical realism is often composed in such a manner. These types of artworks emphasize subtle detail and quiet beauty rather than bold design.
Artworks that utilize calming green tones, warm neutral tones, soft cream tones and muted floral tones can increase the perceived brightness of a small space. Single carefully selected botanical prints can also create more dramatic effects than multiple competing decorative pieces.
Allowing Negative Space
Overcrowding walls with numerous frame-laden photographs, paintings, etc., is one of the most frequent errors made in small spaces. Gallery walls can create wonderful visual interest in certain homes; however, when done poorly, in tight spaces they can create a very busy and distracting visual environment. As mentioned earlier, creating calm environments involves leaving some visual "breathing" space. Empty wall space is not waste – it provides the viewer with areas to relax their eyes.
To maintain a sense of calmness in a small space consider displaying only one statement botanical print as your central focal point. For example, a large floral print hung above your bed can immediately alter the ambiance of your bedroom. Alternatively, a large botanical print located in a narrow hallways or doorway can create a similar altering effect. Even placing a simple yet delicate framed botanical print next to a favorite reading chair can instantly begin to change the mood of that particular room. Simple elegance tends to be far more luxurious than excess.
Utilizing Botanical Art To Create Emotional Warmth
While small spaces can seem functional at times when decorated solely with functionality in mind (i.e. no emotional appeal), botanical art can help soften this perception by providing additional warmth, texture and emotional connections to the outdoors. As previously mentioned, botanical art frequently evokes memories of tranquil outdoor settings which can create an emotionally grounding aspect to the space itself. Additionally, flowers, foliage and organic forms add softness to spaces that could potentially appear cold or overly rigid.
Emotional warmth is vital when decorating small spaces. Since small spaces do not necessarily provide an abundance of physical space, creating a sense of calmness in an interior space is based entirely upon how the homeowner feels when entering the space. Calm interiors are not defined by square footage but rather by how a person feels inside themselves.
Even the tiniest studio apartment or compact rooms can become places where people find restoration and peace when decorated with purposeful intent.
Establishing An Environment Of Slow Living
Many would agree that small homes lend themselves perfectly to slow living principles simply because they promote intentionality. Small homes provide little opportunity for clutter and therefore allow homeowners to focus on items that bring both peace and beauty into their lives.
Botanical art is a perfect fit for slow living principles. Botanical art promotes a slower pace of life by emphasizing timelessness, quiet beauty and softness from nature as opposed to fleeting fashions.
Combined with natural textures, soft lighting, neutral-colored furnishings and uncluttered surfaces, botanical prints can create homes that feel peaceful, refined and emotionally restorative.
There isn't anything inherently wrong with having a small home. On the contrary, perhaps the most comforting homes are created with love, care and intentionality regardless of their size.
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