39 bhgrecollection.com | 38 | THE DISTINCTIVE LIFE® Volume 14 SCENT Engage your sense of smell by incorporating design features that define the scent desired for each room. For example, creating a kitchen that smells like coffee is as easy as keeping fresh coffee beans in an unlidded jar on your counter. Filling your bathroom with fresh roses or eucalyptus is a great sensory design idea, as is spraying bedroom linens and drawers with lavender. Designing with scent in mind is a great way to bring pleasurable smells into your home and mask offending odors. When adding scent sensory elements to your home, consider using: • Candles • Reed diffusers • Potpourri • Scented cleaning products • Fresh flowers • Herbs, spices, and other food items. SOUND We don’t often think about how we’d like our homes to sound. But appealing to this sense is natural for most of us, which is why we’re drawn to the sound of the ocean, music, and birds. Incorporating sound sensory elements into your living space is as easy as paying attention to flooring and wall composition, which can dictate how sound travels and is amplified. Adding home features that offer soothing sounds or drown out obnoxious ones can leave you much peace of mind. Consider the following when designing for the sense of sound: • Carpet absorbs sound. • Noises bounce of tile and concrete. • Living walls can dampen noise. • Water features promote calm. • Smart speakers are great for streaming nature sounds. TASTE How can you satisfy your sense of taste with engaging design? Start by thinking about how you cook and enjoy meals at home and how food and drink make their way into the various rooms in your house. Then, consider how to enhance these experiences with decor or items suited to the senses. Curating a collection of olive oils on your kitchen counter is a great sensory design idea, as is stocking a dining room bar with thoughtfully selected bottles of small-batch whisky. Play around with these areas and features to engage your sense of taste: • Countertop and table decor • Open shelving that showcases spices • Indoor herb gardens • Appliances like espresso machines and chef ovens TOUCH Creating a rewarding tactile encounter is one of the most fun parts of designing a home for sensory engagement. You can envelop yourself in a lush setting through fabrics, flooring, furniture, and other textured elements from the moment you wake up to the moment when you rest your head at night. When designing for touch, resisting the urge to make visuals the most important factor can be challenging. For example, sensory integrated furniture that gives your body a calming sense of where it’s at in relation to its surroundings might not be your first choice upon sight. But try to look past pieces that are merely eye candy and choose options offering deeper sensations of well-being. When designing for touch, think about how you can engage the senses through: • Flooring that cools or warms. • Plants that purify the air and regulate indoor temperature. • Weighted blankets and bedding to promote restful sleep. • Luxuriously textured pillows and fabrics that induce calm. INTERIOR DESIGN
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