How to turn a room into a calming oasis

When deciding on window treatments for a room, consider how you want to feel when you are in that space. Maybe you find the ocean very calming and you want to bring that type of energy into your home. If an ocean like atmosphere puts your mind at ease, go for light and bright in your decor choices and clear the air by clearing the clutter. If bright colors don’t put you in a calm state of mind you can also create a serene and calming space with a light monotone color palette.

Flat Fold Roman Shades in Jute

To turn a room into a calming oasis, give consideration to the fabric elements of the room, including your blinds, shades and drapery. The use of light and bright materials keeps your room from closing in and will give an open and airy feel to any room.

Add a calming vibe to a space with woven natural materials

Considerwoven wood shades, alone or paired with sheers or light drapes. Woven wood shades add a casual yet elegant texture to any room in the timeless color palette of light, natural wood. Cellular shades are another option that will allow light to pour in if you choose a light-filtering style, rather than blackout. Cellular shades will not add the texture that woven wood shades will but they will soften the incoming light and promote relaxed and calming vibes.

Drapes in White with St Lucia Woven Wood Shades in Sand

Try this curtain/drapery hack to make your room feel more spacious:

Elongate the look of your windows and give more airiness to your space with sheers or light drapery. Extend the rod a minimum of 10 inches out from the window width to create the illusion of a larger window. For length, always allow your drapery to go to the floor. When draperies are cut at the sill level it divides the room into lower, middle and higher sections, which can make a room feel smaller and more closed in. Flowing drapes can be paired with light-filtering or blackout roller shades or roman shades for added privacy or light control.

Design around your blinds and shades instead of your wall color.

It is easier to change paint than your window treatments, so design around your blinds and shades instead of your wall color. After you have chosen light and breezy window treatments, continue decorating your room with more calming tones in the wall and flooring colors. Choose light grey, light blue or sand-colored walls and finished wood floors with an area rug to comfort your feet and your cozy bed or a comfy chair and all you will need is a good book to relax and rest. If it is a sitting or dining area choose light woods for furniture or soft furniture with lightly colored upholstery. Remember to keep the room feeling light and airy by removing as much clutter as possible and tucking away needed items that would otherwise feel like clutter. Tucking items away in woven baskets will give you a clean and relaxed look even when you can’t get rid of as many things as you would like. Remember that the room will always have more stuff in it than it does when it is at its cleanest. Get ahead of the clutter of everyday life by starting with a room that is sparsely filled and you will struggle less to maintain a relaxed and airy feel.

St. Lucia Woven Wood Shades in Driftwood

Pair plants and woven wood shades for a relaxing, modern bohemian vibe.

If you find plants relaxing consider adding some to your calming oasis. Plants can feel like clutter in an already cluttered room but they add beautiful texture and life to a bright and open room. If you are adding plants make sure to start with a sparse decor instead of adding plants to an already full room.

Woven Wood Shades Borocay in Whitewash

Choose tints and tones of the same color for a calming effect

If blue or grey walls, light colored wood and light window treatments make for too literal of a portrayal of an ocean scene for you, consider a monotone color palette to create the serenity we often seek from places of solitude. When your palette is tints and tones of one color, your eye floats through the room, giving the room the illusion of more space. If you were decorating a home office, which tends to be small, choosing a color that relaxes you would be ideal. A roller shade in a light filtering fabric such as Highlands Stone will cut the glare on a computer screen and help you stay on task while still allowing light to come in. Drapery doesn't have to be sheer to feel light. A corresponding drapery fabric, Heavyweight Texture Knit in the color Iron will keep the colors uniform and allow for a calm room to appear larger and comfortable. Painting your walls, trim and ceiling in a matching gray will create the calming color palette that will allow you to work stress free.

Cellular Shades paired with Sheer Grey Linen Drapes

Kids rooms are a great place to set a calming tone, clear the clutter and decorate with calming colors, light wood tones and tons of light. Clearing the clutter is a challenge in kids' rooms. Try to leave one third of the toys out and put the rest away in bins in a closet, garage or basement if you just can't get rid of it all. Let kids switch the toys out from time to time to keep it fresh. Hide any remaining clutter in baskets for quick clean up. Keep the palette light and neutral for walls and floors and for the windows consider day/night cellular shades for children's bedrooms, or any bedrooms really, because sometimes you want light and sometimes to need a calm dark place for naps and quite time.

St Lucia Woven Wood Shades in Sand with Blackout Liner

Keep these ideas in mind and make a room more than just a place to sleep, work, or store your stuff. Turn a room into a calming oasis and you will have a space that is more then meets the eye.