Remodeling a home is a chance to put a fresh stamp on the place. You can take whatever approach you want, appealing to modern trends or taking it back to a vintage era, or go completely your own way by choosing your favorite colors, fabrics and aesthetics to suit yourself. The most important thing is to have a coherent project to go forward with, something to guide the entire process and make things fit together.
One approach you can take is to go for an international feel – taking the aesthetic influences of a different country or culture and making them work in your home. A remodel using these principles can make a stunning impact on your home, and allow you to make decisions within the options offered by this choice. Below, we’ll look at influences from three different countries, and see how they could inform your household remodel.
Italy: Style and glamor influenced by la vita bella
No country has ever been more intrinsically linked with style and glamor than Italy. Associations with art, fashion and even motoring encapsulate the Italian “feel”, and it is something you can incorporate all over the home, from a piazza-style breakfast bar and stools in the kitchen/diner to Murano Glass Chandeliers and fresco-style wallpaper in the living room. The guiding principles of Italian interior decoration are light and airy, with wall art and neutral color palettes everywhere.
Denmark: Cosiness and warmth from the masters of hygge
While much of the fashionable Scandi influence on interior decoration comes from the more minimalist Swedish school, it is the Danes who have hit upon the most successful trend of recent years. If you want to go hygge, then you need to be thinking about plush throws, deep-pile rugs and furniture that is chosen to be comfortable, not tidy. Done properly, hygge is something you sink into, luxuriate in and nest within. It’s the ideal way to go if you live somewhere that gets particularly cold in winter.
Japan: Minimalism and calm in a kanso style
If all that you know of Japanese interior design is feng shui, then the idea of designing your remodel along the lines of minimalist Zen principles might be a turn-off. However, there’s plenty to love about the Japanese way of setting up a home. Sliding doors are common; that’s if you need a door at all – most Japanese homes are quite open-plan. The key word in Japanese interior design is “flow” – the less clutter you have, the better, and walls or additional furniture really just get in the way. Also, look to add green potted plants, as Japanese homes like to bring the outside inside.
The above are three ways that you can take an influence from the many and varied cultures of the world and give your home a new energy. There are many other ways you can go, whether with the earthy tones of a Moroccan style or a classic French chic, but regardless of which you choose, it’s worth remembering the benefits of taking an international approach.