Creating Your Joyful Home: Dawning of Your Emotions

"I keep the subject of my inquiry constantly before me, and wait till the first dawning opens gradually, by little and little, into a full and clear light."
-Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727)

Creating a joyful home requires careful planning in order to choose the perfect interior design details. When you understand the underlying psychology of colors, patterns, textures, and finishes, you avoid costly mistakes in decorating your home.

In planning your home makeover, start with the feelings you want to bring about in each space. Consider your personal emotional needs. Think about the way you currently feel in your home and the way you want to feel.

Not all of your desired feelings need stimulation in every space. For instance, you may want your child’s bedroom to inspire creativity and your main bedroom to inspire intimacy, while your whole home inspires comfort, peace, and joy.

Choose from the following emotional groups you desire to inspire in your home:

1. Happiness, Joyfulness, Cheerfulness

2. Peace, Serenity, Tranquility

3. Elation, Excitement, Enthusiasm

4. Humor, Congeniality, Playfulness

5. Fantasy, Inspiration

What are your preferences? Did you choose a particular group, or a mixture? Defining your desired emotional support first, before you start your home improvement projects, helps you get your home decorating right -- the first time!

Copyright (c) 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Creating Your Joyful Home: Inspiration to Make a Home Planning Journal

by Jeanette Joy Fisher

Inspiration to make a home planning journal from Joy to the Home Planner

If you are planning a home makeover or remodeling project, here are some ideas to help you.

"Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context--a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan."
- Eliel Saarinen (Finnish Architect)

Consider your home design from the smaller details and expand from there. Begin with how you want to feel in your space. Begin with the activity you want to enjoy; think about your desired emotional support and then choose your home furnishings accordingly.

Create Your Personal Declaration of Intent

Form your unique design plan encompassing your entire home, from the first glimpse, all the way throughout your home, and to the far reaches of the back patio, garden, or yard.

Think about the feelings you want to bring about: joy, peace, comfort, and contentment. Add in ease, simplicity, and economy. Start with your feelings and the emotions you want to bring about for yourself and those you share your home with.

Write down your ideas. Start with your desired emotion and expand until you create your personal design goal. Something like this:

"I desire peace. I want my home to sing in perfect harmony with the universe. I need to encourage nature's music of bird songs and plan a birdbath."

"I want natural warmth. I want the sun to shine in! No heavy window coverings will block out natural daylight. Ethereal light will be encouraged with soft, sheer window dressings for privacy."

"I feel like relaxing. I desire a padded rocking chair on my back porch with a table nearby for iced tea."

"We want joyful rooms to play together in. Only necessary furnishings will take up valuable play space."

When you first think of how you want to feel in a space, then you can choose the decorating details that will bring about your emotional well-being. I want everyone to feel welcome to my home, so I planted yellow and white flowers. I want my friends to feel refreshed when they park their car, so I planted shade trees. I want all who come to the front door to feel happy, so I painted my door a joyful shade of red.

Enjoy writing your desired feelings and playing with this concept!

Joy to you!

Copyright (c) 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Subscribe to Jeanette's Joy to the Home Journal. http://www.joytothehome.com/

Decorate Your Home for Joy Using Design Psychology

by Jeanette Joy Fisher

What Is Design Psychology?

Design Psychology exceeds "traditional" interior design practice by considering the effects of design elements on our five senses, as well as our emotions. Rather than decorating to impress or to follow a certain style, you can choose specific lighting, color, patterns, and other design elements to support your happiness and well-being.

Design Psychology includes an understanding of both physiological and psychological effects of design elements. For instance, our pituitary gland releases tranquilizing hormones when we view sky blue. Knowledge of physiological effects of color can be applied to home decorating to make sure a room uplifts, calms, or energizes.

Our physiological reaction to aspects of design leads to our psychological response. We all know that a trickling waterfall not only looks pretty, but relaxes those nearby. But do you know that certain textures make you feel irritable, while others comfort? Or that undulating patterns uplift the spirit, while geometric patterns cause anxiety?

With an understanding of design psychology you can choose elements of vision, hearing, touch, smell, and even taste which bolster positive feelings and contribute to happy living.

How Do You Get Your Home Decorated and Furnished Right the First Time?

Using design details chosen to encourage joyful living is easy. First, learn about lighting -- the most important factor in residential design. Next, use colors appropriate to the natural setting, lighting, and desired emotional response. Then think about reactions to patterns already in the space and add harmonious patterns based on nature; patterns proven to make people happy. Other design details in your home also come into play -- sounds, accessories, furnishings and arrangements for comfort.

Once you understand the science of Design Psychology, you can follow your own inspiration and creatively employ design elements.

Just as master artists study the physical body and anatomy, your background knowledge in Design Psychology prepares you with underlying theory. The practice or application of design details in Design Psychology is the ART of Residential Design.

(c) Copyright 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

Professor Jeanette Fisher, author of Joy to the Home and other books teaches real estate investing and Design Psychology. For more articles, tips, reports, and newsletters, see http://www.joytothehome.com/

Color Help: Color Theory and Psychology

by Jeanette Joy Fisher

Color theory is an entire science unto itself, and to get a full picture of how it all works, I'd suggest picking up a few art books. In this article, however, we're going to take a brief look at the essentials of color theory, in light of the concepts of Design Psychology. we'll first list a term, and then offer a short summary of how the term relates to Design Psychology.

Hue

The base name of a color without any white, gray, or black added. The terms hue and color are interchangeable.

Color wheel

A color wheel contains twelve colors, based on primitive pigments. The three primary colors are red, blue, and yellow. Three secondary colors (composed of combinations of the three primary colors) follow: red and blue make purple; red and yellow make orange; yellow and blue make green. Six tertiary colors (comprised of combinations of primary and secondary colors) form the remainder of the color wheel: yellow-orange, red-orange, violet, blue-green, and yellow-green. Black is the total absence of color and white is the reflection of all colors.

Value or Lightness

This denotes the degree of lightness or darkness of a hue, in relation to pure white or black.

Intensity, Saturation, or Croma:

This term describes the degree of purity of a hue as compared to neutral gray of the same value. This is the freedom from added white or gray; how bright or dull a color appears in relation to the basic hue.

Shades

These are deep tones, in which black is added to a color.

Tints

These are pastels, in which white is added to a color.

Tone

Adding gray of the same value to a hue or adding its complement creates a tone.

Saturation

The intensity or depth of color, such as dark or light.

Monochromatic Color Schemes

This term is used to describe rooms with only tints and shades of the same color. Neutral color schemes are usually monochromatic.

Analogous, Side-by-Side, or Related Color Schemes

These rooms use adjacent colors to the principal color on the color wheel. This is considered a friendly scheme, because the colors blend well and create a soft effect.

Complementary or Opposite Color Schemes

Rooms that use colors from opposite sides of the color wheel. This is considered to be a power and action scheme.

Triad

Consists of three colors, spaced an equal distance apart on the color wheel. Triad color schemes can potentially cause glaring and confusing feelings when all the colors are intense.

Tetrad

Consists of four colors, spaced an equal distance apart on the color wheel. Tetrad color schemes create interesting effects because of the potential variety available. They are best when two colors dominate.

Topographical Color Schemes

These schemes contain colors from nature, such as rocks, earth, sky, sea, and plants.

Floral Color Schemes

These schemes use brilliant or pastel colors found in plants and flowers.

Colorways

Fabrics and wallpapers come in different combinations of colors, or colorways. A fabric pattern will have several selections of colorways to choose from. A pattern may be available in colorways of: yellow, blue and green, red, blue and green; or purple, burgundy and blue.

Visual Vibration

This occurs when neighboring colors appear to clash and vibrate in our vision, creating a dizzying effect that adds to nervousness and tiredness.

Cusp Colors

These are colors on the edge of two colors that take on different values under different lighting situations, such as, dark blue/purple (periwinkle), orange/red (terra-cotta reds), and blue/greens (teal). Periwinkle may appear more purple than dark blue at night or under different lighting systems.

Simple Color

This is a true color, without additive colors, such as sky blue, grass green, or apple red. A simple color is a pure color.

Complex Color

This is a combination of colors, such as silvery blue, or lichen (grayish green-brown). A complex color is a color that requires a long description, such as “sort of a grayish-blue with a hint of pink.”

Palette

The entire range of colors used in a design project.

These are the basic terms used to describe color schemes within the concepts of Design Psychology. Learning them is the first step toward creating dynamic spaces for both the interior and exterior of your home.

(c) Copyright 2005 Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

For more articles, tips, reports, and newsletters, see http://www.joytothehome.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Cookware -- What's In It?

by Debbie Overstreet and Susan Daniel

Have you ever wanted to buy new cookware but didn't know what
kind to buy? There are many types of cookware from which to
choose. The following is a summary of the different materials
that are used in cookware.

Cast Iron -- Your grandmother probably had a cast iron skillet.
It is heavy an inexpensive. It also conducts heat slowly and
evenly and can be used in the oven or on the stove.

Copper -- Copper is popular because it conducts heat evenly and
quickly. It is a very good choice for frying and sautéing. It is
also very pretty.

Aluminum -- This is inexpensive, lightweight, and responsive to
heat. However, it can affect the taste of the food you eat.

Stainless Steel -- It is moderately priced and is very strong. It
usually is mixed with an aluminum or copper core to help conduct
heat. And it too is very pretty.

Non-Stick -- With a non-stick surface, food does not stick to the
pan and cleanup is easier. If also cuts down on the amount of fat
that is needed for cooking. When cleaning up, you will want to
stay away from abrasive cleaners.

Finding the right cookware for your cooking style is very
important. If ease is on your mind, then non-stick is the way to
go. However, you may be more interested in the beauty of copper.
But no matter what your choice, there are many options in the
market place to find your new cookware.

Copyright © 2005 Susan Daniel and Debbie Overstreet

About Susan and Debbie: Susan and Debbie are internet marketers.
You can review more articles and Web sites on cookware and
recipes by visiting http://www.thecookwaresite.com

Creating a Faux Stone Finish for your Walls Using Old Newspapers

Copyright 2005 Pamela Cole Harris
Home and Garden Makeover
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com


Love the look of stone but you can't even afford the rocks in
your head? (That's a joke, son!) If you have old newspaper lying
around, you can have the look of stone you love -- inexpensively!
Here's how:

1. Paint the wall with a cote of white latex enamel. It is best
to use low-luster enamel with a sponge brush applicator
(available at most discount stores for around $1). Let the
paint dry to the touch.

2. Choose a flat earth-tone or neutral glaze using a clean
sponge brush. Apply the glaze in random strokes over
one-half the surface.

3. Repeat this step with a darker glaze, but leaving small
random areas unglazed.

4. Next we wash! Apply a white wash in some areas and a
earth-tone wash in others. Again, the more random the
better!

5. Fold an old newspaper in half and then in half again. Place
it flat against a small part of the wall and press. Lift and
repeat in another area. Each time you lift, more glaze will
be removed.

6. Turn the paper in different directions to help blend the
colors into random patterns. Fun, huh?

7. If you feel that one area needs more color, spread glaze on
the newspaper and press it flat to the desired area.

8. Repeat the process until you are satisfied with the look.
Leave some light and dark spots in the pattern.

9. Let the paint dry. (Don't watch it - it's deadly dull!)

10. Finally apply more white wash to the entire surface. Soften
the colors by dabbing with a clean cotton cloth.

11. Allow the paint to dry once more. (I didn't say this process
would be exciting, did I?)

The look you will achieve with this technique will mimic the
depth, color variations and rough look of more expensive stone
tiles. Not bad for a little paint and some old newspaper, right?
Now go out there and dab!

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Pamela Cole Harris has been a writer and designer for 35 years
(Yikes, has it been that long?) Enjoy her tongue-in-cheek
approach to inexpensive interior design at:
http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com
and http://www.diy-homedecor.com

Your Home is Your Symphony

"Dr. Carl Sagan once wrote, "Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." Although Dr. Sagan was commenting on the wonders to be found in the vastness of outer space, there are also incredible design possibilities just waiting to be discovered right in your own home. In fact, your home’s overall design represents a symphony, and the individual design details are the musical notes you use to compose the melody and harmony for the symphony of your living space.

Your home should always bolster feelings of happiness, serenity, and comfort, and once you're aware of a few simple rules, composing a home symphony that supports positive emotions and encourages joyful living is easy.

Begin composing your symphony by choosing the color of your walls. All of your home’s colors should harmonize, both inside and out. Once you've chosen your exterior colors, bring subtle shades of those same colors inside, using them as accents throughout your home. Harmonize your colors with ones you see in the natural world surrounding your house. Use colors that blend with the lighting from the natural environment and support a feeling of serenity and cheerfulness.

Next, add carefully-crafted lighting, which is an important factor in all residential design. Well-designed lighting is both a science and an art, and when used in conjunction with color, sets the emotional atmosphere for the home. Too little light in a room can cause people to feel depressed, while rooms that are too bright can cause uneasy feelings.

Like the color of your walls, your lighting choices should also harmonize with the natural light that surrounds your home. The amount of light should vary, just as it does in nature, to give rooms a more natural feel and to evoke a note of harmony and peace.

The next movement in your symphony involves the textures you choose to employ throughout your home. Studies have shown that emotionally pleasing patterns based on nature encourage feelings of happiness and contentment. Undulating patterns, combined with gentle swags, lend an upbeat, natural feeling to a room, while rooms with no patterns feel boring because people are accustomed to the multitude of patterns displayed by Mother Nature.

Many other design details in your home also come into play when creating your home symphony, such as sounds, furnishings, and furniture arrangement. But regardless of which movement of your symphony you're working on, always keep in mind that balance is the key. And just like the combined elements of a symphony, your home must have some sections that promote quiet and rest--remember, it’s the vacant spaces between the notes that make the music.

If you look at decorating your home as if you were creating a symphony, in all of its complexity and harmony, you'll be able to make design decisions that are always in concert with your overall concept. If you continue to bear the complete work in mind, you'll choose design elements that resonate in harmony with each other, and your home will make joyful music for all who enter.

(c) Copyright 2005, Jeanette J. Fisher. All rights reserved.

For more information about Jeanette's "Joy to the Home" eNewsletter, see http://www.joytothehome.com/
For information on Design Psychology, visit http://www.designpsych.com/