Crafting Tranquility: How to design a Relaxing Space with Color, Texture, and Technology

In a noisy, sometimes frantic, world, it’s nice to have a place to escape. Create your own refuge from the clamor of a hectic world by using some simple design techniques and a little technology. You’ll enjoy a place where relaxing is easy.

Designing a Relaxing Room Starts With the Right Color

Choosing the right colors goes a long way to creating a relaxing space. Before you choose any décor, consider which colors make you happy—and which might be a little too exciting. While everyone has their own unique reactions to various colors, there are some generally accepted ideas you might find useful.

Blues top the list of calming colors. Blue’s relation to the sky and to water might be why this color evokes a relaxed response in so many people. There’s also the cool temperature of blue that keeps things chill. Blue goes very well with browns and grays and is especially calming in a neutral shade.

Next is green. Evoking lush meadows and healthy vegetation, green has a restful effect on the viewer. Cooler greens—ones that tend more toward blue—can be especially calming. But even warmer greens with more yellow in them can work with other greens and blues to create a harmonious environment.

Other colors that many people find calming include lavender, pink, and gray. And white can serve as a very effective background upon which to layer window treatments and other colorful décor. When choosing whites, keep in mind there is a huge range of whites—some of brightest whites are dazzling and might not be very relaxing to some people.

Creating a Refuge Is a Popular Style Trend

Subdued versions of all these hues along with a range of earthtones typifies the Nested Home style trend. Flecked surfaces, gently folded fabrics, and soft textures combine to present a cozy feel. Other more colorful elements are kept mild enough not to disrupt the vibe. It’s the perfect aesthetic for a refuge.

Aligning with the color scheme of a design trend is easy. But capturing the subtler details—the texture and feel—can be a bit more challenging. That’s where window treatments come in.

Window Treatments Create the Vibe in Any Room

Window treatments are one of the most powerful tools for establishing a design scheme. The window treatment’s broad area of color combined with the fact that a window is the room’s source of natural light makes the shades, blinds, and drapes you hang central to the overall effect. Hang window treatments of the right color, texture, and design and you’re on your way to creating your ideal escape.

Because Graber’s designers thoughtfully select every fabric to ensure they are aligned with current tastes, the Nested Home trend’s colors and textures can be found throughout Graber’s fabric collections. In fact, a huge swath of Graber’s fabric collection is perfectly suited for this cheerfully chill way of decorating.

Soft Light Is Soothing

Soft light can create a sense of peace and well-being. Cellular shades in a sheer or light-filtering opacity do a brilliant job creating soft light. As a bonus, cellular shades have a hollow design that insulates against heat, cold, and even sound—perfect for creating a cozy environment.

Sheer drapery sets the standard for creating soft light. Not only do sheer drapes soften light, they present beautiful folds that are sculptural and elegant.

Other window treatments that can soften light include sheer shades, layered shades, and roller shades in sheer fabrics. Solar shades, with their open weaves and ability to cut down on sunlight while maintaining a view to the outdoors, might be the right solution for a room with a view of mountains or water.

But sometimes you want a little less light and a little more privacy. Room-darkening drapery is the go-to solution. Pair any sheer drapes with room-darkening drapes for a window-treatment combination that does it all. Those same room darkening drapes work with almost any shade to provide darkness and privacy when you need it. And for those whose ideal refuge room is completely sunlight-free, cellular shades and roller shades in blackout fabrics can’t be beat.

Let Technology Help You Relax

The last tip for creating the perfect refuge room is to utilize technology—in ways that increase your convenience and ease without creating new distractions.

Choose motorized shades for the ultimate in convenience. Not only do motorized shades integrate seamlessly with smart home systems, they are incredibly easy to use. Operate the shades directly with your iPhone or put all your shades on autopilot by programming them to open and close on a schedule you create yourself. Program your preferred shade positions for day and night as well as for relaxing activities such as reading or binging your favorite drama series.

The ultimate window treatment for a refuge room would have to be the motorized bottom up/top down cellular shade. It is the quietest, most versatile, smoothest shade you can buy. It moves with the lightest touch and is whisper quiet. It doesn’t get more peaceful than that.

Filling the Room and Setting Some Rules

When it comes to creating a mood, the details are important. The right amount of design elements—art, houseplants, furniture, shelves, rugs, and other décor—can make the room feel cozy. Go overboard and the effect can be suffocating. And too few elements in a room might create a sense of sparseness that makes some people a bit anxious. You’ll know the right amount of “stuff” when you see it.

The last thing to provide your refuge room with is some rules. Establish what is allowed in the refuge room. Is it a screen-free area reserved for reading, board games, and napping? Is it mom’s personal escape where nary a toddler should tread? These might be unrealistic parameters for most people, but it is wise to set down some rules that let you at least proclaim the room’s status as a chill zone.

Because great room design begins with the window treatments, start building your refuge by getting free swatches.