Your home is your sanctuary. It’s a private oasis that provides everything from shelter and safety to comfort and convenience. As home is where the heart is, it’s only appropriate to have a residence that reflects the things you cherish most, like your culture. Incorporating elements of your heritage into your home’s design can add warmth and meaning to your living space. How can you incorporate elements of your native culture into your residence? Check out these suggestions below.
Cultural Color Schemes
While painting your home with your country’s flag colors may not be ideal, using standard color pallets from your culture can do wonders. For instance, if you’re going for a Moroccan look, you might incorporate uplifting yet whimsical colors like turquoise, golden yellow, curry orange, and hillside green. However, if you’re going with a Mexican theme, you might prefer more vibrant hues or red, yellow, and orange.
You can paint the entire house, choose specific rooms, or opt for feature walls to incorporate your cultural color scheme into the design.
Paintings And Murals
Murals and paintings are unique ways to add culture and style to your interior design. You can hang artwork from your favorite artists that depict breathtaking scenes, customs, or people from your native country. Murals are excellent feature wall additions in the dining room or bedroom. Decals are creative additions that enable you to put your culturally-inspired designs on the walls.
Area Rugs
Break up the monotony of your carpeted, hardwood, or tiled floors by adding area rugs to your design. They can help regulate temperatures and enhance the aesthetics of your living space by adding depth, texture, and comfort. Opt for intricate area rugs that encompass materials, patterns, and colors that remind you of home.
Throw Pillows And Blankets
Throw pillows and blankets are an easy decor addition that can add character and culture to any room in your home. You can drape a blanket with your country flag across a lounge chair in your home office or add a pile of matching pillows in your family room.
Family Photos
Nothing adds culture and meaning to a living space like family photos. Go through your old albums, memory card, and smartphones to look for pictures from trips and experiences in your native country. Find (or make) decorative frames and place the pictures throughout your home. You can also curate photo books that’ll look great up on shelving space or bookcases.
Sculptures, Keepsakes, And Heirlooms
Another way to proudly display your heritage throughout your residence is to add sculptures, keepsakes, and family heirlooms. Handmade vases or dishes are great conversation pieces to place in your dining room. You can place sculptures on side tables, bookshelves, and mantels. If you have some antique furniture, set it up in low-traffic areas like the entryway or sitting room to prevent it from being damaged.
Native Plants And Fragrances
Incorporating therapeutic elements like plants, flowers, and fragrances is essential in interior design. Instead of going with the latest trends, opt for natural components from your native country. Search for candles with memory-grabbing scents that remind you of home. As for greenery, purchase potted plants and flowers and place them throughout the house. If your native flower can’t survive in current conditions, there are synthetic centerpieces that can provide the same experience.
Outdoor Lights
Your home’s design doesn’t stop with the interior. The exterior is the most visible part of your home and provides a lasting impression to passersby. Why not show your diversity by incorporating your culture outdoors? Installing permanent holiday lights is a practical solution. These lights add aesthetic appeal, increase visibility, and enhance security. However, advanced models enable you to change the lighting colors and features to match the season. Whether you enjoy Christmas, Hanukkah, or the Diwali Festival of Lights, you can share your culture with the world.
Of all the things you cherish most in life, your culture and home rank at the top of the list. While you may live continents away from your native country, that doesn’t mean you can’t bring a taste of home with you. The above design tips can help you bring character, style, and personality to your living space, enabling you to feel “at home” every day.
