Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
Giving Your Home the Cool Touch
You want your home to look cool, but cool looks like different things to different people! Some people hear ‘cool’ and think about how they can give their home a summer vibe to physically cool the temperature. Others want to add as much chrome and cement as possible to give it that literally cool vibe. In interior design, you’ll find experts who tell you that it takes a lot of effort to make a space look amazing and chilled, and you can do it, too.
Whether you choose to go down the summer-y route with terracotta tiles and giant palm-frond plants, or you pick the edgy paint colors and innovative technology, you are going to make your home look aesthetically pleasing and a happy place to be.
You want to brighten even the most mundane of spaces and there are furniture and flooring options that will give your home a true ‘cool factor’. So, if you want some ideas of how you can give your home a cooler touch, we’ve got the suggestions you need below.
Modern home entertainment area
1 - Make sure that you can show off a little in your entertainment.
It’s nice to have the huge dining table, but if you’re not putting effort into the centerpieces then you may as well remove that cool factor you’re hunting for! You want to show off a little bit with your entertainment and that means opening up an entertainment space that just makes sense. With good seating, you’ll be able to entertain people and you can choose to use different materials than wood for tables and chairs, and you can use centerpieces that are more edgy than a vase of flowers, too.
For flowers that last forever in a centerpiece, try either dried flowers or the LEGO Icons Wildflower Bouquet. I adore our LEGO Bird of Paradise and keep it on display in our home office.
We love mixing vintage and modern furniture in our home
2 - Put both old and new materials together.
If you know that rattan isn’t going to work in your home by itself, think about achieving that edgy look by mixing your decor. Exaggerated industrial pieces with more vintage materials stand out in the best possible ways. Mixing eras and materials can work to help you to follow the right trends to gain that cool touch you’re looking for. Ignoring the design rules will really make the space look more stand-out than ever!
We updated our lighting in our home with a DIY Driftwood and Rope Pendant Light which gave it a cool touch. Get the tutorial below or via our YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
A modern concrete floor
3 - Lean into concrete!
You wouldn't believe how concrete can make your home look and feel. It’ll make it physically cooler as well as look edgier. Industrial elements are popping up all over the place at the moment and if you want to add concrete, it doesn't just have to be walls and floors. You can add concrete tables, chairs and other lighter touches like ottomans. Smaller side tables in lounges also work as small concrete touches could be a great way to add cooler furniture than making the entire place cool.
We love blush pink as a modern home accent color
4 - Go with a minimal vibe.
For both cool in temperature and cool in look, you want to minimize how much of your stuff is everywhere. Clutter is not cool in the slightest and minimalism is going to help you to stay away from any of the gimmicky things on display. A minimalist vibe allows you to make the space look and feel good. You can consider the less is more vibe is a good thing, and lean into that for your home if you want it to have that cool factor!
Modern wall art can add a cool touch to your home
5- Go and invest in modern art.
Art on the walls of the home always looks fantastic, and making a room look cooler can often come down to the style of art that you hand in the space. A cool space is often more personal and experimental all at once, and you can look at the overall aesthetic of the home to determine whether you have the right vibe! Bold art selections are those that look fantastic on the wall and as a standalone structure in the home too. Infusing your space with boldness and better energy can make it more fun and that’s what you want to achieve, right?
A clean and modern home office design
6 - Choose your color palette wisely.
Cooler shades will instantly cool the home. Think light blues, grays and other lighter colors. You do not need to make your house look like a camera negative or anything like that, but you can bet that finding cooler shades of paint will make your home feel cleaner, fresher and better than it did before. Instant transformation is what it’s all about, and it doesn't take long to upgrade the paintwork of a house, either. You can simply add a lick of paint and see the difference right away.
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Carolyn J. (C.J.) Braden is a regular contributor and editor for Carolyn’s Blooming Creations. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.
This is a collaborative post and may contain affiliate links. All opinions and ideas expressed in this post, however, are based on my personal point of view.