Lifestyle

5 Ways You Can Transform Your Apartment If It Still Doesn't Feel Like 'Home'

by Shannon Ullman
Treasures & Travels

A retailer's goal is to convert shoppers into buyers, and they use atmospherics to do the trick.

Its role in the process is imperative and facilitates increased sales, attracts window shoppers and retains loyal customers — you.

Atmospherics create an ambiance for physical spaces with certain characteristics that have the power to evoke specific moods and emotions conducive to purchases.

Creating a sense of comfort and personalizing your house is an integral part of making it feel like home.

Color, smell and background noise are the basics of mood influencers.

Take cues (listed below) from retailers and their best practices in order to create a sense of "home" the next time you walk in the door:

Color psychology

Color psychology studies hues as a determining factor for human behavior and takes a detailed look at how it influences our perceptions.

Certain colors have different meanings to different cultures, and WebMd acknowledges how “proponents of color psychology believe that the colors you use to decorate your home can have a profound effect on the emotional well-being of you and your family.”

Color consultants commonly recommend distinguishing the purpose of each room and designating a predominant color.

With a little research, you'll come to discover warm tones pair well with earth tones to stimulate conversation, while reds and yellows solicit hunger.

Blues and greens tend to facilitate a calming effect, while whites connote purity and cleanliness.

The power of scent

The power of smells impact individuals differently, and it is sometimes based on memories that influence how we think, feel and act.

Smells have associations that bring about pleasant and cross feelings often different among individuals. Nose appeal is prevalent in the food industry, and it has made its way into retail spaces known as scent marketing.

Eric Spangenberg found sales doubled in the women's clothing store when feminine scents like vanilla were introduced.

Air Aroma created a custom scent for Hugo Boss with notes of intoxicating, peppery citrus, creating the perception of liveliness.

The company also curated a different scent for every Ritz Carlton, properly offering a unique experience to guests in relation to location-specific scents.

Decorating with scented candles is a sure way to bring back childhood memories or help create new ones.

Window treatments

Window displays exist for the primary purpose of enticing the window shoppers of the world.

If a store gets it right, purchases are sure to follow.

Curtains go beyond the basic utility of providing privacy and shade, so how does this translate to your home?

During the darkest moments of winter, switching up the way you hang window coverings can brighten up the room, consequentially uplifting your mood.

Creating an open and inviting ambiance starts with opting for longer curtains, providing the illusion of a bigger room and higher ceilings.

Playing with small patterns adds texture to the wall, while spacious patterns add a bold feel.

Fabric choice is the final component and should correlate to the specific mood designated for each room. Thick and heavy fabrics will evoke a significantly different mood when compared to that of a lightweight option.

A little TLC goes a long way when suggesting moods through décor.

Furniture placement

Space planning is closely considered when planning the layout of each room.

Beginning with the living room, it's important to note how humans socially interact with each other and who frequently visits your home.

Women who are close friends tend to sit next to each other, while acquaintances will comfortably sit across from each other. Men respond in entirely the opposite way when interacting with others in social situations.

Continuing to the bedroom, Matthias Sporrle and Jennifer Stich investigated modern sleeping preferences.

They found that participants predominantly positioned the bed across the room allowing them to see the door, proving their predictions right.

Office spaces are unique to each person dependent on factors that suit their psychological needs.

Rounded furniture is linked to positive emotions and increased productivity. This study found circular furniture more pleasing and inviting opposed to rectangular furniture.

Bringing décor full circle

Bringing life into your house and transforming it into a home involves a number of elements coming together to make a lasting impression.

Many of these elements are not always taken into consideration, but ultimately drive subconscious feelings stemming from smells, colors and textures.

The neurological impact that design can have on a home differentiates your own home from the homes of your parents or your friends.

By keeping not only the tangible in mind while decorating, but also the feelings you want each room to elicit, you will to create a home that is personalized to you.