Each year on February 14th, flowers, gifts, and candy get exchanged between lovers across the world. Valentine’s Day, originating from a 5th-century Roman holiday, has become the day for love and affection to thrive - so much so that it makes you question if love and relationships are celebrated any other time during the year.

If you’d like to keep the feeling of closeness and intimacy between you and your lover, friends or family going longer than February 14th, one of the best ways to do it is through interior design. We know, at this moment you’re probably saying to yourself, “Huh? How can interior design and decor invoke intimacy?”. Tandem Arbor is here to answer that question and tell you how to accomplish it yourself

“Understanding the person or people living in a home is a far greater need in design than focusing purely on aesthetics. The home is designed around emotional needs.”
- Amanda Talbot

As noted above by the wonderful Amanda Talbot, a home (or space) should be about more than just aesthetics and look. Successful interior design goes deeper with a focus on emotion and mood. This exact ideology is the reason it’s possible to create feeling within a space by designing in a particular fashion. Your home should play to not only your functional needs but also your emotional needs.

If you work in an office setting during the day that is all doom and gloom, you likely want to come home to a space that is happy and uplifting. If you work from home, like so many of us do now, you likely want a designated space within your home that is motivating and efficient. If you keep busy all hours of the day with work, kids, and errands, you likely want a space to escape to at the end of the day that feels like a little slice of heaven, or in other words, a sanctuary full of calm. If you often use your home to entertain your favorite people or are newly living with your significant other, you may crave a space that’s all about intimacy and love.

No matter the feeling or emotion you need your space to fulfill, it can be achieved with the proper interior design. Not only can it be achieved, but it should be achieved. The marrying of design and feeling is what creates a space you’re happy to spend time in.

If you haven’t caught on, intimacy is the focus of this post. Of course, Valentine’s Day coming up has something to do with that, but also because intimacy is a common feeling homeowners chase with interior design. It’s worth noting that by “intimacy”, we don’t just mean the intimacy between lovers. We’re also talking about the intimacy between friends, family, and all other relationships that exist. There’s a reason the saying “home is where the heart is” is so popular. Many homeowners want their home to be a place of gathering, good conversations, and laughter. If you’re one of these people who craves a home that is set up for intimacy and love to thrive, follow our tips below:

“Color is a power which directly influences the soul.”

The above quote by the pioneer of abstract art, Wassily Kandinsky, may sound extreme, but everything in the science of color psychology tells us it’s true. Color plays a significant role in evoking moods, feelings, and emotions.

To create intimacy, you’ll want warmth and a feeling of coziness. Implementing a warm color scheme is a great way to achieve this. Warm colors include red, orange, and yellow and all their varying shades. If you don’t want to go fully warm with colors, you can certainly mix in cooler and darker shades that complement the warm colors. Keep in mind that we said “complement”. If your goal is to create a space of warmth, you don’t want colors clashing nor do you want the dark/cool colors overpowering the warm colors. A space of intimacy starts with the proper color scheme and that palette standing out from the rest of the colors in the room.

PRO TIP: Remember to choose all elements of the room with the color scheme in mind - paint, textiles, decorative features.

One of the best ways to invoke intimacy in your home is to furnish with pieces that create spaces for conversation, and even some cuddling, to flourish. If you want your family to bond by snuggling up and watching a movie together, a living room with a small sofa and a recliner or two as the additional seating won’t create that feeling of love, nor will you really have the opportunity for snuggles.

To create these moments of love and intimacy via passionate conversation and bonding time, you should consider the following items to fill your space with:

• Daybeds can obviously be used for sleeping, but more often they are used for lounging and relaxing in common areas, such as living rooms. What makes daybeds perfect for enjoying the company of others is the size and comfort. Take Tandem Arbor’s Ludlow Daybed for example - two, three, maybe even four, people can fit on it and catch-up or binge-watch their favorite show. You have no choice but to get close and the cozy upholstery options make it even better.
• If you want to stick with a traditional sofa, nothing is better than sectionals for spaces where you want laughter and fun between family and friends to thrive. First, sectionals ensure you have enough space for several people to sit down together. Intimacy will certainly be lacking if people are sprawled throughout the room. Second, sectionals are for ultimate relaxation and comfort. For sinking in for long periods of time and winding down. Sectionals, such as the Evans Sofa from Tandem Arbor, naturally create an inviting feeling and in a way, they call people’s name as gatherings, bonding and conversations take form.

PRO TIP: When picking out your furniture for your intimate space, ask yourself “will this piece bring people together?”. If the answer is “no”, then that piece of furniture isn’t meant for your home.

Our last tip for invoking intimacy with home decor is to get personal - don’t be shy! We don’t mean you have to dive into your deepest secrets when you’re chatting it up with people in the space. What we mean is, decorate with a touch of your personality. Nothing feels more intimate or cozy than filling a room with tasteful souvenirs from your past, pictures of your closest family and friends, or art that reflects your story.

“To have someone understand your mind is a different kind of intimacy.”

We can’t think of any words more fitting. When you give people a peek at who you are, who your family is, and your passions, they are getting an idea of your mind, therefore creating a natural intimacy. Nothing is more meaningful than letting people understand the real you, which should shine through in how you design your home and spaces.

Intimacy is something we hope you embrace and celebrate far beyond February 14th. Intimacy is personal. It’s cozy and safe. It’s the feeling of love and closeness. Some could argue that nothing in life compares to close intimacy with those that matter the most. We are right there with those people.

If you’re chasing an intimate space full of love, laughter, and light, we hope you take our tips above and challenge yourself to create it. There is no time like the present to tackle your next interior design project and the recipe for this one happens to be simple: lead with warmth, create memories with furnishings, and get personal. We can already picture your homes designed in a way that creates and captures memories for years to come; invoking intimacy through your decor.