Feeling Overstimulated at Home? An Interior Designer Shares Subtle Changes That Bring Instant Calm | Lars Gesing Fine Art

All January long, anyone purchasing a piece of my signature wall art will automatically receive a free 45-minute home styling session with Andrea (a $200 value!). After the call, you'll receive her FREE Retreat Blueprint with actionable, low-cost steps tailored to your unique space that you can easily take to turn it into the zen space you're dreaming of.

When you think about calmness in a home, what does that actually feel like to you? And what design elements tend to create that feeling most naturally? 

Andrea Bushdorf: A soft color palette instinctively is calmer, but calm can be created with negative space too… I’m picturing your bison photo, FAMILY BONDS. The winter snow hushes the natural world, slowing everything down. And the contrast of the buffalo, with their winter coats, bundled up, intuitively feels warm, safe, calm. Your large landscape art, ocean art and tree photography all provide a wide open window to nature, and I find myself taking a deep breath when I look at them, slowing my heart rate, getting lost…. It’s so fascinating.

You’ve helped so many clients who already have homes full of things they love — but they still don’t feel “at peace” in them. What’s usually missing? How can they find coherence and calm without completely starting over? 

Andrea Bushdorf: Reorganizing or a styling session with an interior designer can be really helpful. How items are grouped makes a big difference in how the eye travels around a room, digests the contents, and finds calm. That happens on a subconscious level. What’s usually missing is the ability to see your belongings and furnishings differently. People are often set in their ways of hanging or organizing their items. Break apart the travel photo wall and disperse them among book shelves, or pair some with a sculptural piece. Play with scale — a large nature-inspired artwork in a small room is like adding a window. But on the flip side, a small wall art piece on a picture ledge mixed with other items has just as much intrigue and interest, requiring the viewer to get close and discover more. Scale plays a big role in creating a healthy tension in a space. (Here is a guide on how to find the right artwork size for any space.)

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What would you tell someone who’s falling in love with a decor piece or a piece of art but they’re afraid it “just doesn’t match” their home’s interior design?

Andrea Bushdorf: The obvious one is framing — you can make sure that the frame you place around a piece of art is the bridge that ties it to your existing design (here is a guide on how to frame artwork). But there are more things you can do to integrate decor pieces and artwork that may feel a little eclectic into your home seamlessly: You can refresh toss pillows, draperies or an area rug to tie in the new artwork palette with the existing room. You can create an accent wall for the art with paint or other wall applications, like wallpaper, to connect the art to your space. 

You can also consider what’s under the artwork: Does it need grounding? If so, use a bench, a desk or a console to anchor the piece in your space. And lastly, you can always integrate the art or decor piece in a larger gallery curation: Take everything that you currently have up and rework the wall or room. Look at it as a chance to refresh artwork and decor locations throughout the whole home! Just because that landscape has hung in the guest room for five years doesn’t mean it wouldn’t look awesome paired with smaller pieces flanking it in the hallway.

How does art help set the emotional tone of a space? 

Andrea Bushdorf: I love a design project that starts with art! The inspiration you get from a beloved piece is what gives a home soul. I take cues from the art and from the client how they want to feel in the space and curate furnishings that support that vision — whether it’s calming and restorative or energetic and wild, soothing or vibrant.

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What’s one space where art can make a real difference in how grounding and intentional the home design feels?

Andrea Bushdorf: Many older homes have multi-use spaces. For example, the front door that opens right into a living room. The challenge is how to distinguish the living room from the high traffic front entry. Art is my number one solution in those cases. It can promote calm and serenity in the active space, balancing the high energy that naturally occurs, while also adding another dimension to the living room as whole. 

Designing calm spaces intentionally often means balancing different tastes — especially between partners. What advice do you have for couples for blending styles so that both people feel represented and at peace?

Andrea Bushdorf: That’s truly a balancing act! There’s no set formula. It’s finding out what each person needs. But if you and your partner just can’t agree on a decor piece or artwork, look at its size: smaller in that case is better — a smaller piece can be tucked onto a shelf, hung in a hallway or high traffic space, a walk-in closet or a powder room. Or it can be integrated into a larger gallery wall — the idea is that the artwork is there for the one who loves it but it is not center stage for the one who cares less for it. (Need more help? Read these 10 tips for how to agree with your partner on art.)

If someone reading this could make just one intentional change this weekend to make their home feel calmer, what would you suggest? 

Bring a piece of artwork or a decorative object into your space — something that when your eyes rest on that item, your energy wells are restored to the highest level. It doesn’t matter which room it resides in — as long as you see it every day. Doing that supports mental and emotional wellbeing.

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