Tundraco's Daily Living Guide to Home & Garden Using Music to Compliment Your Design Style

When developing a design strategy, most people naturally consider such elements as color, texture, and scale. There is one element, however, that is almost always overlooked – music.

There are five main senses that humans use sight, sound, feel, smell, and taste. In decorating, sight and touch are the only two elements that are normally addressed. Yet, all the senses, except perhaps taste, are involved in our appreciation of a setting.

Smell can be invoked using flowers and other aromatic substances such as potpourri to give a room a country 'smell' or to invoke a feeling in response to a specific scent. In much the same way, music can invoke a specific feel in the listener that will impact how he reacts to a room.

In the normal course of the day, you will listen to the type and style of music that fits your mood, not your decor. However, when you are entertaining, you may wish to take special care to choose music that compliments your decor and the type of entertaining that you are planning.

Specific types of music can compliment certain decorating styles. As well, specific forms of music can actually be used to highlight the style of decorating.

• Traditional and formal styles are enhanced by classical music.
• Alternatively, play 'period' music of the same period that your furniture is styled after.

Specific ethnic or regional styles can also be enhanced by playing music associated with that style.

• For example, to highlight a French styled decor, play Cajun or French music.
• Southwestern and Primitive styles can be animated with Latin and Native American music.
• African-American decor can be intensified by the use of African tribal music and regional sounds such as Afrocuban or Jamaican.

At the most basic level, almost any decor can be matched with any style of music. However, when you endeavor to create a specific mood, care must be taken to ensure that your music does not clash with your furniture.

• For instance, if you are throwing a traditional sit down dinner, Hip-Hop will definitely clash with your Louis the 14^th dinning room set.
• However, if your kids are throwing a party for their friends, they are not going to care if your furniture is Louis the 14^th or contemporary.

Music not only enhances a decorating style, but it can also be used to create a specific mood.

One common form of mood music is holiday music. By playing music associated with a specific holiday, you help infuse the essence of that holiday into your home.

• On a similar vein, playing soothing music will help induce a sense of tranquility in your home.

Music is often used to help create a romantic atmosphere, and romance goes with any decor. Even the most outlandish decor can be 'romanticized' with a few candles, some flowers, and the melodious sounds of 'your' song…