Privacy in the home is an area on which to focus to preserve that specialness of sanctuary. Your home is the place you can go to let your hair down and not “have to be on” all the time. To be free from roving eyes and straining ears, there are some creative ideas to create the perfect space permitting a relaxing respite from the big, wide world. The following are six stylish updates that encourage privacy in your home:
1. A Feature Wall
One useful method of dividing space while establishing privacy is a feature wall. It needs to be large enough to avoid making the space appear cluttered or chopped up. In a loft-style space, go with a feature wall in lieu of a traditional headboard for the bed. It need not reach all the way up to the ceiling and it serves a dual purpose if cabinets are included.
2. Dual-Purpose Wall and Doorway
In some larger open spaces, it is possible to have a wall built to divide the space including a doorway. Installing glass for the doorway and one side of the cabinets offers privacy while still allowing the stolen glance from the either side of each room. Making this wall wider to serve as cabinetry for attractive glassware and china provides a stylish open-air display running the length of the wall.
3. Drapery
Using drapes or curtains does not have to be restricted to window treatments. In fact, a drape used behind the bed or hanging in the open sides of an outdoor Pergola provide a stylish way to limit visual intrusion. The convenience of pulling back the drapes provides the option to allow others to see the space. When closed, it is a clear message that privacy is desired. The home decorating materials available for drapery are quite extensive allowing for complementary design themes.
4. Natural Privacy Screens
The ideas just keep presenting themselves when it comes to natural privacy screens. The latest hot trend that makes for unique vertical gardening are pallet gardens. These can be planted for one-sided growth or making full use of both sides. Again, dual-purpose benefit using herbs for their visually pleasing growth also provides fresh aromatics for cooking. Outdoors, natural privacy screening may be produced in a wide variety of landscape and hardscape.
Whether wood cladding or concrete, bring the flower beds up higher and use vertical gardening elements such as bamboo, hedgerows, lilac, willow, arborvitae, ivy, sweet viburnum or honeysuckle and more. Any evergreen that likes to grow and cover provides a peaceful view while limiting the viewers ability to steal a peek at your private time.
5. The Pergola
It is hard to beat the overall benefit of the Pergola. These outdoor covers tend to be open-air, but may also be partially enclosed. The fixed structure serves to allow for nature to be present all around while gaining protective cover from the harsh sunshine in the day or allowing for the graceful view of moonlight at night. The use of natural screens such as trellis work or hedgerows may be either permanently planted or potted for ease of mobility.
6. Artistic Decorative Panels
A traditional style of screening out unwanted interest is with the use of panels. Without falling into boring barriers, custom-made artistic panels block the neighbor’s otherwise open-view while providing a unique focal point. They need not be solid, in fact the use of scrim fabric or other semi-transparent materials suggests the desire for privacy and often is all that is needed to curb the unwanted interest of others.
These are but a few of the ideas for how to designate private spaces within and without the home. The fun of purposeful stylish decorating is in the imaginative use of space.
