Soft minimal – Livingroom dressed in Autumn

Hello there dear Passion Shake readers!

It´s Jaana here. I’m so excited to share my first monthly Home stories column with you. I’ve been following Agata’s work for a long time and couldn’t be happier that she invited me to join her talented team.

In my first story I wanted to show you the end result of a mini makeover I did to my living room. My goal was to create a room with maximum cosiness, a calm space to relax and unwind. When I thought what kind of atmosphere I wanted, I pictured a meadow on a hazy autumn morning.

Every year there is a time between the seasons when the colourful autumn foliage with its vivid reds and oranges is already gone, but the snow hasn’t hit the ground yet. Nature is in hibernating phase preserving its strength for the long winter. The trees are bare, colours are muted and the morning haze lasts the whole day through. There is a certain calmness and softness in it. It feels like the world is slowing its pace when the days get shorter and shorter. Darker days mean also more time spent at home relaxing – reading a good book in candle light or watching a movie under the warmest blanket you can find. To maximize the cosy feeling, I decided to incorporate that same calm vibe in to my living room.

In Nordic lifestyle it is common to fight the darkness by decorating with bright colours to maximize lightness and cosiness. This time I went with neutral tones of sand, whites and browns to achieve that soft and calm atmosphere I was going for. Earthy muted shades make the space feel warm and inviting. Natural materials of wood and rattan are down to earth and go very well with the chosen colour palette.
When I want to create a welcoming space I immediately think of pillows, throws and soft carpets. Adding variant textiles is a great way to achieve that nice layered look. When using minimal color palette, it´s easy to play with textures and patterns without the end result looking too scattered. Neutral shades keep the look calm and draw attention to the subtle contrasts of materials and textures.
The last part is adding details. That’s the phase that brings the look together and makes the space more personal. When decorating a room, Its good to incorporate something visually interesting in every direction you look at: a detail or an object that has an unexpected form or interesting texture, set of souvenirs that have a great story behind them or a piece of art that works as a conversation starter.

I really like the outcome. I think I achieved my goal to create a balanced look that has the calm inviting vibe that I was going for.

What do you think? What are the ingredients for your relaxed and cosy space?

I hope you enjoyed the column, looking forward seeing you next month!

Text, Styling and Photos: Jaana Niittynen for Passionshake