Peaceful Design: A Timeless Design Trend for 2023
Is there any better refuge than home? When life becomes busy and overwhelming, home is where you retreat to rest and relax. The design of a room has a big impact on your mood and how you feel. Trends come and go, but creating a space that makes you feel relaxed and restful is a timeless design trend that will always be relevant, even in 2023.
We turned to a local couple for tips on creating a warm, cozy space by asking them how they achieved a peaceful atmosphere at a local community space they recently opened. With just a few of these design tips (and discovering what you find calming), you can create a relaxing, stress-free environment, making your home a tranquil, personal sanctuary.
A Neutral Palette Promotes a Peaceful Design
Color can be fun and exciting, but a muted palette is soothing and calm. Neutral tones are easy on the eyes but can become sterile if there is no warmth. Light-toned colors (such as whites, creams, off-white, taupe, greige) used in interior design need to be balanced with texture to keep it interesting.
Located in South Carolina, One Thing is a space open to the community for prayer, meditation, worship, and events. The location was originally an industrial building. Owners Gary and Jeanetta Yoder painted the building all white with a black ceiling, but wanted to create a focal point to break up the stark white.
A Fireplace Creates Warmth for a Cozy Design
The timeless appeal of a fireplace transcends design trends and eras. A fireplace does not even have to be lit to create a comforting atmosphere. Adding decorative elements to the fireplace vignette is the key to a cohesive design. At One Thing, they knew a fireplace would be the perfect focal point for the worship room. The gorgeous shiplap wall in a matte black powdercoat finish draws you in while the ambiance of the electric fireplace is soothing and cancels out the noise of life. Visible through the window, the community sees this serene space as they drive by and are drawn to it.
P.S. Metals are definitely a hot trend in home design right now and mixing them is acceptable and beautiful.
Lighting that Makes the Space Inviting
Using a variety of lighting types is important in your design. Keeping the light soft and natural will create that relaxing, meditative vibe you want in a stress-free environment. The One Thing center offers two main rooms—an encounter space and an event space. The encounter space is a place for prayer and quiet time with only the soft whisper of a fountain. The event space is designed for the community to come together to pray, fellowship, worship, and just do life together. This demanded the rooms be separated, but the Yoders didn’t want to lose the natural light flowing into the prayer room. Because the Yoders are part of the Stoll family, they knew Stoll could build metal glass doors that would serve as a partition, keeping the theme of the design while still allowing the natural light to flow into the space.
They also utilized transparent fabric shades to create some separation of the spaces and privacy in the prayer room while still allowing the natural light to envelop the space.
Natural Elements are a Breath of Fresh Air
Adding plants to interior spaces improves air quality which in turn reduces stress and improves overall wellness. Other organic elements such as wood instantly add warmth to a space. At One Thing, there are lots of lush, green plants and warm, natural wood. One piece that is near and dear to the Yoders is the artist bar, a place designed for drawing and journaling. A Stoll employee who loves woodworking volunteered to make this special bench and Stoll contributed the metal brackets that attach the piece to the wall.
Textiles Soften the Space
Layering cozy materials in your home give your décor a relaxed look. Flowy window treatments, comfy furniture, soft blankets, and textured rugs makes the space feel welcoming and safe. One Thing offers a place for everyone to curl up and feel the presence of God. Whether the guest wants to curl up on a sofa or stretch out on the floor with a soft pillow, there is an inviting space available.
Create Your Own Relaxing Design
With just these few design tips and inspirational photos from One Thing, you are on your way to creating a peaceful sanctuary in your own home. At Stoll Industries, we offer products designed for the places where people work and play. Our products are custom-built to fit both your space and style. We have a network of specialty dealers across the country who are ready to serve you.
More About One Thing
Gary and Jeanetta love to create beautiful spaces for people to enjoy life and feel the love of God. The couple has an eye for design and enjoys the process and all the details that go into it. This comes to life in their home, at Stoll Industries, and now at One Thing. The journey for this project was long but very intentional. In what they believe to be perfect timing, the center opened and has quickly become a safe place in the community. In fact, they hear the word “safe” a lot. Although the building is a place of worship, it is not associated with any church or denomination. It is simply a place for people to encounter God. It is a personal sanctuary and a refuge from the noisiness of life.
The event room is a place for gathering and fellowship but has also become a place of unity. Recently a meeting of local business leaders concluded with two competing business owners embracing one another in a spirit of love and harmony. The Yoders know that it is only the presence of the Lord that can bring about this type of unity, but the prayerful design of the space has certainly helped create the right atmosphere for these amazing things to happen.
Most would describe the design as minimalistic, modern, simple, and clean. Jeanetta explains that when it comes to design “oftentimes people don’t know how to describe what they see. Instead, they describe what they feel. We often hear words like safe, peaceful, beautiful.” She is okay with those words because what they feel is more important than what they see. She believes in designs with heart and shared how there is a story behind everything. It is those stories that allow the visitors to feel so deeply when they visit the space. One story they shared with us was about the artist bar. The woodworker, Larry, not only donated his time to design and build the bench, but he also donated a very special piece of wood that was precious to him and his mother.
During the design phase, there was one place that just felt empty. A friend suggested a wooden table for the place to represent that there is a place for everyone at the table. The couple shares how amazing it has been to see the people who are drawn to this table. People from all over the country have somehow found themselves sitting at this table in the small town of Abbeville, SC. These are the stories they live in each and every day.
If you ever find yourself near Abbeville, SC, the Yoders invite you to stop in and experience this peaceful sanctuary and an encounter you will never forget. If you would like to know more about One Thing, follow them on Facebook.
