INTERIORS
WRITTEN BY ANNE GODENHAM AND KRISTEN BOEHM
FEELING AT HOME in a space is all about satisfying the senses—not only sight and touch, which are the usual focus of interior design advice, but sound, smell, and, yes, even taste! We’ve rounded up some of the best ways to ensure your home is a sensory masterpiece, so you can surround yourself and your guests with a more holistic experience.
From cozy textures and hunger-inducing colors to natural forest scents and impeccable sound absorption, here’s how to customize every element of your space so it elicits the exact sensory response you want.
TOUCH
Bring the Heat
IS THERE ANYTHING more inviting than a crackling fire? Whether you’re snuggling up beside a fireplace or wood stove or huddling around an outdoor chiminea or pit, fire warms our flesh and our hearts.
Outdoor fireplace at Craft Stove
Photo by Anne Godenham
Cushy Comfort
Touch goes beyond texture! Soften any room with the use of plush carpets and rugs, thick throw blankets, oversized cushions, and padded furnishings. For more professional or “awake” spaces, the opposite rings true—tile, hardwood floors, and firm furniture are more likely to keep you alert.
There are so many more ways to make walls touchable than the usual orange peel or stucco finish. Wainscotting, textured wallpaper, and even thoughtfullyapplied rock will all add depth and dimension.
Heavy Metal
Metal fixtures and touches are a classic home decor addition, but you can go beyond the standard smooth shine by choosing finishes like soft matte, antiqued, brushed, or even hammered.
Clean up in Comfort
Bring more joy into everyday life by improving non-negotiable daily ‘chores.’ Showering is already nice, but it could be exceptional if you indulge in a showerhead with great pressure, luxurious products that soften skin, and fluffy towels that actually make you want to get out.
Winsome Walls
Photo by Kristen Boehm
Rugs by NO Design
Sound Control to Major Tom
WHETHER YOU LIKE to rock out at 11 or maintain a low flow of orchestral music, you’ll want to make sure you have control over your sound system. Place speakers in strategic locations to ensure consistent or specific coverage, and don’t forget to place at least one outside for summer gatherings!
Instrumental Decor
If you play an instrument (or several), don’t keep them hidden away. Working instruments into your interior design says a lot about your personality, and can spark your guests’ curiosity. Plus, you’re bound to play more often when you have easy access to your strings, keys, reeds, or whatever else you play!
Photo courtesy of Elysian Instruments
Handpans made by Elysian Instruments
At-Home Studio
Need some serious acoustic control for an at-home studio? Get a crash course from Kelsey Omeis of KLSY Interior Design on YouTube. In her video “Acoustics 101,” she speaks with an expert from Snowsound USA, a leader in acoustic design. Discover their range of textiles, art, furniture, and more at snowsoundusa.com.
Let it Flow
From a tabletop fountain to a wall-mounted waterfall, an indoor water feature is an impressive way to add to your home’s ambiance. The folks at Midwest Tropical are nationwide leaders in indoor water features, and Chuckanut Bay Gallery & Sculpture Garden has been known to host and sell an artisan fountain or two in their time.
While music and nature sounds are wonderful, most of us don’t love unexpected loud sounds. Sound absorption is key to help you control your auditory environment—everything from cushions, rugs, and curtains to ceiling panels and even certain types of wallpaper can help.
Hush Hush
Photo courtesy of Midwest Tropical
SIGHT
Surround Yourself with Beauty
ART ADDS STYLE and personality to your home, whether you go for antique oil paintings, contemporary murals, or macrame hangings—or an eclectic mix. And don’t forget sculptures, like these stunning wave pieces from David Wight Glass Art!
Creating depth can elevate a space by making it look more complicated and intentional (it’s the opposite of having a one-dimensional, “empty”-feeling room). Layer colors with different temperatures or saturations, decor of varying sizes, like a stunning piece from David Wight Glass Art!
Think Deep
Photo by Kelly Shorten
Photo by Anne Godenham
David Wight Glass Art
As Far as the Eye Can See
As much as possible, keep windows clear and accessible to ensure natural light and connection to the world outside. Bellingham-based business King of Kings Window Cleaning keeps windows crystal-clear in Whatcom and Skagit Counties.
Choose Joy
These days, it’s easier and easier to incorporate your artistic taste into everyday decor items—everything from cushions to electric mixers! If color and pattern bring you joy, include them wherever you like! Even the most chaotic maximalism is a valid choice.
Play with Shapes
It’s never too late to bring fresh energy to a room by playing with shapes. For instance, opting for acute and obtuse angles over right angles will create dynamism in your design reminiscent of retro-futurism (think “The Jetsons”). Check out Kirby Furniture (kirbyfurniture.com) for some inspiration.
Photo by Ian Gleadle Photography
Photo by Anne Godenham
TASTE
Stimulate Your Appetite
AWELL-KNOWN TIDBIT OF poppsychology is that certain colors can stimulate appetite. Warm colors like red and yellow appear often in natural foods, and may encourage you to enjoy a hearty meal!
In Plain (Pretty) Sight
We eat with our eyes first, so start at the very beginning with visible storage that gets you excited about food. Open shelving heaving with gorgeous handmade bowls, pot racks full of copper sauciers, glass jars full of pantry items—whatever makes you happy!
Food photography, fruit-laden still lifes, and even infographic posters showcasing your favorite spirits—any of these can add a visual element of taste to your home. There’s no limit to how food shows up in art, so get creative!
Interactive and Delicious
Snackable food displays are a classic element of homemaking and hospitality. Have a fruit bowl in the kitchen, a snack tray in the living room, or even a hotelstyle drink station in the guest bedroom!
Photo by Anne Godenham
Photo by Anne Godenham
"Incorporating elements of food and drink into interior design isn’t just functional—it instantly adds a touch of warmth and hospitality. It says, ‘Come on in, we’re always ready for company.’ Whether it’s a bowl of fresh fruit on the counter, herbs growing in a windowsill, or a few bottles of wine on display, these subtle touches engage the sense of taste and make a space feel truly lived-in and inviting."
Erica Egner, Perennial Style
Lean into Temptation
Love to cook but struggle to get started? A brightly-colored mixer, a beautiful pizza oven, or a shiny bronze pot filler will call out to you, reminding you to try that new recipe you bookmarked!
SMELL
Home-a Aroma
USING CANDLES, WAX melts, or other scentdiffusers throughout your home allows you to carefully layer scents to create your perfect personal atmosphere. You can source locally-poured candles from PNW Candle Co. in Sedro-Woolley and Salty Farms Candle Company in Mount Vernon (home of the 2025 Skagit Valley Tulip Festival’s official candle).
What’s Cookin’
This is a longcherished homeshowing hack, but it’s worth mentioning when considering the sense of smell! Nothing changes the vibe in your home like throwing some bread or cookies in the oven, a simmer pot on the stove, or a stew in the crockpot.
Wood if You Could
Unfinished pine and cedar diffuse their essential oils into a room, resulting in their signature scents.
Tuck sachets of wood chips into closets and drawers, or accept the temporary nature of unfinished wood decor and furniture, to gain the benefit of their woodsy aroma!
A Breath of Fresh Air
Embrace outside living areas to keep fresh air circulating through your home and your lungs! For inspiration, look to Laura Caldwell. On top of running her online vintage store, Left Coast Revivals, she also shares her travels, thrift hauls, and home projects on her YouTube channel. In a 2022 video, Caldwell shared the remodel and design process for this gorgeous breezeway at her home in Oregon, carefully created for form and function even in rainy PNW weather.
Photo by Laura Caldwell
Breezeway styled by Laura Caldwell of Left Coast Revivals
Nature’s Perfume
Bring nature inside and let it freshen and scent the air. You can grow eucalyptus indoors (or purchase a handful of stems) for a year-round calming scent. Potted jasmine, citrus fruit trees, and herbs are other great options for fragrant houseplants.
Photo by Kristen Boehm
Houseplants at Babygreens