We all occupy some place on the spectrum between minimalist and maximalist design preferences. Perhaps you prefer your home to be completely stark, with nothing present that doesn’t have some kind of function. Or, maybe you prefer all the accroutrements of maximalist design, with lovely decorations and adornments all over the place to show the space is lived in and beautiful.
Most people prefer to sit between those two poles – not wanting the home to feel barren, but also wanting to avoid clutter or the sense that you can’t think within the space. However, another consideration is worth asking – is your decoration effort potentially causing a safety issue in the home? There are some obvious examples where such errors can be made, like overloading a power socket with appliances, lights, and other decorations that require electricity.
Yet decorations can also sometimes limit the health and capacity of an indoor space. In this post, we’ll discuss some places you may wish to get started, what issues to look out for, and how to move on from there:
Consider Fire Safety
Candles smell nice and certainly give us cozy vibe, but they’re also sitting flames in your living room or small space, and that in itself poses a threat if you’re not careful. You probably know to keep them away from curtains and papers, though sometimes people get a bit carried away with clustering them together on coffee tables or mantels, so be very careful and use protectors or stands if you can.
Having decorative plants or trees will look gorgeous for a few weeks then turn into basically kindling sitting in your house or could also be at risk of warming appliances in winter, so artificial trees that are fire-resistant don’t have this problem, as they look good year after year and you don’t have to worry about them drying out and becoming a fire hazard near your heater or fireplace. Moreover, fire resistant trees can come in multiple artificial farms to look great no matter the season, if you wanted to invite nature in.
Navigability & Obstacles
If you’re a little gung-ho about it, you can arrange furniture in a way that looks perfect from one angle but makes it tricky to actually walk through the room. A beautiful console table might be positioned right where someone needs to squeeze past it every time they go to the kitchen, and that’s not a good compromise.
Moreover, rugs that bunch up or decorative items sitting on the floor can trip people up, especially when you’re walking around at night or in dim lighting. Your home should feel comfortable to move through, not like you’re constantly watching your step, so be sure to open up the walkways.
Ventilation & Moisture
Too many plants clustered in one area can make rooms feel stuffy, and all the watering gives you humidity that has to go somewhere. You might start noticing your windows fogging up more than usual or getting that damp feeling in certain rooms. Moreover, thick curtains and wall hangings can block air from moving around properly. Make sure to have ventilation and extraction fans or just ventilation window locks put in place where appropriate – it will help.
With this advice, we hope you can more easily decorate a small space without causing safety issues.
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