Washington DC Area Contractor Review of the Interior Design of Bethesda’s The Mindfulness Center
Jessie Norris is the interior designer – and also one of the operating managers – of Bethesda’s The Mindfulness Center. Given the modern trend in the Washington, DC area of focusing on holistic wellness in all arenas of life – including the design and decoration of our living spaces (interior and exterior), Blue Door Painters reviews Norris’s decorating strategy for building the theme of wellness into the very walls and floors of her Center.
According to Norris, the basic formula for a wellness-oriented interior is to pick out one color, one neutral, one material, and one non-paint accent. Her formula builds upon the classic exterior strategy used to establish curb appeal (a main, trim, accent, and given color), tweaking it slightly to suit interior spaces, and it adds that little twist toward earthy complexity that makes the Center feel so spiritual and relaxing.
In both design strategies, the first thing that you do is pick one color as your starting off point. Norris described the colors that she picked as being matched to the purpose of each room. The offices were in a sophisticated green and a warm and welcoming yellow, while the massage rooms were painted an intimate purple. The lobby was left neutral. In the yoga studio, the largest surface in need of painting (and the surface most looked at by yoga students doing inverted poses) was the ceiling, which Norris painted a deep, relaxing and contemplative midnight blue.
Next, to tone the color down and tie it into a general earthy ambience, Norris picked a neutral to pair with each color. Each neutral tone was selected to compliment the original, stronger color, using the color wheel to come up with a tone that would turn out harmonious. To add complexity, and to further the organic ambience that comes from varying the texture, Norris also added a raw material into each composition, again selecting substances that reflected the purpose of each room. The wood of the studio, tile of the bathroom, and stone of the waiting room podium are all examples of the coordinated material.
Finally, Norris used a non-paint accent color (like pillows, washcloths, yoga mats, etc), to fully round out the color scheme in each room. Small, mobile accents can add bright splashes of color that bring energy into a room without becoming overwhelming.
Using the color wheel, you too can develop an intricate palette that brings wellness into the interior of your home or place of business. Just start with the color you think suits the purpose of the room the best, and see where you can go from there! If you need any help, check out our color consultation tutorial blog series, or take advantage of Blue Door Painters’ free color consultation.