When people walk into your home, how do they feel? This is an important question, as the atmosphere in your home can have a powerful subconscious effect on the way people behave in a certain space. If a person is uncomfortable in your home then they are going to be reserved, distant, and unlikely to return. However, if your home welcomes them in, and makes them feel safe and comfortable, then you can be sure that is how they will react.

Creating an inviting space can be difficult. You are only one person, with one perspective, and it’s difficult to know how others will react to color, light, and object. That is why you should enlist as much feedback as you can during a decorating endeavor. In this way, you can multiply your mind and your eyes, and see the space that you are creating from a variety of different points of view.

One of the most important things when creating atmosphere is how you use color in the space. Certain colors set off triggers in the human mind, which people don't even realize. For instance, red is a very exciting, powerful color that raises a person’s metabolism, and makes them both more excitable, and more exciting.

For creating a warm and inviting space, soft earth tones are the best. They are comforting, and feel safe, like being at home. Throughout human history we have sheltered from the elements, and our enemies, behind structures made of wood and stone, earth colored natural objects. As such, we have developed a natural proclivity to being comforted by these tones.

Blues and greens tend to be very relaxing, depending on the tones used. They simulate such peaceful images as densely populated forests, or gently lapping ocean waves, and so they tend to inspire a certain amount of tranquility when they are used within a space.

Art is another powerful element when trying to create an inviting home. Art is symbolic, in an often overt and sometimes subversive way. Symbols are like language to the soul, and so the art work which you display will send a message.

Art refers to more than just portraits hung on the wall it really includes any decorative or home décor piece that you include in the space. While a landscape masterpiece done in acrylic may fit the definition of art more than the novelty talking home décor statue on the dresser, however they both send a signal, and a message, to whoever enters the space. This is something that you need to be acutely aware of.

Lighting will also have an important effect on the atmosphere of a room, and how it is perceived by guests. Generally dim lighting will make for a cool, quiet, lethargic space. The darker you go, the more it will feel like a sleepy lounge.

On the other hand, brighter lights will make the room moiré active and invigorating. It will also make it easier to look one another in the eye, or engage in brighter activities, such as reading a book or browsing through a magazine.

One thing which many people overlook when decorating their homes is the textures that are present in an environment. Sight is not the only sense we use to interpret the world, and touch is actually a powerful and even more meaningful cue for many people, as far as how to react to the space they are in.

As always, you can just use common sense to determine the most comforting and inviting textures for your home. In general, soft, smooth, and silken, are all textures which will put people in a better mood, and make them feel comfortable. Rough, harsh, and cracked textures will have the opposite effect, making people feel more on edge, although also more alert and attentive.

Making certain that your home is inviting is a matter of using the various design elements present ion any space, to create an atmosphere which is warm, and inviting. This should be done by minimizing glaring or harsh environmental factors, such as annoying colors, and painful textures, and replacing them with soft, smooth, and gentle tones, and elements, which will cause people to feel relaxed and at ease within a space.