Designing a home with cultural heritage requires architectural and decorative changes and most of all requires a unique taste. Architecture affects culture the same way culture affects architecture. So it is important to understand their interrelation before designing your own home that reflects your cultural values. And to make that simple for you, we will answer your question, “How to design a home that reflects your cultural heritage?”
Home Decor
Certainly, there were times when you went to a friend’s house and wondered what the beautiful wall hanger symbolized. For instance, in most of the traditional Japanese homes, you see various silk scroll paintings of landscape and cherry blossoms. These reflect their own cultural heritage.
Likewise, you can hang wall decor and paintings that voice your cultural values at your home. A unique touch of ethnicity and culture to your walls and tables would give an extraordinarily pleasing look to your home. It might just catch a guest’s eyes and make them spark up a conversation about your very own adored culture.
Embracing Fabric Decor
Fabric decor is a great way to embellish your home with your traditional colors and touch. Put on a rug over the hallway or drape a shawl reflecting your cultural patterns over a comfy chair and watch how it changes your home’s look.
Be it colorful prints or geometric patterns, all are timeless additions to traditional homes. Reminisce the touch of your childhood bed sheet on your hands or the rug on your feet; and find the perfect fabric for your traditional decor.
Reminisce with Scents and Flowers
Flower scents trigger memories which in turn bring out the authenticity in your home. For instance, traditional Chinese homes are decorated with Chrysanthemums which are associated with the famous Chinese poet Tao Yuanming.
Native flowers and plants from your homeland are a wonderful addition to your house that speaks out about cultural heritage and reflect your heart; turning it into a dear home.
Embellish with Cultural Artifacts
Decorating with cultural artifacts will always be an amazing way of adding more ethnicity and culture to your home. An artifact would become the centerpiece of your home, thus bringing attention to the beauty that comes from adoring your culture. For instance, in south-asian countries like India, rich, traditional homes are decorated with terracotta artifacts; chinese homes are decorated with flowers in a beautiful chinese hand painted vase and so on.
Family Heirlooms
Walls are meant to be decorated so think outside the box when adorning them. It is said that, if you have something which has been passed onto you through generations, give it a place of pride in your home. To give an instance, you can frame a family recipe of a particular dish and hang it on your wall; or make a family tree in a particular space. These family heirlooms give an authentic look to your home, making each house special in their own way.
Traditional Furniture
Decorating the house with inherited furniture is actually one of the best ways to embody culture with design. It could be grandma’s bedside table or grandpa’s trunk, or maybe even a coffee table from god knows who. Accentuate those old, vintage furniture into something usable and which adds cultural value to your home.
Adding Emblems
Cultural and religious icons or symbols serve as a reflection of heritage. For example, most of the muslim homes have a picture of the Kaaba as a part of their identity. But these emblems don’t always have to be precise or religious. It could be a cross of Christ or even the wand of Harry Potter. Put a piece on the wall that speaks out what you believe in or what makes you, you.
Structures and Foundations
Now, this step would make the incorporation of your culture with home design perfect and complete. It is important to keep your heritage in mind before laying the foundations of your home.
For example, in Scandinavia, they build their homes mostly with wood as wood is abundant there. So woodwork reflects their culture.
So take a moment to choose the foundation of your home to get the utmost reflection of your culture.
Conclusion
Making your home reflect your culture depends mostly on your taste and up to what extent you are willing to embellish. You can just add a few decorative changes or even architect your home according to your cultural values. So the next time someone asks you, “How to design a home that reflects your cultural heritage?”, you will have the answer right up your sleeves.
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