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Have you heard of ‘hushing the house’? Ironically, it’s making quite the noise in the world of décor. Time to tap into the tranquil trend.
Everyday life is getting increasingly noisy, whether it’s demands from the children, or yet another online Teams call, which is why it’s more important than ever to make your home a sanctuary of calm and tranquillity. The latest trend in interior design calls for just that: a dose of peace and quiet.
‘Home hushing’, as it was first dubbed by blogger Myquillyn Smith (AKA ‘The Nester’), is the delicate art of dialling down the ‘visual’ noise of your décor to create a serene space that evokes a feeling of being completely at ease. Interiors that make you go ‘ahh’ the moment you step through the front door – the equivalent of a warm bath or cup of tea.
It comes hot on the heels of the decluttering trope – popularised by ‘cleanfluencers’, such as Marie Kondo and Mrs Hinch, and TV shows, such as The Home Edit. This method of organisation is a way of practising mindfulness and being fully present in where you are and what you’re doing.
‘Hushing the house’ is decluttering 2.0 and requires you to remove unnecessary items to free up visual and emotional space. After 24 hours, you reassess the room, reintroducing only what’s really important in order to retain the ‘quiet’. According to the experts, everything in a space creates a ‘hum’, but the aim is to create a harmonious one. Here’s how.
Consider the colour palette on your walls: the shades found in nature are often the most restful as they bring the outdoors in, and varying hues of white provide a feeling of ultimate calm.
Ensuring one room connects to the other also stops them from feeling disjointed and visually chaotic, so consider hues within the same tonal family for cohesion. Neutral tones work with most colours. For spaces that require serenity, such as bedrooms, edge on the side of minimalist with the calm induced by white-on-white and warm neutrals in crisp bed linen, cosy faux-fur throws and textured pouffes.
Add soft furnishings, such as natural rugs, upholstered sofas and cushions, which reduce clatter by absorbing sound. With this in mind, consider textiles in larger spaces you might not usually associate with fabrics, such as a braided jute runner between the cooker and island in a spacious kitchen, or a curly sheepskin bench in an oversized hallway (also useful for sitting down to remove your shoes).
Texture is your secret weapon when it comes to minimising the loudness of visual clutter. Going back to basics with natural materials and finishes is best, from sheepskin and wool to bouclé and stone, offering a naturally relaxed look and feel that’s irresistibly (and satisfyingly) tactile. Wood is always a winner, whether in the form of a bath tidy for your next big soak or candle plate for a little ‘you time’.
Hard corners, angular lines and sharp surfaces all contribute to ‘noisy’ interiors, so plump for the softer, more rounded edges currently in vogue. The curved arms of the cosy sheepskin chair, arched silhouette of a mantle arch mirror and the circular shape of a table are just the thing. The key is in the styling; drape a rumpled throw over the chair to accentuate its form; hang a mirror in a rectangular room to soften its lines; and add a circular rattan tray to the table to exaggerate its shape.
As we throw open the doors to host guests for the season, it’s the perfect time to ‘hush’ your home. The good news is the colours, textures and shapes of quiet spaces are conducive to cosying up for the colder months, as well as festive decorations that whisper rather than shout. Opt for a wonderfully classic and natural-looking tree – the grand spruce is still elegant at a spectacular 6ft – and hanging decorations, such as the white ceramic doves, glass bell baubles and regular cluster lights, are muted and understated. Less really is more when it comes to hushing your home.
Nicky Rampley-Clarke is an interiors editor and lifestyle journalist who regularly writes for “House Beautiful”, “Country Living” and “The Times”, among others. He was previously brand editor of Dulux UK.
This content was first published as part of a partnership with Telegraph Media Group and published on telegraph.co.uk.
