Inspiration for your home’s interior design can come from anywhere, from your favorite vacation spots to your hobbies or passions to nature itself. But what if you could receive design inspiration from a higher power? What if you could come home to a space that feels divinely inspired? Because it is.
Your home can, indeed, be divinely inspired — in an earthly way. The spaces people gather to practice their faith are so often designed to evoke the experience of the divine, offering soulful, considered, and breathtaking (or rather, breath-giving) spaces.
Today we’re bringing some of that home. We’ll explore four iconic sacred spaces to unlock the mysteries of their design powers and explore ways to offer those same feelings in your home. It’s like we’re diving into some design holy waters looking for ways to help your home’s style vibe feel reborn.
Unlock The Gift Of Gloriously Gothic Design: Sainte-Chapelle, Paris
The eminently Pinterest pin-worthy Sainte-Chapple is to stained glass what Niagara Falls is to streams. One of the greatest examples of Gothic Architecture, Sainte-Chapple inspires awe with its 1,113 stained glass windows. And when the light pours through, the experience is part romantic candlelit dinner, part the energetic jolt of an arena rock concert. The room is positively bathed in rich, deep jewel tones.
What’s To Love:
- Drama & Mood: The cascade of colors pouring into the room in an evolving kaleidoscope throughout the day is as vibey as it is spectacular.
- Expansiveness: The interior vastness of Sainte-Chapelle (nearly 140 feet high) opens something in you, eliciting a deep breath and a sense of possibility.
How To Bring It Home:
Embrace the power of bold colors with stained glass-like jewel tones offering echoes of the sun-painted tones from the church. Like sofas drenched in juniper green or burgundy red microfiber. Lighting decor, like a statement chandelier, draws the eye upward. Also, hanging curtains closer to the ceiling creates the illusion of height and expanse in any space. Add both color and height with drapes in deep blue with golden fleur-de-lis embroidery or orchid purple velvet.
Embrace The Miracle Of Nature By Design: Thorncrown Chapel, Arkansas
Can something be magnificent and minimal? Architect E. Fay Jones’s Thorncrown Chapel answers with a resounding hell, err, heaven yeah! Nestled in the Ozarks, Thorncrown uses glass differently than Sainte-Chapelle, connecting you to the divine through the beauty of nature. At 48 feet tall and built primarily of timber and floor-to-ceiling clear glass, the experience is simple, clean, and effortlessly divine.
What’s To Love:
- Simplicity & Warmth: The wood and stone are grounding and centering, and there’s a warmth in feeling connected to the natural world both inside and outside the chapel.
- Natural High: A beautiful setting that’s always visually present logs some high-level biophilic design wins. And all those calming, centering feels are enhanced by the simple earthy blue tone of the upholstered pews.
How To Bring It Home:
First, plant a forest. Just kidding. Although adding greenery and even a water feature helps, as do things like wood furniture pieces and woven rugs. And your upholstery brings it all together through natural textures and earthy neutrals, like teak brown or biscuit beige tweed. Add accents reminiscent of Thorncrown’s pews and the Ozarks’ wild blueberries, like blueberry blue chenille or sapphire checkered weave tweed. Heavenly.
Design Your Way To Living In The Zen Zone: Kinkaku-ji, Kyoto
Now something more Marie Kondo meets Beyoncé: Kinkaku-ji. The iconic Zen Buddhist temple is breathtakingly beautiful in its golden glory. But, stepping inside, the sense of awe and spectacle downshifts into a space that soothes, calms, and fosters contemplation. It’s such an unexpectedly harmonious mix of luxury and peaceful simplicity.
What’s To Love:
- Golden Accents: Okay, “accents” is underselling it. Nicknamed “The Golden Temple,” Kinkaku-ji’s top two floors are literally coated in gold leaf. And, of course, the gold theme continues in decor details and design accents.
- Simple Harmony: Perhaps the least surprising thing about Kinkaku-ji is the sense of curated, deeply intentional harmony in the blend of tatami mats, warm-tone wood floors, and the minimalist vibe (way before minimalism was cool).
How To Bring It Home:
Evoke the feel of Kinkaku-ji with a mix of quiet lux and minimalism. In other words, less is more AND make the “less” more luxurious. So, soft fabrics, warm lighting, and simple decor, like a sofa in parchment white performance velvet with throw pillows in golden silk and an azure cherry blossom pattern. Or your bedroom headboard in ivory Crypton boucle with Asian-inspired toile patterned pillows and a slipper chair in golden velvet.
Come Home To Mosaic Majesty: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi
Step inside the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and you step into an immersive art show. Opulent textiles, intricate mosaics, and sumptuous Persian carpets abound. (Fun fact: It’s home to the world’s largest hand-knotted rug.) There’s an elegance that uplifts and inspires, connecting you to something greater. You leave with a “Wow.” and a “Thank you.” on your lips.
What’s To Love:
- Detail Delight: The mosque can hold 40,000+ worshippers and yet still has an intimate quality, the detailed embroidery and spectacular mosaics seem to wrap their arms around you.
- Plush Power: The textures of the upholstery and certainly the carpets offer a kind of comforting couture. There’s such a power to the experience of them underfoot and at hand.
How To Bring It Home:
Start with neutral foundations, then load up on layers. Like large pieces in a snow white tweed or an ivory fabric with a repeating diamond pattern, both reminiscent of Sheikh Zayed’s walls and structure. Then layer in things like antique rugs and pillows in multiple shapes and sizes adorned in lush, intricately patterned fabrics like a fern green vine pattern, felicity oyster woven damask, and a red and brown traditional pattern woven jacquard. Here, more is more.
How To Bring Home Divine Design Inspiration On An Earthly Budget
No need for soaring ceilings, epic stained glass, or gold-leafed shingles to bring the feel of these sacred spaces. Let’s close with some final tips for a more celestially elevated home-style vibe:
- Upholstery Miracles: Here at the largest online upholstery fabric store, we’re devoted to the power of colors and textures because they’re such flexible and affordable ways to shift your vibe. Start there and reupholster or accent your way to a higher (design) power.
- Scale Up: You don’t need a vast amount of space to offer a sense of openness and expanse. Play with curtain placement, bold fabric statement pieces, and lighting accents to open and warm up a space on a budget.
- Many Paths: Mix inspiration from multiple styles. A curated, intentionally eclectic vibe doesn’t require a full redo and makes your home feel even more like you. Minimalism and boho? Sure. Make yourself at home. ‘Cause ya’ are.
Whether you’re yearning for gothic glory, mosaic majesty, the nurture of nature, or a peaceful Zen oasis, making your home your sanctuary is about building around the feeling you want to evoke. As you elevate comfort, peace, and inspiration in your home, we’re here to help.
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Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
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