Create Vignettes that Appeal to the Senses

Drawing attention to an area will stimulate the senses. Whether you are outdoors in your very own backyard or walking through a retail store it is important to create small vignettes that appeal to our sense of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. This is a very simple task. To design a vignette appealing to our sense of sight and smell a few decoratively arranged potted plants with flowers clustered together on a side or cocktail table along with a few stone or glass objects of art to complement the grouping. The pots encasing the flowering plants should be different sizes, colors, textures and materials. The objects of art can be selected based on having the same color or completely different shades.

This may take a few trys to get it just right, you can add objects, move them around and change them out until you find what appeals to you most. This is a progression that can be accomplished if you are in your own home by walking through your house collecting things that you want to try out, or if you are in a retail store, walk around the store picking out different items to arrange.

The sense of taste can be targeted with food items. If you are entertaining create a cluster of various vegetables, cheeses or fruit, then display them on a unique serving piece in a pleasing pattern. If you own a retail store you can appeal to the sense of taste by having some samples of olives or dried fruit for people to munch on as they walk around the store. You will find that people love to congregate around food, whenever I have guests or throw a party I display food on various different tables to encourage movement. This is the very same concept you want to create in a retail store.

Then of course make sure you have music playing to nurture a specific mood. For example, you can play Jimmy Buffet songs to evoke a playful beachy feeling or music of the ocean for a serene and tranquil feeling.

The one thing that I know for certain is that appealing to our senses will have your friends, family and customers wanting to stay longer and enjoy the time. If you are trying to sell products the longer the customer stays in the store the more likely they are to make a purchase.

These vignettes and alluring designs, music and food will appeal to everyone, encourage good times and happy feelings, so be creative and see what you can produce.

These are my outside views…Marcia Blake