Your home is your refuge. It is where you can feel safe and relaxed when life gets to be too much. Certain decorating choices can help to create that sense of peace, and how you decorate a space can have a big impact on how you feel while you’re in it.
A well-designed space filled with items that you love can be calming and ease stress, while cluttered rooms can have the opposite effect on your mood and your mental health. We asked some of our favourite interior designers for their tips on how to transform your home into a personal sanctuary. These decorating ideas will help to create a soothing, stress-free environment you will enjoy every day.
Start with a Neutral Palette
Muted, more neutral tones are easier on the eye than bright colours. Decorating with colour can be fun and exciting, but neutral spaces promote the calmest vibes. When you decorate with white or light-toned neutrals, such as cream, off-white, and taupe, make sure you also use plenty of texture to create some interest. Flat white walls and smooth white furnishing can blend into something boring, so layer a variety of fabrics and some subtle patterns. Add some warm shades, like gold, pale tan, or faded yellow, to keep all that white from looking too sterile.
Create a Cluster of Colour
To add a pop of happiness and positivity to your neutral décor, add in a few brightly coloured accessories such as pillows or throws on this Kate Day Bed. Pottery in a colour you love, vibrant artwork, a vase in a jewel tone, and some other items of intense colour can help to attract the eye and focus the mind.
Maximize the comforting effect of favourite accessories by clustering them together to create a focal point. That way, every time you pass this group, you can take in the collective joy of the items. Make sure you choose a place you notice every day, such as the fireplace mantle or entryway console table.
Maximize the Appeal of a Fireplace
A fireplace doesn’t have to be lit in order to create a comforting atmosphere. Pay attention to the whole hearth area to make the most of its relaxing appeal. Add some decorative accents to the walls around it and the floor in front of the fireplace to create a cosy look.
When you’re not using it, you can brighten up the fireplace with a decorative screen, a cluster of branches, flowers, or an arrangement of pillar candles. If you leave it empty, the dark empty spot can detract from the room’s soothing effect.
Warm with Candles
The soft glow of candles will add a sense of relaxation to any space, so use them generously throughout your house. Some people like to light candles in the kitchen and living room in the morning and them burn until evening. This creates a soothing ambiance while adding a bit of luxury to your day. Just make sure you don’t leave a burning candle unattended. If you work from home, why not light some candles in your home office instead?
Keep a good supply of candles, including tapers, pillars, or votives, and several favourite candleholders, so you will have plenty on hand when you want them. Make sure you blow them out when you’re not home or are going to bed.
Work with Light
Make use of a variety of lighting types, including natural, ambient, and task lighting, in every room. Having a bright, lighted room is an easy way to make a space feel more inviting and put together. Consider adding in some sconces, a floor lamp, desk lamp, or pendants to bring more light to any darker spaces in your home.
During the day, make the most of the natural light by throwing back the blinds and enjoying the sunlight that floods in. Create a lighting scheme for the evening hours that is just as appealing as the natural rays with bulbs that cast a gentle, warm light.
Scent the Air
A pleasant aroma in the home is one of the fastest ways to relax and have a sense of wellbeing. You can burn your favourite scented candles and place fresh, fragrant flowers in the rooms that you use the most. You could also try running an essential oil diffuser to fill the room with your own signature scent blend. Eucalyptus, geranium, and chamomile are some good choices, as they have a soothing, spa-like scent.
Display Family Photos
Use framed photographs to take your mind to the wonderful places you’ve been, such as a family wedding, or a friends’ city break vacation. Surrounding your home and yourself with happy memories and the faces that you love can be a great way to add a little warmth to your space. Keep images of your loved ones in your line of sight every day, or store photos in an album or box you can easily access.
Bring the Outdoors In
A bunch of flowers, a branch arrangement, or a few houseplants can all bring a breath of fresh to your rooms. It can be as simple as gathering a bunch of branches from a tree in your backyard and putting them in a vase. For an easy centrepiece, inspired by spas, fill a wide, shallow bowl about halfway with water and float some of your favourite blooms on the surface.
If you’re worried about neglected plants and wilted petals, choose dried flowers or hearty houseplants and indulge in fresh flowers for special occasions.
Emphasize a View to Nature
If you have a great view from your windows, highlight that view of nature with the right window treatments. Layering window treatments gives you the option of creating a look that will suit the day. For example, shades can be used to block out the view when you need privacy or taken up to emphasize the view. A valance over the shade makes sure your windows are never too stark, and draperies along the sides add softness.
Images courtesy of pexels.com
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