When you get home at the end of a busy day, you can finally relax. When the pressures of life begin to weigh you down, you can come home and feel at ease again. How you arrange your home can significantly affect your mood and the quality of time you spend in your personal space. Although a well-designed home filled with things you love can bring peace and ease tension, the converse may be true of a cluttered home.
To help you make your house a relaxing haven, we consulted with some of our favorite decorators. Using these suggestions as a guide, you may design a relaxing and nurturing space you will enjoy daily:
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Start with a Neutral Palette
Grayscales and neutrals are gentler on the eyes than vivid hues.
Decorate with a lot of texture if you're using white or light neutrals (such as cream, off-white, or taupe). Add layers of textures and patterns to break up the monotony of white walls and smooth white furniture. To avoid a too clinical effect, use warmer tones of color alongside white.
Make a Swirl of Different Hues
Meghan Hackett-Cassidy and Erin Hackett of Hackett Interiors recommend adding a few brightly colored accessories, like cushions or rugs, for a jolt of happiness and positivity. A vase in your favorite hue, some striking artwork, or some brightly colored pottery can draw attention and keep the mind on task.
Gather your most cherished trinkets into one cohesive display for maximum soothing impact. That way, you can share in the things' joy each time you pass them on the route to or from somewhere else. Make sure it's somewhere you'll frequently see, like a fireplace mantel or console table in the foyer.
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Improving a Fireplace's Appeal
A warm and inviting ambiance can be created even when the fireplace is not in use. Focus on the fire as a whole to experience its calming effects. A fireplace can be made into the focal point of a room by decorating the walls and floor around it.
Put up a screen, birch branches, or pillar candles to liven up the fireplace mantel while it's not in use. The calming impact of the room could be compromised if the empty, dark space was not filled.
Afire with Candles
Light candles liberally around the house to create a soothing atmosphere. It adds a touch of luxury to my day while maintaining a calming atmosphere.
Stock up on your preferred candleholders and candlestick styles (tapers, pillars, and votives) to ensure you always have what you need.
Focus on Lightwork
Natural light, ambient light, and task lighting should all be used in every environment.
Open your blinds during the day and bask in the natural light that pours in. Then, in the evening, use bulbs that emit soft, warm light to design a lighting system that is just as inviting as the sun's beams.
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Scent the Air
One of the simplest ways to calm down and feel better is by exposing yourself to a pleasant perfume. Darla Bankston May, an accomplished interior designer, recommends enhancing the aroma of the rooms you spend the most time in by lighting your favorite scented candles and arranging bouquets of fresh flowers. Alternatively, an essential oil diffuser can fill the space with your custom fragrance.
Display Family Photos
Make the most of your wall space by hanging framed photographs that remind you of happy experiences. Interior designer Abbe Fenimore recommends putting up photos of loved ones to create a more welcoming atmosphere. Display pictures of loved ones where you can see them frequently, or keep them in containers you can quickly access.
Breathe Nature into Your Indoors
Breathing new life into a room is as easy as adding a bouquet, a few branches, or houseplants. Just cut some branches from a tree in your yard and arrange them in a vase. Eyles suggests filling a broad, shallow bowl with water halfway up the sides, then adding some of your favorite flowers to create a simple centerpiece with a spa-like feel.
Choose dried flowers or hardy houseplants instead of fresh ones if you're concerned about drooping petals and neglected plants, and save your floral indulgences for rare occasions.
You can purchase plants and flowers online and get them for next day flower delivery.
Highlight Outdoor Scenes
If the scenery outside your windows is particularly beautiful, you can frame it with tasteful coverings. When you apply multiple treatments, you can customize your appearance to fit your schedule. Shades can be lowered for privacy or raised to draw attention to a scenic vista. The harshness of the window can be mitigated by using a valance above the shade, and drapes can soften the sides.
Make a Safe Space
Bankston May recommends devoting a specific space at home to relaxing. Make it fit your preferred method of unwinding, be it reading, listening to music, or meditating. "Take a favorite chair and put it in a window seat or in front of a window with a view you enjoy," she suggests. You can prevent interruptions by placing a barrier between yourself and the noise source, such as a folding screen, or diverting people's attention elsewhere.
You don't have to clear out a whole room for this purpose; find a quieter corner of the house. Eyles advises that you have only three things to enjoy your tea in peace: a soft chair, a floor lamp, and a small table. "Everyone requires a refuge from the world once in a while."
