Replenish yourself by creating a place of peace at home where you can relax, meditate, or simply kick back with a glass of wine or cup of tea. From adding inspiring art to setting up a welcoming seating area for one, here are 10 ideas to pick and choose from to invite more tranquillity into your home.
Make a ‘time for tea’ corner
Relaxing with a cup of afternoon tea, either alone or while catching up with a friend, sounds lovely – but how often do you actually make it happen? A special corner of the living room stocked with a pretty teapot and favourite cups can serve as a reminder to make time for teatime.
Be a plant collector
Just the sight of plants can soothe frazzled nerves, and a house with plants has cleaner, fresher air, which has positive health benefits.
Beyond either of these reasons, however, collecting and caring for plants can be a stress-relieving pastime. Consider orchids or another plant that enjoys being misted, and make an after-work habit of tending to your greenery.
Choose artwork that makes you feel peaceful
Artwork, perhaps more than anything else we bring into our homes, can evoke a strong emotional response. If you want to cultivate a serene, peaceful mood, pay close attention to how a piece of art makes you feel – and intentionally choose to display pieces that promotes calm and relaxation.
Consider colour
Colour can have a huge impact on our experience of a space – but that doesn’t mean it has to be colourless to be calming. Colour is personal, so spend time getting to know how it affects you, and intentionally choose your home’s palette to create a tranquil feeling.
For some, an all-white space would be the ultimate in relaxation, while another may get that same calm, cool feeling in a rich mineral-green room.
Create a comfy reading nook
A solo spot where you can relax and read, write in your journal or simply sip a glass of wine and look out the window doesn’t need to be elaborate to entice.
If you tend to crave R&R during the afternoon, position your nook near a window with a lovely view. If you’re more likely to use your nook in the evening after dinner, choose a warm and cosy corner with a good lamp nearby.
Layer on tactile textures
Especially if you spend much of your workday looking at screens, reconnecting with your senses is a wonderful way to ground yourself and relax once at home. Think of adding a soft wool rug, tactile leather pouffes, fluffy faux furs and knitted throws.
Embrace the season
There’s beauty to be found in every season, from the lush flowers and abundant produce of summer to the stark elegance of bare winter branches.
A few subtle tweaks can be enough to help your home shift with the seasons. Swap a photo or artwork in a frame, rearrange vases and decorative objects, or make a display with a few seasonal finds from a nature walk or shopping trip.
Simplify the bedroom
Of all the rooms in a home, the bedroom is the most important to keep calm and simple.
To encourage deep, replenishing rest, keep computer screens out of the room, and layer the bed in natural fibres, such as crisp linen or cotton sheets and thick wool blankets.
If you have overhead lighting, put the switches on dimmers so you can turn down the lights before bed.
Always keep greenery around
Whether it’s a special selection from a local florist or an armful of cut branches from your own garden, having something green and fresh in your home is always a good thing.
In rooms where houseplants can’t thrive, bring in cut greenery instead to infuse your entire home with the peaceful benefits of nature.
‘Reset’ your home each week
We can have the best intentions to keep our homes clean and serene, but when a really busy week happens, it can be tempting to allow the temporary setback to become permanent.
Instead of letting a particularly busy or stressful week derail your efforts, set a weekly date to reset the mood in your home. Spend a little time cleaning up and sorting the week’s post, open up the windows to let in some fresh air, and treat your house to a bouquet of fresh flowers. Then sit down, light some candles, pour yourself something yummy to drink – and enjoy your tranquil space.
Source: Houzz
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