Your home should be your castle; your refuge from the outside World. But if you can’t relax in your own home, you’ll never feel safe and secure in it. Fortunately, you don’t need to spend a small fortune on major alterations to make your castle more conducive to relaxation.
What constitutes relaxing varies from person to person, so it’s important to think about the things that put you at ease. Once you know what you need from your home, you can start to make the necessary changes. But to help you get started, here are seven cheap and simple ways to make your home more relaxing.
1. Declutter
Clutter in your home could be making you anxious and stressed — and you may not even know it. A clear and clean living environment allows you to think clearly and relax. It is therefore essential that you are ruthless when sifting through your possessions. If you don’t use it, give it away, throw it away or store it away. Decluttering not only creates a relaxing environment, it makes space for things that enhance your life, such as plants, lighting and ornamental features.
2. Accentuate the positive
Surrounding yourself with the possessions and memories that make you happy is a great way to feel more comfortable in your surroundings. A great way to surround yourself with positivity is to hang and place positive photos in the main living areas of your home. Photos of family members and the special occasions in life can make a house a home all on their own.
3. Create zones
It’s often nice to dedicate certain areas of a home to specific activities. For instance, you can have one area for entertaining, and another that’s just your own. You may also want to set up a technology-free zone — liberated from the shackles that are tablets, mobile phones and the Internet. Every now and then, the ability to shut out the World and be alone with your thoughts is essential — so make it happen.
4. Make your bedroom a secondary living space
If you live in a busy family home, the only places you’re likely to get privacy are the bathroom and your bedroom. By adding a couch, entertainment and some mood lighting, you can turn your bedroom into your own den — somewhere you can escape to when you need to unwind.
5. Choose the right colour schemes
The colours we surround ourselves with at home play a major role in our ability to relax. While this is a highly subjective area, there are certain colour schemes that seem to be conducive to relaxation. For example, greens, blues and greys work well, but they shouldn’t be too bright or overpowering. As long as you stick to natural shades, you should be able to create a relaxing environment for you and your family.
6. Decorate with furniture and furnishings
It is, of course, important to ensure that your furniture is comfortable. However, your furniture should also add an element of aesthetic charm. Soft sofas and reclining chairs can add to the sense of relaxation in a room if they fit in with the colour schemes. Try to avoid bottlenecks and clutter, however, as too many chairs and sofas can make a space feel crowded. Once you’re happy with how your furniture is positioned, add some soft cushions, throws and rugs to give the space some warmth.
7. Don’t forget your kitchen
A lot of people disregard their kitchen when trying to make their home more relaxing. After all, kitchens need to be clean, shiny and clinical. However, most people spend a huge amount of time in this space, so to leave it cold and uninviting could ruin the relaxing ambience you’ve created elsewhere in your home. You can make your kitchen cosier and more relaxing by sticking to a consistent colour scheme, creating a dining area, hanging photos and storing cookbooks on shelves. While your kitchen has to be clean, it should still have a “lived in” feel to it.
Just a few tweaks here and there could be all that is needed to make your home relaxing and comforting.
