The average person’s life today is busier and more hectic than ever before. Many people actually spend more time at their job or on the road than they do in their own homes. In spite of this, a recent survey shows that almost two-thirds of homeowners plan on renovating. Many times renovations are done to increase a home’s functionality or sale value, but why not make renovations specifically to make your home more comfortable?
With lives that are fast-paced and frenzied, we need a safe space where we can calm down and be ourselves. Your home should be that place. However, if your house is chaotic and disorganized, it probably feels less healing than your local coffee shop. To fix that, here are four simple, actionable ideas you can use to make your home more peaceful and rejuvenating.
Design with Your Favorite Place in Mind
In what sorts of places are you the happiest? How could you decorate your home to reflect this?
Whether your idea of relaxation is lounging on the beach or resting in a cabin, by designing your house to reflect the corresponding colors and qualities, you can bring that same feeling of relaxation into your home. You might not be able to bring all 12 beautiful miles of Grace Bay into your home, but you can evoke a similar feeling with a little elbow grease.
If oceanside life is your thing, blue walls with sandy-brown and green accents go well with tropical-themed decor you can find at any home supply store. According to Zillow, painting some rooms blue can increase your home’s perceived value substantially, possibly adding as much as $5,400 to your ultimate sale price.
If you feel most at home in the woods or on a farm, you can find colors and decor that align with these themes. On the other end of the spectrum, if you feel most relaxed surrounded by a super-modern aesthetic, you could paint the walls a neutral color and buy decorations that emphasize smooth lines and materials like glass and ceramic.
Whether you plan to go all-out with a complete home redesign or you just want to update the decor in a few rooms, it’s a good idea to begin with a mental picture of what your end result should look like. Choosing a theme aligned with your favorite environments is a good way to start.
Introduce Some Calm with Plants
Whether you’re working on an important project for a client or trying to recover before the next workday, it’s a well-known fact that humans perform at their best when they’re connected to nature. Of course, you can’t always work or relax in the local park. Why not bring a bit of nature indoors?
This works best if you have plenty of natural light in your home, but even if window space is limited, you can find beautiful potted plants that thrive in low light. Small ferns and cacti look beautiful on windowsills, countertops, and desks, while tall, towering palms work wonders to beautify any barren corner. If you like to spend time in your yard, beautify it with landscaping. About 67% of Americans agree that professional landscaping would give them a nicer yard. Work with professionals to create a beautiful outdoor oasis right in your backyard and you’ll have another area of your home in which you can relax.
Even if you don’t have the budget for landscaping or the time and patience to care for indoor plants, you can still add some calm to your home environment. Fake houseplants and flowers look amazing if they’re high-quality and they don’t require natural light or regular watering. Even a simple touch like this can help improve the beauty and comfort of your home.
Focus on Enhancing Your Bathroom
Living rooms and kitchens may get most of the attention, but if there’s one place where you absolutely expect to feel relaxed, it’s during a soothing hot bath. With a little time and attention, your bathroom can be transformed from dark and drab to luxurious — all without breaking the bank.
To start with, emphasize the natural light available in your bathroom. Unless you have ground-level windows and neighbors who might peer in, you can forgo the use of blinds or curtains altogether. For night and evening use, install dimmer switches to work with your lighting. This is absolutely essential to maximizing the comfort of the environment.
Try placing flowers or candles on consoles, along the sink, and even next to the tub. Even one or two can add a lot to the room and nice candles can provide delightful aromatherapy during a bath.
To enhance your bathing experience, place a small table next to the tub. This can be used for placing books, reading glasses, or even a glass of wine within reach. Get a bath pillow to use in the tub and consider buying a towel warmer to make getting out of the bath more pleasant. About 87% of homeowners who are renovating their bathrooms are making updates to their showers and you can, too. One of the most relaxing shower updates is switching out that old standard shower head for a massaging one.
Reorganize Your Home Strategically for Relaxation
With an average square footage of nearly 2,500 feet, the standard American home has almost doubled in size since the 1950s. That’s a lot of room to utilize effectively and as changing times have made people’s lives more complicated, many of us have ended up with cluttered and disorganized homes.
This is problematic because, as everyone knows, a cluttered environment is a bane to relaxation. Here are some tips for making your home more stress-reducing in the day-to-day.
- Place meaningful pictures on walls where you can see them from sitting down on your favorite furniture. These could be family photos or images of your favorite locations.
- Place a few pillows on your couch or chairs. Store some cozy blankets in a basket, chest, or ottoman.
- If you’re going for a warm-and-cozy aesthetic, place area rugs on the floor to create softness underfoot, as well as to make a layering effect.
- Create an out-of-the-way space for hiding electronics, like smartphones, from yourself when you don’t want to be distracted.
Every family needs a tranquil home in which they can relax. Not only is a peaceful environment important for busy parents, but it is essential for the kids as well. Home is a retreat for children, where they can play, rest, and study for school. If you want your kids to keep up with the nation’s leading Advanced Placement (AP) score, which is held by the state of Maryland with the average score of 3.03 out of 5, they need a relaxing space to pursue their studies and realize their academic potential. From designing with a theme in mind to helpful organization tips, hopefully these ideas have sparked some inspiration of your own for making your home more peaceful for the entire family.
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