After a long and busy day, your home should be a place that you look forward to returning to as a calm and relaxing sanctuary. Returning to a chaotic and hectic home can further increase feelings of stress and anxiety, and certainly won’t give you the space and surroundings you need to clear your mind.
So, how do you make your home environment more relaxing? Luckily, there are lots of small changes you can make that will have a big impact on creating a more serene atmosphere for all the family. In this article we will explore some of the key areas where you can make improvements, which should hopefully help keep extra stress at bay.
Remove clutter
Just as mess and clutter have a negative impact visually on your eyes, they can have a similar negative impact on your mood and stress levels too. In fact, various studies have correlated all the negative impacts that a cluttered home can have on your wellbeing, including anxiety, focus, relationships and overall quality of life.
De-cluttering your house can be a very cleansing and rewarding task, and if you break up the task into manageable chunks i.e. one room each week, it won’t take up too much of your time either. The aim is to reduce the number of items you have in a given space, so there are less items on show or getting in the way. Go through shelves, drawers, and surfaces, and keep only the items that you use regularly or really love. Unwanted and unused items can be sold or given away, and the end result will be a home filled with only your favourite things and more space to breathe.
Create a space dedicated for relaxing
Quiet time is important for us all. With all the noise from TVs, phones, laptops, and video games, we need a peaceful place where we can switch off and enjoy some time to relax properly.
You don’t need to dedicate a whole room for relaxing, just a corner or small space will suffice. Think about a space that is quiet and away from the hustle and bustle of the kitchen, and also think about how you can make it as relaxing as possible for you – perhaps with a beanbag or comfy chair and some nice artworks on the wall around you. Be sure to keep this an electronics free zone. Instead, leave a few books or magazines to read, or a sketch pad or diary to jot down doodles and ideas into. You might even want a space that will fit a yoga mat so you can fit a daily practice into your routine.
Use a calming colour scheme
You might not have considered this before, but the colours you choose for your home interior can have a big impact on your feelings and emotions in that space. Gentle, natural shades can go a long way to create a calming backdrop in a room, whereas darker or brighter colours can affect your emotions in a more dramatic way.
Blues and greens have been found to be calming and peaceful shades that soothe and relieve stress, whereas oranges and reds are very attention-grabbing and energetic – so probably not what you need in your relaxing area or bedroom. Similarly, loud patterns and vibrant artworks can have a similar effect on your mood. These can work great in office spaces and gym areas, where you need energy and vibrancy, but again, not in areas that you want to keep calm.
Bring the outside in
Nature has so many positive benefits for our mental health and therefore we should aim to connect with nature and the outside world as much as we can. Whether you have a garden space or not at your home, there are lots of things you can do to bring nature inside.
Houseplants not only add character and charm to your rooms, but they also have a very soothing effect, as well as helping to purify the air around you. Select houseplants that require minimal maintenance as well as non-toxic varieties for houses with children and pets.
Using natural fibres and fabrics in your interior, such as wood, bamboo, and wool, can help to further connect with the natural world, as well as helping to reduce allergens and pollutants in your living space. All of these factors can contribute to minimising household stress, giving you a healthier and more peaceful environment to live in.
Small changes with big impact
It’s clear to see that there are many ways in which you can plan your home interior to maximise relaxation and minimise tension. With a few small updates and a bit of time allocated to decluttering and re-arranging, you can make gradual improvements that will have a significant impact on your wellbeing at home.
Be sure to take a look at our catalogue of blog articles for further home advice and inspiration.