Creating a home that helps you unwind isn’t just about making sure it ticks the boxes when it comes to looks… you can’t forget that you need to be comfortable in there, and that you’ve got to feel good as soon as you walk through the door. That might not sound like it’s possible to do, but the truth is, it definitely is, and you can do it yourself a lot of the time. With that in mind, keep reading for some decorating tips for a calm, relaxing space.
Start With Light
The kind of light you live in makes a huge difference to how calm your home feels, and the best kind of light to have is natural daylight. That’s because natural light works wonders for the mood, so making the most of it is a good place to start, and you’ll need to let it in as much as possible.
One thing that’s always going to help is cleaning your windows on a regular basis, and you can also think about how you’re dressing them. Heavy curtains can feel stuffy and overwhelming when you’re trying to make a space feel more comfortable, so for a softer, more peaceful feel, you’ll want to choose window coverings that filter the light through while still giving you control. A lot of people love plantation shutters for that exact reason, so that could be the ideal option for you.
Tone Things Down
Your colour palette does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to how a space feels, and if your goal is to keep things calm, you’ve really got to keep things simple. That’s why it’s wise to use pale, muted tones like soft greens, gentle greys, warm whites, or soft blues, for example, because they’ll give you a nice, relaxed feeling that you’ll be able to enjoy without it being too stimulating.
Don’t worry, though – you don’t have to use beiges or other ‘boring’ colours if you don’t want to because you can still have colour involved, it’s just that whatever you choose needs to work with everything else in the room, and ideally should flow between rooms to keep things cohesive.
Keep Surfaces Clear
This one’s easy to say and much (much!) harder to stick to, but it really does make a huge difference, and it’s a good idea to keep on top of things in this department as much as possible. After all, if every surface is stacked with stuff, it’s just going to be hard to let your mind settle and actually enjoy the space properly.
The fact is, we tend to underestimate how much visual ‘noise’ impacts us and stops us being able to relax, and clear surfaces, good organisation, and enough storage (hidden storage if it’s possible to have it in your home) can make your place feel so much calmer and cleaner, even if you’ve actually got a lot going on. It’ll lower your stress levels too, and that’s always a bonus worth working towards.