Sometimes your home doesn’t need a full remodel or a massive rework to make you feel relaxed and at peace. Sometimes, you just need a frame on the wall. A couch where you can read a book. A place to relax.
After a long year where we were more or less forced to stay home for the safety of ourselves and others, it’s time we take on the challenge of making our homes feel cozier and more comfortable. These tips encompass what I consider the most important steps towards making your home more relaxing, personal, and healthy for you.
What better way is there to start 2021?
“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose." – Lyndon B. Johnson
Sunlight is your friend
For a long time, I thought I was fine without taking much sunlight. I was a night owl for most of my teenage years, and when I started working from home I figured it would be no problem to work at night when I was at my most relaxed and productive.
But I was wrong.
Not only are these switched hours terrible for productivity, we can’t escape the fact that we’re daily creatures. At one point I realized no windows were open during the day, making my home look like a dungeon. During 2020, efforts were made to escape this dark and gloomy aesthetic in favor of a brighter one.
Trust me: an easy way to boost your well-being at home is to let the sunlight in. Open the windows, doors, take advantage of white rooms and even mirrors if you can to maximize light reflection on smaller rooms.
Besides, if you’re the kind of person that has a hard time getting out of bed in the morning (totally not me), just opening a single window to face the day is enough to give you that burst of energy you need to start the day. Silly as it sounds, it actually works!
Indoor plants
Indoor plants offer so many benefits to your well-being but we usually take them from granted. Luckily, they’re usually inexpensive and low-maintenance – and this is coming from the person who almost let a cactus die once.
First, indoors plants look great. A plant can be tiny and discreet, looking beautiful by itself on a center table, but it also looks gorgeous in large groups. It’s really up to you on how far you want to go, but if there’s any trend that’s healthy to indulge in, this is the one.
And of course, indoor plants can greatly improve your indoor air quality. We still have a long way to go before the pandemic is officially over, meaning we’ll stay home for a few more seasons. You can benefit greatly from feeling closer to nature in a way to embellish your home AND gives your healthier air to breathe.
Learn more about indoor plants that will naturally improve your air quality!
Reduce the clutter
There’s no way around it: a cluttered house makes for a cluttered mind.
But dealing with clutter isn’t a one-and-done deal, it’s basically an everyday hustle. The best way to go about it is to make a habit of putting things in their places as soon as you’re done with them and preventing any mess from getting out of control.
But keep in mind, it’s important to not pressure yourself too much. It’s not because you left one cup on the table that your house is a mess – it’s not a binary scenario between zero and a hundred. Your house is always changing and reacting to your presence, it’s normal to let loose!
The tip is to, again, make a habit out of decluttering. Instead of letting things escalate and having to declutter for hours, try to put things in their places throughout the day, little by little.
If your house suffers from too much clutter, one thing you can do to start the year fresh is to deep clean your home and take a weekend to completely declutter the space. After that, creating the habit will be much easier!
Places to relax
Our homes should be practical, but there’s always room for a personal relaxing space. Once again, I think back to when I started working from home and just brought the laptop anywhere in the house. At first it felt liberating, but soon the problems set in: everywhere felt like work. The couch, the kitchen, the balcony – I couldn’t escape it.
But even if you don’t currently work from home, it’s still important to make yourself a little corner.
Maybe you need a room to work on like me, or maybe you just need a reading corner, or a space to lay down a yoga mat, or a desk to write… your home, your rules!
Personal touch
A house is not a home without a personal touch. This is what turns box-like structures made of bricks and concrete into something truly unique on a spiritual level.
And the best part is that anything can be personal. A picture frame, a rug, a blanket, the way you arrange your indoor plants, the color of your bedside lamp… even the way the furniture is arranged. Don’t be afraid to experiment, try different things and make every room in your house more to your taste.
Your house should reflect your personality, and when it does, you’ll feel much more relaxed and comfortable in it.
Short on time for a proper deep cleaning? Get free quotes today from professional house cleaners and save yourself a lot of time and hassle!
MORE FROM HOMEYOU
7 Quality of Life Home Improvements To Simplify Your Days
How To Create The Clutter-Free Home You’ve Always Wanted
How To Beat The Winter Blues at Home