4 Tips for Designing a Positive and Calming Home

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

A few simple shifts can transform your living space — and mental space — from chaos to calm.

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Giving your home a revamp? Despite our best efforts, our homes often feel cramped and cluttered. But that should not be the case. Your home should be a tranquil paradise, welcoming you back through the door with positive, calming energy

Here are four ways to design your home to create a positive and calm environment: 

1. Create an Outdoor Oasis (and Attract Local Wildlife)

Your garden represents a small sliver of nature you have all to yourself — but is that completely true? As well as being an oasis where we can be selfish and get away from the stresses of everyday life, our gardens are also an ecosystem, home to a variety of wildlife that requires support.

You can have the best of both worlds by creating an outdoor space fit for comfort, yet also nurtures the wildlife you share it with. And why not? After all, the British mental health charity Mind suggests embracing nature in your life and being around animals benefits your physical and mental wellbeing with…

• Reduced feelings of stress and anger
• More relaxation and ease
• Improved your confidence and self-esteem

You can support the natural habitats of your garden by letting it grow a little wild and making outdoor furniture a more natural, less invasive part of your landscape.  

2. Bring the Outdoors Inside 

We’re not all lucky enough to have a garden to spread our legs and unwind, but that’s not to say you can’t still benefit from the relaxing qualities of nature. So what’s the solution? Bring the outdoors inside. 

Caring for plants, flowers, and other foliage can have similar effects on your mind as caring for animals. For instance, according to Healthline, plants are nature’s notification to give yourself more space.

Best of all, many plants don’t just survive indoors but actually thrive in this environment. Here are some popular examples with suggestions on how they can make your home a more positive and calm place to live: 

• Aloe Vera: for removing toxins
• Lavender: for easing the mind and helping you relax
• Peace lilies: for a reminder that symbolizes tranquillity

Yes, plants are aesthetically pleasing, but they offer your living environment so much more, clean air, enveloping aromas, and a symbolic signpost that says: welcome home. 

3. Clear the Clutter (Especially in a Small Living Room) 

As the old saying goes: clear space, clear mind. This mantra pairs positivity and calmness with the intentional order of a clean home.

Decluttering your home will provide you with more open space. If you’re already working with a small living room, maximizing the space is particularly powerful in keeping the energy open where it could otherwise feel claustrophobic.

Many interior designers suggest that making the most of your small living room is all about the use of verticals, which involves using the full height of your room rather than wasting floor space. You should aim to draw the eye upwards using bookcases, shelves, cabinets, and artwork — this allows you to create a functional room without sacrificing the space you do have.

4. Color Your Home in Neutral and Pastel Tones

The heart and soul of designing a positive and calming home is structured simplicity — a nordic approach to home design that embraces a simplistic, minimalist style. And while much of this can be applied to decluttering, the composition is also key, which makes color equally important. 

Choosing the right tones can make or break your home; loud yellows and reds cause alarm, but pastel blues, lush greens and crisp whites evoke a calming sense of nature that open up even the smallest of spaces.

But it’s not just about color — also pay attention to light. Sufficient access to sunlight not only brightens up your rooms but also alleviates many depression-related symptoms — so throw those pastel curtains wide open and embrace the natural light streaming in.

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