Your 10 Step Guide to Creating a Calm Home

Use these 10 simple steps to create a calm home that will quickly become your family’s favorite destination.

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I’m a firm believer that your very favorite place in the world should be your own home.

You don’t need to be an interior designer or even skilled in feng shui to have a tranquil home.

Having a cozy space to retreat to at the end of a long day is good for your mental health and is the perfect place to live your family life to the fullest.

Here are 10 simple ways to create the calm, cozy home you’ve been craving.

Declutter

It’s a fact – a cluttered home does not lead to a peaceful environment.

Here are some tips for determining whether or not a room in your house needs to be decluttered:

• Does the room raise your stress levels or feel like a peaceful space when you walk in?
• Can you walk around the room without too much difficulty – does the furniture arrangement work for you, or are there too many things in the way?
• Is it full of objects you love, or items you’ve hung onto out of obligation, guilt, or the thought that you’ll use them again someday?
• Are your flat spaces filled with piles of mail or excess “stuff”?
• Is there anything in your home that you feel a “negative energy” from? If so, give yourself permission to remove it, no questions asked.

The first step is to remove anything that keeps you from feeling like you’re in a peaceful home environment.

Make a concerted effort to remove excess clutter, and you’re on your way to making any room look like a space you want to spend quality time in.

Only Decorate With Items You Love

After making sure that your home isn’t filled with too much stuff, making sure that it’s filled with the RIGHT stuff is the next most important step. What this season’s Pottery Barn is touting as “calm and cozy” doesn’t matter nearly as much as what’s important to you and your family.

Pick Your Colors With Intention

The color palette you choose has a huge effect on how calm a room feels. Experiment with different shades of color you like, but here are some basic ideas to keep in mind:

• Soft pastels, light blue, and green have been shown to lower blood pressure.
• Light colors are more effective at creating a serene space than bold colors.
• If you can’t change the color of your walls, don’t think you’re limited when it comes to adding cozy colors. You can add accent pillows, throw blankets, decorative items, and even furniture in a colour scheme you find soothing.
• If you don’t want to make a commitment, go with neutrals for the big items (furniture & walls) and then decorate with pops of color.

Make Sure It Smells Good

Scent plays an essential role in creating a serene home.

• Using an essential oil diffuser diffuse calming scents like lavender essential oils or your own signature scent blend is a great way to bring a sense of peace to your home.
• Making sure your house is clean also goes a long way in making sure that your living space smells good.
• Wash throw pillows and throw blankets regularly.
• Regularly clean your refrigerator, empty trash cans, and wash out your sink/garbage disposal.
• If you have pets, give their bed and toys a regular cleaning.
• Nothing beats fresh air – open your windows and let the breeze in every chance you get.

Texture Matters

• Plush fabrics like faux fur, chunky knits, and chenille make extra cozy blankets and throw pillows.
• Soft, fluffy, absorbent rugs look great in your bathroom and feel amazing to step on when you get out of the shower.
• Area rugs not only feel way better than hardwood on a cold winter’s night but, in the right colors, can brighten a room and help it feel like a more peaceful place.

So Does the Noise Level

• Hang a waterproof speaker in your bathroom and listen to soothing music while you shower or soak in the bathtub to create a spa-like atmosphere.
• Sounds machines are perfect for bedtime – whether you want to listen to nature sounds or play white noise, they can help you experience better sleep.
• If you live in a busy neighborhood, sound-blocking drapes or blinds might be a wise investment if you’d like to block out the sounds of the outside world.

Don’t Forget About Lighting

Ambient light is one of the most important aspects of the cozy Danish lifestyle of Hygge.

Changing out harsh overhead lighting for the following softer fixtures can play a huge role in creating a calm space:

• Floor lamp
• Table lamps
• Candles
• Fairy Lights
• Use warm lightbulbs (2,700-3,000 Kelvin) in your light fixtures to create soft lighting

Use Artwork and Photographs To Your Advantage

Adding soothing artwork is an easy way to help create a calm place in your home.

• A good starting point is to look to nature and add images of water, mountains, the sky, or trees.
• Create a display on your mantel or a shelf of favorite family photos, cozy “word art”, or framed watercolor drawings in your living room.
• Do you have special pieces of artwork your children drew or pottery they created in art class? If it fits your color scheme, display them for an extra personal touch.

Use Natural Materials For a Soothing Effect

Decorating with natural elements will give any room in your home a cozy feel without much effort.

• Put a vase of fresh flowers on our kitchen or dining room table.
• Add an easy to care for (no green thumb required!) philodendrons or snake plants to your home office or family room.
• Anything whicker or wood pieces contributes to a soothing atmosphere.
• Decorate with stones or shells you’ve collected with your family or on special trips will give your room a more personal touch.

Accept Imperfections

Stressing about what’s wrong with your home instead of focusing on the different ways in which your home works for you and your family has the opposite effect of calming.

Even if you still have a long to-list of home improvements you’d like to make someday, taking small steps today to enhance your home will create a calming space your family can retreat to amid their busy lives.