Your home should feel like your sanctuary – a place where you can relax, unwind, and feel completely at ease. Whether you live in a private home or an apartment in a senior living community, you want to feel calm when you walk through the front door, not stressed and uncomfortable. Perhaps your home is already a haven of serenity – but if not, use the tips below to learn how to create a peaceful home environment.
How to Create a Peaceful Home Environment
Conquer the clutter.
A cluttered environment can make you feel like you’re living in chaos. If you want to achieve the opposite of that (i.e., peace), you’ll need to organize your home and remove any unnecessary items. Aim to give every item a home, and store the things you use frequently in convenient areas. Many people find it impossible to maintain a home that has zero messes – if that sounds like you, try instead to limit your messiness to one area. Finally, remember that this isn’t a task you can complete just once. You’ll need to declutter regularly if you’re wondering how to create a peaceful home environment that lasts.
Decorate with intention.
If you find interior design stressful, you may be tempted to make one huge online shopping order and be done with it. Although you’ll accomplish a lot quickly if you go that route, you also risk creating a space that feels impersonal and bland. Instead, we encourage you to make decisions slowly and only use items and colors that really speak to you. That way, when you finish, you’ll truly love the space and feel at home in it.
Incorporate items that calm you.
Pieces of decor have the ability to change our thoughts and moods, so think about items that make you feel at peace. This is clearly a very personal decision, but the following list might provide some inspiration:
- Photos of loved ones
- Paintings
- Souvenirs from special trips
- Seashells or jars of sand
- Favorite books
- Maps of places you love
- Framed mementos
Choose soothing colors and textures.
If you’re looking to create a calm and serene space, we encourage you to stick with neutral shades like off-white, beige, and light gray as you’re choosing items of decor. If you want to add some color, try colors often found in nature like soft blues and greens. That said, different people find different colors relaxing. If you’re more at home in a space with vibrant purple decor, go for it!
In addition, as you’re choosing pieces of decor, look for items with pleasing textures. You might like a knitted blanket, a plush rug, a driftwood picture frame, or a velvet pillow. Vary the textures in your space, and try to select items that seem to invite you to touch them.
Embrace real plants or flowers.
When looking to relieve stress, many people head outdoors. They might go for a walk in the park, smell flowers in a garden, or sit on their front porch. Simply being around plants can improve your happiness and make you feel more relaxed . . . so why not bring some plants indoors? Keep a potted plant on your windowsill or consider purchasing flowers at the grocery store from time to time. Not only will plants add color to your space, but also they will remove some household toxins from your air (check out NASA’s plant research for more information on this cool fact).
_____
When you come home, do you feel like you’ve entered a cozy den or a zone of chaos? Use the tips above to transform your abode into a tranquil paradise.
Are you looking for a community that provides a positive, healthy atmosphere where you can live out your golden years? The Shores of Lake Phalen is an assisted living and memory care community in a quiet, peaceful environment in Maplewood, Minnesota. Surrounded by a gorgeous wooded setting between two lakes, our residence offers the accessibility of apartment-style housing with the atmosphere and elegance of a resort. We offer numerous health and safety amenities, fun events and activities, a friendly and accommodating staff, and so much more. Schedule a tour of the community to explore our spacious apartments, elegant dining room, and more. We look forward to hearing from you!