How to Create a Calm and Inviting Home For Your Family

It is very hard to keep stress out of our lives, once we leave home.  My goal is to create a calm and inviting living space once I enter my home.

Everybody wants to walk into a calm, inviting, and happy home. It is one of the best feelings in the world.

There is also a lot of other benefits from creating a calm and inviting home for your family.

At first, you might think that this is too much of a hassle to spend more time and energy in creating a more calm and inviting home environment. It would sound much easier to just go on with your daily busy routines going in and out of the house like you usually do.

In many ways, we actually fail to realize the hidden costs of clutter. This actually sucks out our time, energy, and even money. It can also take a toll on inter-personal relationships not just of family members living at home but also among friends. Just think of how you’d feel when you are a guest at a very calm and inviting home. Wouldn’t it be nice if you get to give your guests the same feeling too?

There is actually a lot of value into creating a more peaceful and calm home for you and your family. The benefits actually far outweigh the energy and the efforts you spend on this project. Here are some of the main benefits:

• Peace of Mind

Every day, you get to come home to a place where you get peace of mind. Today’s busy and highly stressful lifestyle certainly requires a calm place to retire after a long day. A home is supposed to be a place where you forget all the worries from school or work and simply relax.

• Stress relief

A calm and inviting home also relieves a lot of your stress. Plus the fact that you feel peaceful means that you are well-rested. And good rest does wonders in relieving stress.

• Increased productivity

A well-rested and relaxed mind also becomes more productive. You have more energy, so you can actually achieve more. Studies show that calm and inviting environments also help improve focus and increase motivation.

How do you create that feeling for your family? Most people feel overwhelmed by the junk mail, laundry, and seemingly endless clutter and disorder.

There are a few simple steps you can take to calm the chaos and transform your space into a happier, more serene, and more welcoming place.

1. Know what you want.

The first step to transforming your space is to determine what you want in a home.

People have different goals for their homes. Find out what YOU want. Don’t let other people’s ideas about what makes a place special sway you from designing your living space according to what you really want.

If you find it a bit difficult to come up with your own ideas, you can always seek inspiration. There is a lot of resources available online. You can also check out magazines or head to the home department in malls to see if there’s anything you’d like in there.

2. Remove clutter.

Once you have everything planned out, the first step that you need to take is get rid of all the clutter. A clutter-free space is the most important element to a calm and inviting home. Get rid of things you don’t want or need. Edit your place to give it energy and space.

The thought of discarding things can be so overwhelming that people tend to put it off.

Don’t get stuck. Make things easier by discarding things that you know for certain you don’t want – tattered beddings, clothes that don’t fit anymore, old books and magazines, worn-out luggage, and toys that your kids have outgrown.

When you come across things you feel ambivalent about, set them aside first. Don’t let them derail the decluttering process. You’ll know what to do with them when you see the progress you make as your living space becomes more organized and less cluttered.

3.Use closed and open storage.

Find a balance between showcasing some of your precious things and keeping others out of sight.

Keep functional no-frills items out of sight by storing them neatly inside drawers, closets, or storage boxes. Use open shelves to display fine-looking décor, coffee table books, and well-loved family photographs.

If you have a beautiful or unique collection (vintage dishes, seashells, African masks, or period pieces) group them together to get more mileage. Create distinctive settings that are pleasing to the eye.

4. Organize things based on function.

See to it that you can quickly find things that you need.

Keep toiletries accessible on an easy-to-reach shelf. Put the books and magazines you are currently reading near your reading lamp. Put your pans and pots right beside or above your stove. When you need to use things, you should be able to find them in an easy, intuitive way.

5. Set up a system for staying in control of the daily onslaught of clutter.

Most homes are snowed under by bills, packages, keys, phones, bags, shoes, jackets, and the like. Appoint a dedicated place for these things so they don’t end up cluttering your space.

Install a small console or shelf by the door and use it as a landing pad for keys, wallets, and mail. You won’t panic about missing keys because you always know where to find them.

Install wall hooks for umbrellas, caps, and hats. Get a coat tree to hold jackets and raincoats. Assign a shelf to hold boots and shoes. Use these organizing tools to help manage things that usually clutter up chairs, benches, and table tops.

6. Get some fresh flowers.

Fresh flowers smell great. They brighten up space. They make people happy.

You don’t have to buy expensive flowers. If you have flowers in your garden, cut a few sprigs and put them in a lovely vase. Otherwise, get a few blooms from the local florist as an occasional treat.

7.Add some greens

Aside from fresh flowers in vases, you can also create a more relaxing vibe in your home by adding greens. Indoor plants never go out of style. You can also have succulents placed in smaller areas like the bathroom. They’re not only relaxing. They also make the air fresher.

8.Create a Space for Stress Relief Activities

It would also help if you are able to make room for stress relief activities. Of course this comes with maintaining stress-relieving habits. And to cultivate this, it would be best to have a space in your home or in your bedroom for these activities.

As to the types of habits you want, it’s totally up to you. If you find reading to be stress-relieving, then setting up a reading nook/corner somewhere in your bedroom would help. If you find aromatherapy relaxing, you can pick an area where you can put all your oils and candles, and indulge after a long day.

9.Lighting

Having a well-lighted home also makes it more inviting. This doesn’t mean bright spot lights. It means proper lighting for every room and every purpose.

If you ask interior designers and architects, it would always be best to have natural lighting. Installing dimmers for spaces like your bedroom would also help a lot.

10.Ventilation

A properly ventilated home is also essential to create a calmer and more relaxing vibe. Allowing air to naturally flow through the rooms helps the place feel homier.

11. The water element

The sound of water is probably one of the most soothing and relaxing sounds of nature. And this is something that you can recreate in your own home. You know those things that you see in the spa with a mini waterfall? You can also get one for your home to add a more tranquil vibe.

12 .Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is abuzz these days and for good reason. Essential oils and their scents have actually been proven to help soothe and relax you. It’s actually very easy to find these products nowadays. You may opt for oils that have to be diffused in burners.

There are also wax versions of these. You can also have candles or incense. But another increasingly popular product is the electric humidifier. Aside from cleaning the air, you can also add in essential oils that leave the room smelling really nice too. And who doesn’t want to come home to a good-smelling house?

13. Cozy up

Another way to create calming spaces at home is to make some areas cozier. Invest in good sheets and beddings for your room. Nice comforters and throw blankets would also do wonders in helping you sleep better. Throw in nice pillows for your couch. Adding carpets or rugs that go nicely with the furniture could also make a room feel cozier.

14.Play with colors

You may also consider repainting some areas of the house. The colors that you use could also affect the mood of the place and the energy as well. If you’re going for a calm and inviting mood, earth tones are best. You can go with subtle shades of browns and greens. These colors would also go well with the classic white.

It is easy to create a calm and inviting place for your family. Declutter, organize, clean your space, and add some flowers occasionally — and you have a space that everyone will be eager to go home to.