HOME + BEAUTY
How can I create a soothing space?
Go for Zen Tips to woo with
It will come as no surprise that environment can have direct impact on well-being. Calm creates calm. Therefore, crafting a home to have a positive effect on your state of mind seems sensible, if not essential. Here’s how:
Avoid over-decorating.
Bumping into furniture, falling over footstools, not being able to move around freely, is annoying. Space doesn’t come cheap but not paying particular attention where you place furniture — or how much furniture you have — will leave you feeling boxed-in. A well-edited home is a peaceful one.
Manage noise.
This may or may not be easy, depending on where you live. But finding ways of cutting out commotion has tangible stressrelieving benefits. If you can’t get rid of the clamour, try and mask it by playing relaxing
sounds. Running water is a good one.
Choose tactile materials.
It’s logical that objects that feel good to touch add to your sense of well-being. Natural materials such as marble, wood, wool and leather are usually easier to live with than sometimes-scratchy manmade fibres. Consider how a material feels underfoot (wood or cold ceramic tile); on the sofa (linen, fine wool and leather are lovely next to skin); and on working surfaces such as kitchen benchtops.
Sort out your stuff.
It seems 2019 is the year of tidying up. Decluttering takes time, effort and head space but it’s worth it. Take it from Marie Kondo: get rid of the things that don’t make you happy. On the other hand, while mess isn’t generally conducive to relaxation, it can be contained by delegating a specific space to it. A messy desk is the sign of a creative mind, they say.
Keep it cool.
Colour plays a huge part in creating a relaxing space. A common mistake is to choose warm, rather than cool hues for walls and furnishings. Think a clean blue-toned pink rather than orangey peach; a cool lemon as opposed to mustard; a soft grey instead of beige.
Clean up your act.
Wash the windows, dust the blinds, shake the rugs and smooth out the bedcovers. Being house proud isn’t passe, it’s practical. When the work’s done, it’s easier to relax.
Pay attention to light.
Light affects not only affects the colour of our walls, it influences mood, energy levels, even appetite. Soft light makes us less alert but more relaxed; a lack of natural light can cause depression. Consider all this when determining room use.
Create a happy place.
Man cave, she shed … whatever you might like to call it, carve out a little space just for you.