My Home is My Happy Place

“My home – my haven.  I surround myself with things that I love, a reflection of myself. It is a place of comfort from the chaos outside.” – my friend, Maryce

Your home should be a special place. When you’ve had a tough day, you want to head home and to put everything behind you. I’ve written about home quite often here on the blog. I’ve called it a haven and a refuge. We’ve talked about making it welcoming and cozy. I have even written about how to make your home a happy place.

Every room, living room, bedrooms, guest room, and all other areas, should be arranged with colors and objects of personal significance. If you want a happy place, let’s discuss some things you can do.

Think About The First Impressions 

When you first enter your home, you’re going to want to feel the connection right away. So, you have to make sure that you like what you see even as you approach the place. If the exterior, front door, porch, and foyer areas aren’t welcoming, then it’s going to set the tone for absolutely everything else. 

 I wrote Create More Space By De-Cluttering Your Home last year.  A home that feels spacious and minimal makes for a more comfortable, less stressful environment. Decluttering can also be a somewhat therapeutic process, helping you eliminate things you no longer need from your life and start again. The last thing you want to feel when you come home tired is a huge reminder of all the stuff you’ve put off dealing with.

Add Some More Finishing Touches That You’ll Enjoy The Look Of 

Decide on your layout for each room. Add a few pops of color. You can head to your local rug dealer and get the perfect rug for your rooms. You could also hang pictures and throw in some night extra lighting. If you walk into your home and are pleased with what you see, then you’re going to feel so much more relaxed. 

When you have the basic layout sorted out, that’s when you can start to add some elements that say a lot more about you. I add framed art on the wall created by my father. I’ve kept my grandmother’s 2 wooden side tables since 1981. I use one by the bed daily. The other is what you see when you open the front door into the living room. I purchased my large floral painting in the living room over 20 years ago. I decorated the room around the painting. It makes me happy and was one of the first things I blogged about.

I’ve shared my crafted jewelry decorated photo frame that was a birthday present from a friend. She is a real artist with old jewelry. She requested jewelry and I collected items from my grandmother, mother, sister, her mother-in-law, etc. My friend added them to a frame. I added an inspirational thought: Today I Choose Joy. Now it is on a small side table in my living room to remind me of my life, those I love, and the need to remain positive. My treasures like this remind me of family, friends, and faith.

The Scent And Overall Atmosphere

When something isn’t quite right with a home, you notice it. When I go away for a few days, I return and smell stale air. I don’t like it. My sister in the spring will open her windows to get the fresh air in her home. It wakes you up. A cozy, snug place to relax can involve making your home smell wonderful with a stovetop potpourri scent or sprinkling cinnamon on a rug before vacuuming. Adjusting the temperature as needed and maintaining your HVAC systems will help keep your home comfortable. Ensure you keep your space fresh, ventilated, warm, and smelling wonderful. 

What Colors Are In Your Home?

Colors and design are, of course, subjective. What you like might not be what someone else likes – and that’s fine. Colour psychology does play a big part in the way a home is perceived, however. Liv for Interiors has a fascinating article on applying color psychology to your home’s interior:

Red promotes energy. In the living or dining room, red draws people together and stimulates conversation. In an entrance hall, it creates a strong first impression. Yellow captures the warmth of sunlight and evokes positivity. It’s a great choice for kitchens, dining rooms and bathrooms, where it is energizing and welcoming. My favorite color is blue. It is believed to bring down blood pressure and slow respiration and heart rate.  Deep, bold hues are effective at creating a sense of confidence and are linked to traits such as loyalty, trust, peace and success. Considered calming and serene, this color is often recommended for bedrooms and bathrooms where you want to create a relaxing environment. Combining the invigorating quality of blue and the optimism of yellow, green is suitable for almost any room in the house. It stimulates thoughts of balance, growth and restoration. Neutrals such as black, grey, white and brown are vital to the interior designer’s palette. Their virtue lies in their flexibility – add color to liven things up and remove it for a subtler aesthetic. Grey is one of those versatile colours that can be warm or cool, and can evoke feelings of calm and security. Black’s neutrality gives it a fail-safe quality and creates an elegance that results in power, drama and mystery.

Liv for Interiors

I like a neutral background and add pops of color with pillows, throws, and art. It makes it easier to refresh the look of a room or to decorate for holidays too.

Give It Heart

Is there one spot or room in your home that’s yours? For many of us it is in the bedroom. For others, it could be a corner in the living room. A comfortable chair, a reading light, a side table to hold drinks and books, and if you’re lucky, maybe even a view could be the elements that surround you with comfort. How about a fantasy reading nook or a comfortable chair in the garden? My spot is an extension of me.

When it comes to caring for other family members who share the spaces in our homes, is there a place where everyone is comfortable together? Maybe everyone gathers at a table, a couch, around the fireplace or TV. Does someone always seem cold and need a throw? Someone you love may need a box of tissues by their chair. A furry family member may be happiest in your lap or by you. I am always hearing on home design shows that the kitchen is the heart of the home. It is now the culturally accepted spot for families to gather. I, however, feel the heart of the home are the family members who live there and care for each other. When children are small, parents work to make home a safe, loving space. As children grow, they add more and more to what makes home special, joyful, and accepting. That’s what makes it hard when they grow up and make their own homes. It’s what you want and yet it’s what can hurt. I wish you all love, kindness, and acceptance, and I send you a dream of a home that is your happy place.

This was a collaborative post but all opinions are my own.

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