Silence. A warm cup of coffee. A textured throw blanket. Reading in front of a roaring fire. When it comes to nesting at home, we all have our own idea of what a ‘cozy’ place feels like. But all too often, we forget that we need to take the time to intentionally create it. It doesn’t happen on its own. So if you are looking for ways to shut out the chaos and carve out a space where you can exhale, shut down, and relax, these 10 peaceful home tips are some of my favourite ways to create the perfect nesting space.
The Impact of Your Environment on How You Feel
We recently installed a wood burning fireplace in our basement.
For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you may already know that my husband and I and our two cats often start or end our days here, basking in the warmth and cozy feelings it evokes.
It is amazing just how much this one single addition to our home has positively impacted our mood and overall state of mind.
This got me thinking: How much can the environment we create at home impact the way we feel?
To answer that question, think about the different environments you find yourselves in and how they make you feel.
Compare the feelings you may have while on a nature walk, for example, to what you feel in your car during rush hour. Or compare the feelings you have while quietly reading a book to that of browsing in a busy store with long (and sometimes loud) line-ups at the cash register.
You probably feel very differently in each of these places.
While you cannot totally control the environment outside your home, you do have much more say over the one you create at home.
Whether that means creating a place of rest and respite or creating a space that makes you feel creative and energized, setting up a peaceful environment is the foundation to creating the perfect nesting space for you and your family.
That’s why “home” – or at least our idealized version of it – evokes feelings of safety, peace, and good feelings. It’s the place you SHOULD feel good in.
In today’s post, I want to focus on some of the things you can change at home to make it feel restorative and more peaceful. A place you love spending time in. A place that feels like a personal oasis. A place where you can recharge and reset.
But first things first: Start small.
If making any of the changes listed below feels like too much right now, do only what you can. Start with just one room or even one small corner of a room that you can personalize to your tastes.
Don’t stress out in your pursuit to create a more peaceful home!
Here are some of my favourite peaceful home tips for creating the perfect nesting space.
10 PEACEFUL HOME TIPS
1/ Decluttering for Tranquility
Ah, clutter! The more we have of it, the more stressful it can feel.
Since everyone’s definition of ‘clutter’ will vary, depending on your decorating style – minimalist or maximalist – only you can judge when your space feels less cluttered and peaceful to be in.
Here are a few tips to get you started.
Begin by taking a fresh look at your walls, surfaces, and floors and identify the things that,
a) don’t need to be there, or
b) make your home feel disorganized or ‘busy’ in some way.
Then start to put all (or most) of these items away.
If they don’t have a home, create one for them. Whether it’s a drawer, a shelf, a basket, or a closet, create a home for these items so that the rest of your home can feel more tranquil.
Striking the right balance between decorated on the one hand, and tidy on the other, is always a challenge, but one worth the effort as I discussed in 17 Simple Ways To Reduce Visual Clutter.
It’s a process – to be sure – but one that you can make into an ongoing habit (#10 on this list) with the ultimate goal of creating a more ordered and, therefore, more peaceful home environment.
2/ Natural Sunlight: Nature’s Mood Boost
When we allow more natural sunlight to stream into our homes, we instantly feel better.
This is all thanks to serotonin, the ‘happy hormone’ that gets stimulated by sunlight.
I like to raise the blinds and throw open the curtains and keep them open the entire day.
If you can do so, use artificial light less and work, read, or rest close to a window during the day, allowing nature’s mood boost to wash over you.
Add mirrors in common spaces where you find windows or glass doors nearby. Natural light bounces off mirrors and brings in a lot more sunshine indoors, making your space feel brighter.
Remove objects that may be blocking the sun. Whether it’s a cabinet or sofa in front of a window or an overgrown bush that needs pruning outside your window, consider moving or cutting down objects that reduce the amount of natural light streaming into your home.
3/ Incorporate Organic Textiles and Furnishings
Ever notice how much a soft or plush textile instantly warms up a space?
Whether it’s a chunky knit throw blanket, a soft rug underfoot, or the softest of pillows, these small touches are an easy way to maximize our comfort indoors.
Materials like natural cotton, linen, soft wool or faux fur go a long way in giving us a feeling of warmth and tranquility at home.
But adding texture is far more than a tactile exercise. It’s an opportunity to add visual elements that can maximize those feelings of inner stillness and rest.
In our living room, for example, there are a few organic elements converged in this one small spot:
• A handmade wreath hanging on the windows
• A faux fur rug draped on the sofa
• A wooden bowl placed on the coffee table
• Two lit pillar candles
• A black velvet pillow (peeking out on the far left)
It’s an inviting spot that our cat, Burger, simply loves to curl up in!
In essence, adding just a few organic textiles or natural elements can instantly transform an otherwise sterile room into a warm and inviting space.
4/ Creating ‘Peace Pockets’
Creating tranquility at home is often dependent on creating those little pockets of space that invite us to rest and ‘stay awhile.’
It can be a little corner of your bedroom, a living room nook, or any area in which you spend a lot of time.
To create your perfect ‘peace pocket’ add a few decorative and tactile items that feel especially cozy to you.
Sometimes, it can be as simple as having a lap blanket draped over a cozy chair to sit and relax in.
You can even corral a few items on a tray and place it on your favourite chair or sofa.
Leave it there as a reminder to sit awhile and indulge in regular self-care.
Or simply tuck it under furniture for later use.
Other examples could be,
● a reading nook stocked with books and a pillow
● a rolled up exercise mat ready to be used for an evening stretch
● an arts and crafts corner supplied with a basket containing your latest knitting project
● a card or board games ‘station’ supplied with your favourites for ease of use
● a puzzle station where you can work on that 1000-piece puzzle, equipped with a puzzle mat for easy removal
● a favourite armchair to catch up on your favourite TV show or to flip through a magazine
Whatever your favourite spot (or spots) might be, designating these ‘peace pockets’ will provide a physical reminder to practice self-care, regularly.
5/ ‘Negative’ (or Empty) Space To Create a Positive Vibe
On the other end of creating ‘peace pockets’ is the idea of embracing some empty spaces, too.
The rationale? If every wall or corner of your home is filled with all kinds of decor and accessories, your eyes (and your mind) have no place to rest.
If you are a maximalist, this may not speak to you, but for those of us who sometimes feel overwhelmed by all the ‘stuff’ that we see in our homes each day, then here are a few tips:
● Swap out lots of knick-knacks for 1 or 2 larger decor pieces instead.
● If your piles of throw pillows and blankets are making your sofa or bed feel more ‘messy’ than ‘cozy’ then drop a few into a basket for easy access and leave out only what you can keep tidy.
● Not every dining table or hallway needs a rug. Some spaces feel more fresh, light, and bright without it.
In summary: Be intentional about decorating, experiment with minimizing spaces that ‘feel’ busy, and let your tiles, wood floors, painted walls, tables or counters shine through, giving you the visual rest you need.
6/ ‘Zone’ Your Home
By this, I mean use each room – or area of a room – for its designated purpose.
Whether it’s for sleeping, eating, working, for play and creativity, determine what each room’s purpose is and set it up accordingly.
In fact, your home already does this to some extent by having a kitchen ‘zone,’ dining room ‘zone,’ bedroom ‘zone,’ and living room ‘zone’ already built in.
Just take that a little bit further to make room for other activities you engage in regularly. That may include an arts and crafts zone, a reading nook, play room, or something else entirely.
By creating some boundaries between rooms or between designated areas within a room, you’ll have a more ordered home that gives you greater peace of mind.
That’s because each zone will – or at least SHOULD – contain all it needs for its designated purpose: equipment, supplies, tools and appropriate storage to carry out the task.
This is where you will need to be intentional about creating your designated zones.
If you work from home, for example, set up a home office with appropriate storage and supplies.
This may be an entire room dedicated to work or a desk located in the corner of your kitchen or living room. If you live in a studio apartment, you might invest in ‘store-way’ items like a lap desk and a file box that get tucked away at the end of the work day.
Doing this will help separate work from leisure time as you physically move from one zone to another.
To keep your zoned areas visually less cluttered, consider opting for hidden storage wherever possible. Closed or ‘hidden’ storage like a cabinet, storage bench or storage ottoman helps clear the clutter. These 9 Hidden Storage Ideas from our home, for example, have helped keep our home feel more organized and less cluttered.
So instead of searching high and low for office supplies, craft supplies, or other tools you need to carry out a specific task, the items you require will be organized and stored in your designated zone.
This will go a LONG way in reducing your stress!
Of course, we all like to blur the lines a bit. Whether you live in a spacious home or a studio apartment, keeping those zones hermetically sealed is just not possible (or practical).
I often like to move around my home, crafting on the dining room table sometimes so that I catch some natural light (which I crave), or writing on my laptop in the living room.
But at the end of the day, it’s important for me to put these items away and reset the room to its original purpose.
Regardless of how demarcated you wish your zones to be, zoning your home will help create a far more ordered, organized, and peaceful environment to live (and work) in.
7/ Optimize the “Flow” of Your Furniture Layout
If you find yourself always having to go around furniture to get from one end of a room to another, you should consider re-arranging, if you can.
Otherwise, the endless maneuvering will make your home feel less peaceful and more like an obstacle course.
Stand back and take a look at your current layout and ask yourself:
● Does it allow for the easy flow of foot traffic?
● Is the layout optimal for easy access to seating? Or do you have to squeeze past family members to sit down for dinner or to get to your favourite lounge chair?
Even if you rearrange just one key area to maximize flow, you will have made a difference to creating a more peaceful feeling at home.
Below, for example, are some furniture layout ideas for your living room that optimize traffic flow:
For more tips, tricks and optimal layout ideas, see my 10 Tips for a Lovely Living Room Layout (an older post, but chalk full of practical recommendations).
8/ Creating Ambience (Activate Your Senses)
Ambience is a matter of personal taste. It’s a feeling, a mood that is evoked by the environment you create.
Only you know what kind of ambience speaks to you personally, but here are a few ideas to get you started:
● In the evening, light some candles and play soft music to create a feeling of calm and relaxation.
● Use an essential oil diffuser to fill your home with a calming scent – lavender, chamomile, or ylang ylang are all good choices. Alternatively, you can add a few drops of essential oil into a spray bottle filled with water. Spritz your pillowcases with lavender to help you sleep at night.
● As you prepare for bed, increase the darkness towards the end of the day. A good rule of thumb is to cut your lights by 50% by about 7pm and use low-level lighting for the rest of the night. It will promote a rise in melatonin, the key hormone that initiates the timing of our sleep.
In our home, for example, our new fireplace has become the go-to place to relax and unwind each night. We dim the lights at night, allowing the sight (and sound) of flames, and the occasional smell of burning wood, to put us in a relaxed state of mind.
Whatever you have at your disposal, think about exploring all the senses to create the right ambience for you: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch.
9/ Learn To Embrace Your Own Style
Your home is the perfect place to express yourself.
But far too often, we fall prey to comparing ourselves with others. Worse still, we may find ourselves following (too closely) the styles and tastes of others at the cost of surrounding ourselves with the things we love.
Give yourself permission to love the things you love, display them where you wish, and see just how much more you enjoy your home.
For example, I recently decided to stop scrolling through the same profiles being sent to me by the almighty ‘algorithm’ on Instagram and YouTube.
Instead, I began actively searching for new design inspirations by:
● Looking for new Instagram accounts and clicking the profiles followed by my favourite Instagram designers.
● Exploring YouTube accounts whose videos I’d previously ignored, only to discover a couple of real gems!
● Pulling out a stack of old interior design magazines that I saved and finding myself inspired by some of the same images I had years ago!
In essence, I began to challenge myself about what it was that REALLY spoke to me about interior design. In the process, I found myself reaffirming the design styles that I’ve always truly loved.
So if you’ve packed away a cool vintage collection of spoons because it’s ‘too old fashioned’ or stored away your favourite pillow covers because they’re ‘no longer on trend’ give yourself permission to pull them out again. Find a new way to display them that feels fresh and inspiring to you.
That said, it doesn’t always mean you should display everything all at once! This may get a bit overwhelming and, dare I say, cluttered.
Instead, try rotating decor from time to time by putting some away to make room for items you’ve boxed up. You may find yourself feeling a renewed sense of excitement and inspiration at home (or maybe that’s just me!).
10/ Regularly Reset Your Home (Daily & Seasonally)
In order to maintain a peaceful, less-cluttered home you should do a quick ‘home reset’ each day.
By this, I mean taking 10-20 minutes at the end of the day (or throughout the day) to tidy up, put things back where they belong, load the dishwasher, etc.
My evening home reset, for example, looks something like this:
➔ Tidy the living room
➔ Load any remaining dishes in the dishwasher
➔ Hand wash the cat bowls
➔ Set up and schedule the coffee maker
This only takes me about 15-20 minutes each night to accomplish (I don’t rush it). I try not to overload my tasks in the evening, keeping them easy and actionable.
The more consistent you are with these daily resets, the faster they will become. This is because you’ll be preventing messes from getting out of control by taking charge of them daily.
That said, there is always more to be done, more to tidy, more to clean, etc. Give yourself permission to leave some things undone while tackling a few key areas that will give you the most peace of mind.
Once you become comfortable with incorporating a daily home reset – and truly see the benefit of having one – you will then have the confidence to implement seasonal resets, too.
These may be post-Christmas/New Year home resets, spring resets, or a back-to-school reset, whatever works for you.
Seasonal resets are more detailed and thorough, requiring you set aside a day (or more) to tackle a few bigger projects. These may include decluttering your closets, or reviewing the contents of your fridge, freezer, and pantry, identifying expired or forgotten items and things that need to be restocked.
If the idea of ‘resetting’ your home is new to you, start small!
Don’t try too much at once.
Start by implementing a daily reset – try just 10 minutes each night – and let that become a part of your evening ritual. There’s nothing like waking up in the morning to a tidy living room, clean kitchen, and (for us) a fresh pot of coffee!
Find What Works For You
I hope you found these peaceful home tips helpful. Some suggestions may not work for you because of the space you live in or the age and stage of your children. But if you can implement just one or two points, I hope you’ll find yourself on your way to creating a far more calm, less cluttered, and peaceful home.
If you enjoyed this post, here are some other helpful resources:
• 17 Simple Ways To Reduce Clutter
• 5 Quick Tips for A New Year Home Reset
• How To Enjoy Your Home Even When You Don’t Always Love It
• 3 Simple Steps To A Less Cluttered Home (+FREE Checklist)
• How To Organize A Linen Closet & Maximize Space
• 9 Hidden Storage Types We Regularly Rely On
• Junk Drawer Organization & Decluttering Tips
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