Turning your home into a peaceful sanctuary can be a rewarding project. From attending to tiny details to rethinking your overall design scheme, be sure to make this project about what you love, and not what the neighbors are doing. This could even start with thinking about each of the senses as you work toward creating a place that’s both unique and soothing to you.
Whether it means doing the work yourself or calling in a contractor, with a little imagination you can live in a home you’ve so far only dreamed of. For ideas on how to create a relaxing haven you can look forward to coming home to, start by considering sound, aesthetics, scents, and more. When your five senses are happy, you will be happier too.
Sound
Loud neighbors, barking dogs, or even that train track behind your house can be a real distraction if you are hoping to get some peace and quiet. If noise is keeping you away from the perfect home sanctuary, there are sound proofing options available for you. Things like soundproof panels and even a white noise machine could go a long way in bringing more peace to your home.
A quick Google search will give you options and tricks from simple plug ins to tightening doors and sealing windows. If you’re feeling brave, a new insulation project could even be in store, depending on how important sound is to you. Once you’ve invested in sound panels, introduce pleasing sounds into your home—music that you love, a waterfall or ambient sounds. Anything that calms you.
If you don’t live alone and the renovation or original noise gets to your pets, too, there are ways of helping your pet cope with noise. After all, you want your home to be a safe, secure place for your furry friend as well. It might stress them out to see you pulling apart your house and you can’t exactly explain to them what you’re working on. For this reason, consider keeping them in untouched rooms while the work’s going on in other areas, especially if you plan to bring in outside contractors.
Sight and Aesthetics
Not many things are more soothing than a clean house that’s both uncluttered and designed with your tastes in mind. Unfortunately, life gets messy. Over the years, we can collect things that build up and don’t do much for our senses or make our beloved home one of peace. One way to handle this is to look up ‘storage units near me‘ and take everything that doesn’t create a sense of peace out of your house. With more empty space, you will be able to make better decisions about what to toss and what to keep to rebuild your home into the sanctuary it once was.
Once you have those rooms empty, think about ways to rearrange things you already have into spaces where you will best be able to appreciate them. Use a minimalistic approach with this and don’t be afraid to throw things out. Ask yourself if you love the item, if it has memories, and if it makes you happy. If it doesn’t and you haven’t used it in three months or more, consider donating it to a charity or gifting it. In the end, the gift you’ll be giving is to yourself with a visually pleasing oasis you can look forward to calling home. And while you’re there, don’t forget about the lighting!
Textures and Comfort
No place can be a sanctuary if the temperatures are off, blankets are scratchy, or the roof leaks. Comfort can come with the details. Calling a company like Fairfax Roofing might be a good start in addressing minor concerns that add up into a less than optimal environment for peace. In other words, take care of those pesky repairs that make it impossible for you to feel fully at rest now. Once those are addressed, it’s time to get back to the details.
From area rugs to throw blankets and maybe a repurposed reading chair, consider ways you can bring a warm and inviting feeling to your home. If it’s a guest room, for example, think about selecting art that will make your guest feel welcome. That welcome mat you haven’t looked at in years from your back porch could be the perfect guest bathroom greeting card. That is, don’t be afraid to move things around so they make more sense in your re-imagined home.
Scents and Aromas
You’ve taken the time with the details. You’ve rearranged your things, fixed up minor repairs and even added sound proofing. What’s next? The last sense to tackle is smell. Nothing is worse that coming home to a house that smells like your teenage son’s gym socks. If you are willing to go as far as adding dog-friendly plants to be good to Rover, you have it in you to take this one step further. With your sanctuary nearly complete, consider what you can do to give your nose a treat.
Candles, essential oil diffusers, and even air fresheners are more of those details you’ll thank yourself for. Do you have a favorite scent or flavor? Now is a chance where we don’t have to leave taste out. If you love the smell of apples, why not pick up an apple cobbler flavored candle. Who knows, it might even get you in the mood for baking.
At the end of the day, your home is your own. Remind yourself that as you work to create a safe and special place that makes you feel most you. Whether you pick color palettes of warm or cool, that’s up to you. A nod to your favorite vacation spot and those tiny details like throw pillows by your favorite bay window can be exactly all your home needs to be transformed into your very own sanctuary. Many people get so caught up on trends and what other people are doing that they forget to take care of themselves. By trusting your gut, eyes, ears and nose, you’re more likely to be happy with your end result. There is, after all, only one you and your home should reflect who it is that most belongs in it.