A 2024 report by Mental Health UK found that over 90% of adults have experienced high levels of stress in the last 12 months. When stress levels soar, it’s important to have spaces where we can relax, unwind and feel calm. Creating a serene, soothing home environment can help you de-stress and enjoy better mental health. In this guide, we’ll explore some effective ways to turn your home into a peaceful haven.
Embrace outdoor living
Spending time outside can lift your mood and help you manage stress effectively. Whether you have a compact yard or a large garden, you can benefit from embracing outdoor living. Create sensory experiences with scented plants, textures and soft lighting, add comfort and cosiness with soft furnishings and plant spring bulbs to add vibrant colour. Most of us tend to head indoors and hibernate when it’s cold and grey outside. If you miss spending time in the garden during winter, add warmth with patio heaters, a fire pit or chunky throws and blankets, use lighting to create ambience and stay safe after sunset and use shelters to make the space usable come rain or shine. Put your stamp on your garden design to create an oasis you love. From accessories and plants to furniture and fencing, you can showcase your style to personalise your outdoor sanctuary.
Plan your colour palette carefully
We often concentrate on aesthetics when choosing colours for our interiors. It’s important you love the look of the colours you select, but it’s also important to think about the mood you want to create. Colours don’t just appeal to our visual senses. They also impact the way we feel. Some colours make us feel happy, energetic and vivacious while others have a calming, relaxing effect. If you’re browsing colour charts looking for tones for tranquil spaces, such as bedrooms, opt for shades that will help you relax. Examples include neutrals, pastels and hues of blue, green and purple. Avoid clashing prints and bright, bold colours like canary yellow or pillar box red.
Choose soft lighting
Soft lighting is soothing and it can help you wind down and de-stress. In parts of your home where you want to enjoy peace and embrace serenity, choose romantic lighting that will help you prepare for sleep or induce a state of calm. Fitting a dimmer switch offers the best of both worlds. You can also explore options such as lamps, wall lights, fairy lights, LED candles and sunken spotlights.
Create a haven within your home
In an ideal world, we would all have space to create zones for work, play, relaxation, exercise, entertaining, socialising and spending quality time together as a family. In reality, many of us don’t have enough room to design dedicated spaces for all the activities we undertake at home. If you’re short on space, there are ways to make your home more relaxing, including creating a haven within the house. Even if you only have a corner of the living room or a bijou nook to work with, you can set up a place to retreat to at the end of a busy week or a tough day. Use ambient lighting, soft furnishings and calming colours to set the tone, declutter and keep gadgets away. You can use a portable screen, furniture or distinctive colours or materials to separate your chill-out zone from the rest of the room.
Stress levels are rising. When you feel stressed or overwhelmed, it’s important to be able to relax and unwind. If your home isn’t the serene sanctuary you crave, try taking these steps. Embrace outdoor living, choose soothing colours and soft lighting and create a haven to retreat to within your home.
