When we moved into our new home almost 3 years ago, I made some intentional choices in the way we set up each room and the flow of the house so that it would feel peaceful, cozy and quiet. These choices have helped the house truly feel like our little zen space.
Blank Walls
We have verrrrry little art on our all-white walls, y'all. It feels really clean and very peaceful, and my brain doesn't have to process all the things all the time, which lets it relax and breathe a little bit. Even though I've threatened to paint a wall here or there, or hang up a bunch of pictures, I am extremely grateful my husband has put his foot down, because it really is lovely.
No TVs in the Bedrooms
So, to be 1000% honest, we do currently have a tv in our bedroom. When my husband transitioned to home treatment, for the first few weeks he was confined to our bed during treatment, so we put a tv in there for during the day when he was treating. Now, however, he is set up in a separate room, and has a tv and recliner in there. So the tv in our room is useless. We can't watch anything on it, and we didn't really ever watch it to begin with.I have heard my entire insomnia-ridden life that having a tv in your bedroom leads to less sleep, and I can attest that it's true. I have had a tv in my bedroom since I was 13, and deciding to keep it out this time around has done wonders for my sleep. It's also just a distraction, and encourages one to lie around all day instead of being productive. Just don't do it!
Separate Areas for TV and Reading/Visiting
When we moved in, we split our living room in two using furniture. Our living room/den/family room is HUGE, and so we put recliners facing one wall and put the tv on that wall, and for other half of the room, we set up a seating area focused on the fireplace. Not only does it create a lot of seating, but it also empowers one of us to watch tv and the other to read or work on something. I highly recommend it.
Meaningful Items
This was a big one, and I'm still working on it. My husband and I are both highly sentimental. So, instead of cluttering up the rooms, or the walls, or the house with a bunch of stuff, we have curated most of our home to hold things that are especially meaningful to us, and we are working on not bringing in more just for the heck of it. I have several pieces of my grandmother's furniture throughout our home. My husband has his grandfather's chess set on display. A mirror with our marriage blessing and a print I bought in Ireland are the two major focal points in our living room. When you fill your home with pieces that elicit a positive emotion, it creates a space in which you feel warm and fuzzy almost all the time!
Lots of Open Space
We have used things like a drop-leaf table, wooden folding chairs, and smaller furniture pieces to create a lot of open space in our home while also allowing us the flexibility to entertain. It creates an open feel that is very serene.
No News on the TV
This is a big one. And I'm the one that put this rule in place. I still stay VERY updated on the daily news and what's going on, but I haaaaaaate watching the talking heads on TV, and my husband loves it. So now he can watch it when I'm gone or when I'm tied up in another room doing something else. I find that reading the news and hearing it are two very different things, and this one rule alone has lowered my anxiety quite a bit.
Leaving Space to Grow
This one is a constant process. When we moved, we took load after load after load to donate. In order to avoid that this time, we made a pact to not fill all the storage spaces in our home to the gills right off the bat.It's almost three years down the road, and we still have a ton of free storage space! It's so nice to be able to find things and not have to dig, but it's also nice to know if we needed the extra space, we have it.I hope you've enjoyed this series on how I've made my home my haven! It's been a ton of fun to share! What makes your home feel uniquely "yours"? What helps you feel at ease and peaceful within it? Have you done anything super special to make your home even more enjoyable just for you? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!
