Travel is where some of our most enduring and precious memories are made. Traveling the world makes you a happier person. It also makes you more cultured and arguably more intelligent. The more we see of the world around us, the more our perspectives are widened and the better able we become to cope with the unexpected and chaotic when we return to our comfort zone. But as much fun as our travel adventures are, there’s no feeling quite like coming home. But in an increasingly chaotic world, it’s essential that we all take steps to ensure that our home is as relaxing and calming as possible so that we have a place to recharge our batteries and center ourselves between international adventures. Since the living room is the place in the home where you likely spend the most (waking) hours, here are some ways in which you can ensure that your living room is an oasis of calm, no matter how turbulent the world around it gets…
Keep clutter away
Nothing is more counter productive to an atmosphere of calm than clutter. Clutter can be a visual distraction at best and a drain on your mental health at worst. If your living room is to be an oasis of calm, you’ll need to invest in some elegant storage solutions to ensure that your bric a brac is out of sight and out of mind. Moreover, quite a lot of the clutter occupying much needed space in our homes is of very little if any use to us. Throw a yard sale, put some stuff on eBay or simply give it away to charity. You’ll be surprised at how a little minimalism can bring a sense of calm.
Keep it neutral, keep it natural
Bold colors and synthetic materials can actually be counterproductive when trying to establish a sense of serenity in the home. Loud colors, vivid hues and busy prints on your walls may look pretty in a show home but they may not be conducive to a calm mind when resting at home. Keep your colors neutral and light with a palette of creams, whites, grays and beiges. When it comes to soft furnishings like your furniture, cushions or maybe a two seater bean bag from Fombag.com keep your color scheme neutral using colors that derive from nature.
Wherever possible, use natural materials like wood, stone, cotton or linen. We’re naturally predisposed to feel calm when we encounter these materials. You should also bring in some houseplants as these are proven to help us to feel more serene.
Get the blues (in a good way)
Blue is a color that’s known for its calming properties. Shades of blue that occur in nature are proven not only to ease and calm our minds but can also help to aid concentration, making them the ideal colors for those who work from home..
Smells like calm
While we may be visually oriented creatures, let’s not neglect the effect that our sense of smell has on our ability to feel calm and serene at home. Naturally calming scents include lavender, bergamot, ylang ylang and chamomile.
A little bit of calm goes a long way!
