For years, I was sold the lie that calmness and coziness comes from the things I purchase for my home. I thought I needed to create a certain aesthetic that would give my home the peace I was looking for. I learned I was searching in all the wrong places. A calm and cozy home was never about the things I purchased to put in it but rather the atmosphere I created within it.
Since quitting my 9-5 job outside of the home, the questions I get asked most are, “Aren’t you stir crazy at home all the time?” My answer is a hard no. I honestly love being home all day. This is partially because I’m an introvert but also because the home I have created is peaceful, fun, and a place that fills me up. So for me, I wouldn’t want to leave my home for the majority of the day to work a job. Not only do I find so much fulfillment in the work I do within the walls of my home, but it is also a much more enjoyable environment to me than the workplace every was. I can step outside into the sunlight of my backyard whenever I want, mosey to the kitchen to make a nourishing lunch or snack, or work on the computer with my dog at my feet.
How To Create A Calm and Cozy Minimalist Home
So what are the things that actually create a calm and cozy environment in your home? I’m glad you asked….
1. Open The Curtains
One of the best ways to enhance any home is to bring in natural light, but it does take the extra step of fully opening the curtains or blinds. Natural light is calming, brightens the home, and just makes everything feel lighter and more airy.
2. Open The Windows
On that note, while your opening the curtains, go ahead and open up with windows. Even in the dead of winter in the Midwest, I try to open my for at least a few minutes everyday. It get all the stale air in the home moving and is a natural air freshener.
3. Incorporate Fire
I realize that title sounds a little dangerous, but what I mean is to light a candle or get the fireplace going. The flicker of the flame and the crackle of the wood is calming to the nervous system and creates a cozy atmosphere. Even if you live in place without a fireplace or you can’t light candles, there are videos on Youtube or Netflix will put fireplace on your TV screen. Of course it may not be exactly the same but I have found that even a TV fire is cozy and calming.
4. Minimize Overhead Lighting (especially at night)
This one is SO important for creating a calm home. Overhead lighting screams “go, hurry, do something” to our central nervous system. If you look at pictures of cozy homes on Google or Pinterest, you will almost always see that there are lots of lamps, candles, and smaller lights. Low lighting is the ultimate cozy home hack. So turn on a lamp and get comfy!
5. Put Things Away After Using Them
This is perhaps one of the most difficult things to do but also one of the most rewarding. Our nervous systems don’t like clutter, especially as a woman. Even if it’s just a few things here or there such as a book on an end table, the last couple days of mail on a desk or blankets and pillows strewn about; these things keep our homes from feeling calm. Of course, you can’t always clean up after yourself but the more you make it a habit, the less tidying you will need to do before you can settle into your home.
6. Have A “Declutter” Box
Even if you haven’t fully delved into minimalism yet, having a decluttering box is an extremely useful tool. It can be overwhelming to take on decluttering your whole home, but one thing you can do is grab a box or bag and add things that you no longer serving you. See a decoration that always seems to be in the way and doesn’t really have a home? Add it to the declutter box. Is you kitchen cabinet overstuffed with mugs (speaking as a former mug hoarder)? Grab a couple you don’t use and put them in the declutter box. Have a kid’s toy that gets pulled out all the time but is never actually played with. Declutter box. Once the box is full, pass things along to a friend or donate it. The more you declutter piece by piece, the calmer your home will feel.
7. Everything Has A Home
On the topic of clutter, try to find a home for everything you have. That way you always have a spot to actually put things when you tidy up instead of relying on that pile in the corner full of random things. If it doesn’t have a home, see point #6 to figure for an idea of where that item might belong…
8. Play Calming Music
Turn on whatever kind of music is calming to you. Maybe it’s classical, Christian, or just melodic music without words. When I’m feeling stressed or unmotivated to do something, turning on some relaxing music calms me down and has a way of romanticizing whatever is it that I’m doing. Cooking is so much more enjoyable with some good music.
9. Plants
Not only do plants liven up a space, but some actually clean and purify your air. They are a great way to bring a calming natural element to any home. Even if you think you’re a plant killer, most people can keep a plant alive for at least a few months. A few dollars on a plant a couple times per year is still cheaper than the majority of home decor sold in stores.
10. Spend Time With The People You Love or Doing Things You Love
Ultimately what creates the most peace in an space is what you do there. If your home is a place of frenzy where you’re constantly cleaning and managing your belongings or an extension of your office, then you will be hard-pressed to have a calm environment. But if your home is a place where you know you will be able to spend quality time with people you love, this is what makes it a place you always want to be. Even if you live alone, it can be a place where you do the things you enjoy such as hobbies or creative endeavor. Maybe you like to create delicious meals, tend a beautiful garden, build and create things with your hands, or learn to play an instrument.
How you spend the time in your home will have the greatest impact on how it feels to be there.
More Slow Living Posts You Might Enjoy…
Slow Living When Life Feels Fast
Live More Fully With Minimalism
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