Creating a soothing home

Australians are working longer and longer hours and it’s crucial to our health that we get the chance to unwind. One way to achieve the perfect work-life balance is to ensure your home environment provides a relaxing antidote to a busy day.

The good news is, you can achieve this with just a few key buying decisions and styling choices – let’s take a look.

Furniture

Whether we work in a physical role or sit in an office all day, we all come home with aches and pains now and then. That’s why a good, supportive yet comfortable couch or armchair is essential for unwinding – soothe your body, and you soothe your mind.

Whilst a good armchair might be a considerable investment, think of it as investing in your future health and wellbeing – giving you a fast-track to relaxation for many years to come.

Choose something with plenty of firm back support. A recliner is also a good choice, and with most lounge suites featuring an adjustable reclining seat within the mix, this is an easy way to ensure you have a restful place to come home to.

Lighting

How your home is lit can have a much bigger effect on your emotions and stress levels than you might think.

There are plenty of studies that have determined how important it is to lower your ambient lighting as you head towards bedtime. But you can soothe your frantic mind even earlier in the evening simply by ensuring your living areas are lit in the right way.

The idea is to create a calming mood that isn’t too harsh. A series of smaller table lamps or floor lamps can create a softer ambient light in a room than one main central light fixture.

Sound

Notice we didn’t say ‘music’ – creating a soothing home is not just about throwing on your favourite tunes when you get home.

General noise is one of the biggest causes of stress in the modern world, so it can make a real difference to be able to create a home that allows for quietude when you need it.

If you’re coming home and popping paracetamol regularly, you could potentially spend half an hour in a quiet, comfy room and get the exact same relief from stress and headaches simply by removing yourself from all outside noise.

Can’t build the perfect sound-proof space in your home? Treat yourself to a pair of noise cancelling headphones – they work wonders even if you don’t play music through them.

Storage

A clutter-free home is a peaceful one, so our final tip is to keep a neat and tidy home environment.

You don’t have to go the full Kondo here, just ensure you have enough storage to pop things out of sight quickly and easily. The main trick is to have a place for everything so that even if you leave things out, your home won’t seem like a complete mess.

There’s plenty of argument to say a minimalist lifestyle is a calm one, but we don’t all respond to sparse environments in the same way.

All those knick-knacks act as dust magnets which can exacerbate allergies – another niggle that will keep you from feeling completely calm in your own home.

Click here to find out more about how you can create a quieter home.