How to create an inspirational home
By Catalogs Editorial Staff
Learn how to create an inspirational home with the decor choices you make
Whether it’s the house of your dreams, a starter home, a rental or a tiny studio apartment, your home should be more than just a place to sleep, eat and watch television.
And most Americans know that. According to Forbes, as a nation we spend over 89 Billion dollars a year on home furnishing alone. And we keep on buying. While all that spending is great for the economy, what does it say about what we’re looking for when we walk in the front door?
Clearly, just having the trendiest couch or the cutest dining chairs isn’t enough to keep us happy with our homes. Something is missing. And that something is how the home feels.
We want homes that make us feel good. Homes that feel safe and cozy. Homes that inspire us. But too many just don’t seem to know how to create an inspirational, soothing home that brings out the best we can be.
The secret is…there is no secret. You can use color, texture, sound, smells and images to turn a house or apartment into a place you will love to be. Here are some ideas to get you started.
Create a focal point
We humans are incredibly distractable creatures. If our space is a mass of different colors, textures, items and functions, it can be hard to center ourselves long enough to find time to breathe, much less get inspired.
Before you do ANYTHING else in your house, set aside one spot as a point of inspiration. Hang a picture that inspires you. Place a figurine on a tiny table. Designate a bulletin board to use as a mood board. Don’t overthink it. Just find one space or spot or item and start from that. Keep that space clear and visable as you work on the rest of your home.
You can stay with just one of these spaces in your home, or you can expand it by placing inspirational images, messages, books or other items in every room. Look to your religion for inspirational objects, your passions for motivation and your family for items that speak to your heart.
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What you need, what you have
Clutter is one of the biggest challenges for people who say their space doesn’t feel like a home. There’s just too much stuff everywhere, and they don’t know where to begin.
The key is to take small areas and clean them. Just a tiny space. Get rid of what you don’t need, and make sure what you keep is clean, working and in the right place. Then move onto the next area. (Remember to keep your inspiration spot clear as you go.)
When a room is done, even if it takes weeks, dedicate that room to peaceful inspiration. Light a candle in the center of the room. Or throw open the windows to let fresh air in. Do something to remind yourself that this room is now an inspiration for the rest of your rooms.
After the clutter (or if you were already clutter-free)
Think about color
What
color are your walls? How about your carpet? Bedding? Towels? Couches and chairs? The color around you can motivate you, calm you, elevate your mood. Or it can make you feel sad, lost, stuck.
As far as possible, replace the colors that aren’t working with colors that do. Of course, you don’t have to run out and buy all new everything. Sometimes a splash of color in the form of a throw, pillow or area rug can transform the experience. Do what you can. You intentions carry a lot of energy, too.
Do what you do
A big part of the how to create an inspirational home process is centered on what you do in the house. It’s hard to create a calm spiritual space if you regularly watch war movies, listen to discouraging music or read violent books.
Your behavior counts, too. Do you yell and shout a lot? Slam doors? The mood in your home is affected by the ways you and other residents ordinarily behave in the house. Whether or not you believe that houses can absorb negative energy, everyone can understand the idea that we get used to certain behaviors and attitudes in a space.
If your workplace is hostile, you start to tense up as soon as you walk in. If you have a lot of fun at an amusement park, you start to smile as soon as you’re through the gates. The same kind of energy happens in your home. What you have accepted as normal is how you feel about your house.
By changing what you read, listen to or watch, or how you talk and behave in your home, you can turn a tense house into an inspiring one.
Take your time
You can’t transform your house overnight. But even small changes can start to shift the energy and the way you feel when you’re home. Build on those little things, and before long, you will have an inspirational home no matter where you live.