Your home has a powerful effect on your mood, and even your life. It's your most personal space, your escape from the world, your sanctuary, your place for rest and rejuvenation, your family's private turf, and also a place where you welcome loved ones. It's a place for making many of life's most intimate memories. And it can also be a major mental and emotional drain if it's chaotic or otherwise unpleasant.
The décor in your home has a huge impact on how it makes you feel, even when it's only affecting you subconsciously. Of course, sometimes—like when there are elements you dislike or big messes—the effects are completely conscious.
Below are some simple décor tips to help design your home to keep everyone in it feeling good. Many are based on interior design best practices, but some also borrow from more practical aspects of feng shui. In case you don't know, feng shui is a Chinese system of creating harmony in a space, to give a very simplified definition.
Simple Décor Tips for a Peaceful, Pleasant Home
- Pay attention to the décor in every room; don't have neglected rooms in your home
- Keep your surface spaces clear of clutter; it causes mental and emotional stress
- Place live plants around your home
- Let in as much natural light as possible
- Prefer light fixtures that cast ambient light over those that shine light in one focused spot; however, use spot lighting in places where you read or otherwise need it
- Maintain open, flowing, easily navigable pathways throughout your home
- Use neutral, earthy base colors and a few accent colors in each room
- Don't mix too many patterns or incorporate clashing patterns in a room
- Make something you love a focal point in each room, including your home's main entrance
- Favor rounded edges and curved forms over sharp corners
- Furnish your home with natural wood furniture and other natural elements
- Place furniture that's in proportion to the room; avoid huge pieces in a small room or small main pieces in a large room
- Use cool hues in bedrooms
- Position beds so you're facing the bedroom door but not aligned with it while lying down
- Keep bedrooms free of TVs, desktop computers, laptops, and tablets
- Put a small fountain or other flowing water element in one or more of your home's public rooms (according to feng shui principles, it's not a good idea to have these in bedrooms)
- Surround yourself with décor that you find beautiful and/or meaningful
- Hang pictures depicting tranquil natural scenes
- Hang mirrors to create the feeling or more space and to reflect light
- Avoid placing a single chair in the corner of a room; balance it with a second seat in another corner
- Place couches against the farthest wall from the room's entry point
- Seating in a room should not be disjointed or disconnected; arrange it to be conducive to conversation
- Repair broken items, cracks and holes in the walls, and squeaky doors
