How happy and relaxed does your home make you feel? A recent report suggested that 73% of people who said their home made them happy are generally happier with their lives. That being said, there are many things that can impact how your home makes you feel, not least your specific requirements for your liking arrangements.
But where do you start when it comes to changing up your home to invoke happiness, life and contentment? Read on for some suggestions you can put into practice to reach this point.
Declutter
One of the best ways to clear your mind and your home is to declutter. Over the years, we can accumulate so much stuff it can be hard to see past everything. Start by breaking your home down room by room. Then break it down into drawers, cupboards, storage units etc. and put a plan in the palace for tacking each one.
The most important thing to remember when decluttering is to get rid of unwanted items immediately. If you don't, they will simply be taking up space elsewhere. Whether you need to take it to the tip or donate it, take care of it as soon as you have decluttered that space. This will allow you to slowly start making changes to your home and give you more space due to the lack of items you now have.
Embrace Your Style
What exactly does your home say about you, and how have you put your mark on it? If you haven't, why not try adding some of your personal style to rooms? This can be something as small as adding your favourite picture of a wall, painting a feature wall in your favourite colour, or even adding eclectic items that really speak to you.
By embracing your style, you make your home feel more personal and increase the moment you get from spending time there.
A good tip is to start off with one or two changes, then slowly build on this until you reach a point where you are happy with the room or home decor.
Increase Light
Dark and gloomy homes don't exactly scream happiness or promote a more content, relaxed vibe. Natural light has been proven to not only increase energy levels but boost your mood, productivity and promote a healthier sleeping pattern.
One way to increase your enjoyment of your home is to fill it with natural light. This isn't always possible depending on the room and the location of windows, but there are things you can do to enhance the light entering a room.
- Use mirrors placed opposite windows or reflect light back into the room.
- Use lighter paint colours for the same reason; darker colours will absorb more light.
- Move large furniture items away from windows.
- Use metallics in the room to increase the light or reflect light sources.
- Use daylight-mimicking light bulbs.
- Swap your back door for floor-to-ceiling windows, or add sliding glass or bi-fold doors to make your kitchen a lighter, brighter space.
Overhaul Your Garden
Indoor-outdoor living has become a massive part of people's lives since the covid lockdown forced more people to stay at home, and incorporating this into your home design can help you create space that screams relaxation while also giving you an area to host guests and enjoy yourself.
Pay attention to the space in your garden, how you navigate it and what you need it to do. It could be that you simply need a seating area to enjoy the nice weather, so adding decking and garden furniture could be all you need to do. Or you might want a lush lawn and flowerbeds to add life and colour to your space, give you something to enjoy looking at, and also a hobby to keep you active.
Whether you want an abundance of life in your garden or a minimalist look, your garden could unlock the key to helping you feel happier at home.
Add Extra Space
When looking at overhauling your garden, why not consider adding more square footage to your home too? From a conservatory to a double-storey extension, adding garden buildings or a pergola, for example, can instantly give you a separate space to retreat to and enjoy spending time outside or looking outside.
In most cases, you won't need planning permission for adding a single-storey extension, but you might need a party wall agreement depending on your proximity to neighbours. The same goes for adding a summerhouse, shed or other garden structure. In fact, you can put something together yourself. Shop here for your materials and get to work adding enjoyment to your garden.
Buy Nice Things
Just that, really! Filling your home with items that make you happy can be a source of comfort. Don't make the mistake of thinking you can't have nice things, or they will be wasted on you. If you like it and you can afford to buy it, then do so. Think of it as a form of self-care; it doesn't matter what it is; studies show that the more things you like in your home simply for that reason, the more content you will feel. Whether it is practical or not, treat yourself, buy the higher thread count sheets, purchase the good candles, or hang that artwork you can take your eyes off. Do it for you!
Focus On The Good
There is a popular meme going around that applies to both people and your home too. A teacher writes sums on the board, getting the first answer wrong. Her class started laughing and pointing out her mistake. She informs them that life can be exactly like this. It doesn't matter what you get right; people will only remember the one time you got something wrong. The same applies to your home too.
It doesn't matter how many possible benefits it has; choosing to focus on the negative will hang over you. So make a list of everything you like about your house, no matter how small, and focus on them or even accentuate them. If you like it, make it enjoyable and put it front and centre to detract from the more minor issues you don't like so much.
Bring Nature In
It is scientifically proven that plants boost your mood. So if you need to make your home happier and healthier and a place you can really enjoy, why not bring nature indoors and add some greenery to your home? It doesn't even matter if you're green-fingered or not; the plants don't even need to be real, although it can be more beneficial if they are. It is simply the act of seeing plants, not the status of the plant. So bring in real or artificial plants to your home and make them central to your decor theme and add an extra element to your home's appeal.
Change What You Don't Like
Don't like something? Change it! Be it the placement of furniture, the colours of the walls or the flooring. Whatever it is, simply change it. This can be hard for renters who may need permissions; however, within reason or within your ability, make changes to the parts of your home you do not like.
Conclusion
When it comes to increasing your enjoyment of your home and making it a happier place for you to live, you need to focus on what will make you happy before you make any changes. While these suggestions can be helpful if you are unsure of what isn't working for you, you need to take a step back, assess the space and focus on what will improve your quality of life.
