Turning a Home into a Haven

Because Everyone Deserved a Fabulous Home…

Like most people during this time, I’ve been finding ways to turn my home into a haven. There’s so much going on and all I want to do is escape from it all. Prior to what is happening, I was always trying to turn my home into somewhere to escape from the hustle and bustle of life. I fully appreciate that past me took the time to renovate our rental home. I love spending time in my home and I’m truly grateful that I feel this way especially during these times.

The process of creating a calming, relaxing space and you’ll love spending time in is not that hard. It’s also not daunting, though it can seem it. It also doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg, which I think is the main worry for some people, along with the time it will take. Here are my top tips for turning a home into a haven…

ENSURE EACH ROOM HAS A NICE FLOW TO IT.

Now, this is not about feng-shui, but it does bring up some good points. How you and the energy of your home flows from room to room is important to think about when it comes to turning your home into a heaven. How easy is it to move in each room? I always find a good furniture-move-around will help with this. In our previous flat, I did the same thing with our living room, only to find out how we had it was pretty much perfect the way it was. Sometimes you have to get it out of your system to make sure.

Once you’ve made sure that each room individually works, now you need to start thinking about home the rooms work together. We wanted to create a sense of openness in the downstairs part of our home, so we always keep the door between our kitchen and living room open (in all honesty I would like to just remove it completely). Now that’s not saying you need to do the same thing, you may want doors closed or even create divides in your home. Take a walkthrough of your entire home and see how your mood changes from room to room. This will help you establish if you need to change this up.

CREATE STYLING MOMENTS IN YOUR HOME.

One of the main things I get complimented on Instagram is how I style my home. It may seem tedious, but creating styling moments in my home is key to making your home into somewhere you want to live and stay in. This doesn’t mean your home has to look like a show home. I’m talking corners and surfaces where you can take a couple of objects and style them in a way that just sparks a moment of joy every time you look at them. For me, this is my coffee table, my open shelving and how I make my bed in the morning. The key with styling moments is to create height and interest (something that I must speak about more in a blog post another time).

SCENT IS ALSO KEY.

The scent in your home can play a massive part in your home feeling like heaven to escape to. I’m a massive fan of candles, there’s at least two in each room of our house. My favourites have to be anything by Neom and The White Company. Super gorgeous to have on display and smell delicious too.

Candles aren’t your only go-to. Reed diffusers or an oil diffuser will help to fill a room with a scent with ease and don’t need supervision as a candle does. Scent wise, each room doesn’t have to be the same scent and I encourage you to mix it up. The key is to link the vibe and feel of the room to the scent. For example, I like an energetic smell in our living room. However, in our bedroom, I much prefer a relaxing unwinding scent. Choose what you like and how you want to feel in each room and you’ll home will always be welcoming.

GREENERY WILL BRING YOU JOY AND ADD LIFE TO A ROOM.

As a self-confessed plant lady, I love nothing more than filling my home with plants and greenery. Now, I’m not a snob. Fake or real, whichever one you choose will bring your home joy and make it feel like somewhere you want to spend time in. In terms of low-key house plants, a Monstera is so easy to look after and is great for creating visual interest. Other ones to consider are the rubber leaf plant and a chain of hearts.

If you’re looking for stems to create a floral arrangement, you cannot go wrong with eucalyptus. It’s been hot in interiors for a while and I don’t see it going anywhere any time soon.

ONLY DISPLAY THINGS THAT YOU LOVE.

There’s always a sense of obligation to have everything on display, even if you don’t like it. In my home, everything on display is something that I love or that sparks me joy. Anything else, I simply keep hidden in cupboards. This even comes down to practical things. I’m very content to invest time and money in something that is a practical object if it looks pretty. And yes, people may find it frivolous and not necessary. But I find joy and happiness every time I use it and it makes me want to be in my home and use it. If you take the time and money to invest in certain things and only display things that actually spark joy, your home will be a much happier place to be in.

Storage-wise, feel free to also invest in pretty storage. Just cause it’s not seen all the time doesn’t mean it has to be ugly. I love a good oven basket or brass wire basket. Ensure that they also tie in with your home decor and it will bring you happiness every time you open that drawer or cupboard.