Tips for Creating a Calming Environment in Your Home

When you return home from a stressful day at work or from running errands all day in Dallas traffic, you deserve a relaxing retreat. The last thing you need is for your home to stress you out. Here are a few tips to create a more calming environment so you can breathe easy as soon as you walk in the door.

Clear Out Clutter

There’s one sure way to reduce clutter before it gets out of control: For each new item brought into the house, another item has to leave (either by donation or thrown away). Without this policy, it's too easy to allow your closet to overflow, your drawers to transform into "junk drawers" and your desktop to look like a paper wasteland. Employ the help of furniture with chic storage such as the pieces at E.C. Dicken, Inc. Take a few minutes at the end of each day to tidy the main rooms in your house, returning items to their proper home. The results will leave your space and your mind clear.

Choose Positive Decor

The artwork that populates your home can have a lasting effect on your mood. If you're surrounded by morose paintings filled with dull colors, you're not doing your mindset any favors. Choose items that bring a smile to your face. Visit Art Dallas Inc. for a light-filled landscape, particularly something featuring an ocean or forest. Think of energetic portraits of your family and friends and a furniture piece that holds a fond memory for you such as an antique chair from Again & Again that looks like one your grandmother had when you were young.

Take Advantage of Natural Light

If you’re lucky enough to have large windows, don't cover them with heavy, light-blocking drapes. Let the natural light shine through with sheer curtains or blinds that provide privacy but also bounce the light onto the surrounding walls. Timber Blind MetroShade has shadings with sheer fabric panels that would be a perfect solution. If your windows are smaller, use a mirror adjacent to them to make it appear that you have more windows. You can also place a mirror opposite a window to reflect its light back into the room.

Consider Soothing Color Schemes

In their lightest variations, blue, violet, pink, green and gray offer visual stress relief. Look at Gracie Studio to find textured wallpapers in silks and paper chinois for a soothing effect. Choose a neutral and restful blue for your bedroom to calm your mind and reduce tension. Violet and pink don't have to be reserved for a little girl's room. In the right shades, these colors bring peace and serenity to any environment. Light green brings a refreshing taste of the natural world into your space while a soothing, cool gray can be the perfect pick for your kitchen, living room or den since it coordinates with so many furnishings. 

Bonus tip? Add some real greenery into your home by incorporating a few potted plants or permanent flower arrangements. This addition can also improve your air quality.

The Dallas Design District offers so many resources for turning your home into a welcoming retreat. Browse our showrooms and learn to leave your worries at the door.