7 Décor Tips & Ideas to Create a Calming Sanctuary at Home

Your home is a sanctuary for you and your family. The décor you choose influences its tranquility as well as its design style. Read on for 7 decorating tips and ideas for a home that's chic and calming at once.

1. Showcase Items You Love

Family photos. Family heirlooms. Decorative accents you've loved since the moment they came home. Highlight these items in the spots you spend the most time relaxing. Take a conscious walkthrough of your home to find your favorite pieces and rediscover a few you've forgotten. Go through those old boxes of photos to find the pictures that make you feel happy and peaceful.

Once you've taken inventory, relocate them to where you and your family will most enjoy these treasures. Put the pictures in photo frames and set them on side tables in your living room. Or, create a gallery wall with pictures of past travels and family gatherings. Shift a favorite sculpture from the front entrance hall to a prime spot next to the fireplace or beside the sofa so you can enjoy it more often. Move a cozy armchair from the guest bedroom to your home office to make it a more inviting space.

2. Choose a Blend of Soothing and Uplifting Colors

Some colors are known for their ability to calm and soothe, while others are known for their cheery qualities. In some spaces, such as your bedroom or the living room where you settle down at night, call for soothing colors. Places where you want to be calm but wakeful, such as your office or kitchen, benefit from slightly brighter hues.

If you have time to repaint your frequently used rooms, go for it! If not, add pillows, throw blankets, and framed artwork featuring these hues:

Calming

• Light blue
• Parchment white
• Pale lavender
• Soft cinnamon

Cheerful

• Pastel yellow
• Warm orange
• Salmon or terracotta
• Turquoise

Finally, add pops of bright color to your favorite spaces. Arrange a collection of vibrant throw pillows on a comfy love seat by the window or hang a lively piece of wall art. These accents ensure your soothing home doesn't make you want to nap the day away.

2. Embrace Calming Neutrals and Natural Materials

Earthy neutrals and organic materials are soothing. They also offer an essential contrast that enhances the calming and cheerful qualities of more colorful elements. Some neutral and natural décor ideas:

• Textural woven throw blankets in off-white or tan
• Light oak or teak coffee and accent tables
• Seagrass area rugs
• Macrame poufs
• Leather throw pillows

4. Focus On Your Favorite Spot

Start by adding soothing elements to favorite locations throughout the house. Ask family members where they most love relaxing. They may call out the kitchen island or breakfast nook, or a reading corner in the living room. Or their bed may be their favorite spot. Focus your decorating efforts on these areas first to elevate the serenity of your homestead quickly.

5. Declutter and Prioritize Cozy

Decluttering can help reduce stress. Minimize clutter strategically and in phases, so the process doesn't feel overwhelming. Start by removing items you don't need in the area. Find another spot where they fit, toss them, or donate them. If needed, add an ottoman with storage or a small sideboard for magazines, kids' toys, and other odds and ends that contribute to clutter.

Once you've paired down, take the coziness up a level. Here are some ideas:

• Place a collection of candles on your coffee table. Even better if they feature soothing scents, such as lavender or lemon.
• Add side table lamps in shades in warm white tones.
• Hang a collection of throw blankets on a decorative ladder nearby.
• Feature a framed painting or wall art that makes you feel peaceful.

6. Bring Calming Botanicals Inside

Bring nature indoors as much as possible. Prioritize houseplants near where your family spends the most time and where there's abundant natural light. For example, you can add hanging plants in the kitchen nook window, or place a trip of large plants in planters beside a living room window. Succulents have a soothing moss green color and are lovely additions to accent tables, as are fresh flowers in vases. Finally, consider faux plants and silk bonsai trees for spaces with low light, or no one in your house has a green thumb.

7. Create Outdoor Sanctuaries

Encourage your family out into the fresh air by designing cozy outdoor spaces. Feature comfortable seating, such as cushioned outdoor sofas and patio swing chairs, as well as tables for setting drinks and enjoying dinner al fresco. Ensure protection from harsh sunlight with umbrellas so you can enjoy a good book without glare. Finally, extend the hours and seasons you take advantage of outdoor spaces with fire pit coffee tables, propane patio heaters, and outdoor lamps.

Your home is where you relax after busy days, and where you enjoy peace and play on the weekends. Use these tips to create spaces that are always soothing and restorative.