The process of tidying, decorating or redesigning your home to become a Stress Free environment can in itself be STRESSFUL. So remember to breathe, take it one space at a time and follow these stress-free home decor tips to make the process just as enjoyable as the satisfaction that follows.

1) Clear your home to clear your mind.

Stuff. Nobody seems to realize just how much stuff they have until they analyze everything that they own. But the truth is about stuff is that stuff weighs you down. The more stuff you have in your home, the heavier it feels. And, like unloading a heavy burden off your back, the lighter your home the less stressed you will feel.

Take a look at your furniture and bulky items that do nothing but take up space. That rocking chair in the corner may look nice but does anybody ever sit in it? That chest of drawers that stores who-knows-what; you haven’t even opened it in a year! Get rid of it! And any of the contents that you don’t even need. Even if this means you end up having to replace certain items of furniture to avoid temptation of squirreling away more junk in future into hidden storage compartments built into your home furnishings, do so! You’ll feel a lot lighter because of it.

2) Relax your color scheme.

Never underestimate the effects that something as simple as a Color can have on your mood. Like advertising experts who know off the top of their head which colors sell what, you need to know which colors have calming effects on you and which colors to proactively avoid in your home. You’ll find that using a calming color to unify the rooms in your home will keep you fresh-thinking and relaxed.

Keep the design of your home cohesive, with minimal style and color clashes. Some people strive for bold looks and that can work for some people as a way to inspire themselves and stay motivated. But what works for some does not work for others. And if you’re someone who is aiming for stress-free, bold colors and designs can be a headache-inducing, chaotic mess. For a more relaxing home environment, use color consistently and explore different hues and tones to soften the color depth of your home. Flat, matte finishes are also less visually intense and appear more soothing than high gloss finishes that increase the vibrancy of the color.

3) Make space for positivity.

Small rooms can make you feel a little claustrophobic and anxious. You need to do everything you can to make your space feel bigger. This means reducing clutter and making the most of empty space. Empty space, whether on a wall or on the floor, gives your eyes somewhere to glance to rest and relax - even if only for mere moments at a time. Don’t clutter your shelves. Leave a little space so that your shelves aren’t too visually overwhelming. Empty space between decorative items are also a great way to showcase any elements that you want to highlight or draw attention to. Don’t just try to fill space because you feel you have to make the most of it. Less is more.

A well-positioned mirror can dramatically enlarge the visual area of a room. Adequate spacing to leave plenty of floor space between furniture can also help. There should never be a labyrinth to solve in order to get from one area of a room to another, and by keeping walkways clear you are improving the “flow” of the room.

4) Keep it natural.

Nature is an incredibly calming and undervalued component to any home. By bringing reminders of the outdoors into your home, you are giving yourself a sense of one with the world outside. This can be in the form of fresh flowers and indoor plants that literally breathe life into your home, or something artificial like landscape photographs or paintings. Anything that reminds you of the natural beauty of the world. Studies have also shown that growing indoor plants have great health benefits due to way in which they purify and improve the air in your home. According to NASA, they can even reduce drowsiness, headaches and even cold-related illnesses thanks to pollutant-absorbing, humidifying qualities of some indoor plants.

For an extra boost of serenity in your home, why not try a small indoor water feature. The sound of steady water trickling in the background can soothe your senses, but even the visual aesthetic of still water is enough to relax us. This can be something as simple as a wide bowl of water with stones, beads or floating petals.

5) Hide the distractions.

Hide anything that might create unnecessary stress or distract you from what’s supposed to be your “down time”. Do you really need a pile of magazines stacked on your coffee table? Are you one to leave your work laptop on the coffee table at all times? Do you leave letters on the table? Drape your coat over the back of the sofa instead of putting it away? All these little seemingly insignificant things collect in your mind as a subconscious “to do list”, collectively making you feel a little stressed. In the back of your head, you’re thinking to yourself “I need to pay the bills”, “I have so much work to do”, “I need to put that away”. And while individually each task seems like nothing to worry about, you’re not even aware of the mountain of stress you’re slowly building for yourself. One distraction at a time.

6) Create a good first impression.

A good first impression is everything. And every time you walk into a room, it’s like you’re experiencing the room for the first time. How does that room greet you? Is there a friendly warmth, a sense of urgency or busy-ness, maybe even a feeling of discomfort that you’re unwelcome in your own home?

Your room needs a greeter. Something to immediately grab your attention and welcome you into the room. Your room needs to make a good first impression with a focus point that brings all aspects of the room together. A focal point can be something structural within the room, or a feature wall or maybe push focus to an item of furniture within the room. Anything that makes a statement. The trick is to not try to create many good first impressions. There can only be one otherwise everything will just be competing for your attention, and too many things to look at can be visually confusing and therefore stress-inducing.

7) Fresh smells are calming.

Like color, Smell is a powerful signal that tells us how to feel. Bad odors make us feel disgust and discomfort, the smell of peppermint can increase our concentration and floral smells can even help to reduce our breathing rate and blood pressure.

We perceive the world through our sense impressions. And, smell being one of them, we associate many of our memories and experiences with the way things smelled at the time. It’s an odd realization, but if you close your eyes and think back to a particular moment in time you can often still remember the smell. Your grandmother’s house, your teenage crush, your first pet…

Decide how you want each room of your home to make you feel and find the smell to help you achieve that feeling. You can use essential oil, potpourri, air freshener or treat yourself to scented candles for the evening. The most calming smells are considered to be chamomile, sandalwood, ylang-ylang and lavender.

8) Keep it clean.

Nothing is more stressful than a dirty or untidy home. Dusty shelves? Dusty baseboards? Scuffs on the wall?

Sometimes a good cleaning is all you need to create a stress free home…

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