TIPS AND TRICKS TO CREATING A SANCTUARY AT HOME

Today I am sharing the tips and tricks you can use to create a sanctuary at home. A place that allows you the ability to rest, relax, and recharge your body, mind, and soul.

How to create a home that fills you up and refreshes your soul

Home.

What comes to mind when you hear that word?

For me, it’s a safe haven. A place where our little family comes to rest, unwind, and reconnect after a busy day at work.

A place that is uniquely us. Cozy, warm, and, relaxing.

Self-care is all the rage these days. And honestly, so important.

As an introverted extrovert, it’s critical for me to have time to myself, and with my family, to decompress and recharge.

Don’t get me wrong. I love getting together with friends for drinks, dinner, or a little shopping. But after a long day at the office, I definitely need time to myself.

My life long friends can attest to this 🙂

Regardless of your level of extrovertedness though, everyone needs time to themselves to “fill their cup up”. Allowing them time to recharge so they can keep showing up in the world.

When you take the time to take care of yourself, the more present you can be for the people and the events that are important to you in your life.

By following the below tips and tricks to creating a sanctuary at home, you can create an environment that does just that.

Setting the foundation

creating a sanctuary at home starts with the interior color pallet.

Creating a home and environment that nourishes your soul starts with the color pallet you choose. Surround yourself with the colors you love. This will help create the environment you want.

Looking for a space that will envoke feelings of calm, relaxation, and give you room to breathe and create? Try adding shades of blue, beige and white.

For spaces that give you energy, alertness, and produce feelings of joy and passion, try yellow, red, and pink.

Browns and greens promote health, healing, and a connection to Mother Nature and earth. They also create an environment that feels warm with a welcoming vibe.

Use these color theories as a guide when selecting the colors for your home. It’s a great way to begin creating spaces that will help you relax, recharge, and reconnect.

Sanctuary at home through lighting

Lighting is a big component that often goes overlooked when designing spaces. Good lighting that matches the task at hand is key.

When considering the types of lighting needed in your spaces, think about the functions that will occur in each.

Make sure you have enough overhead or general lighting to light the space as a whole.

Next, add in task lighting where needed. Activities like reading, playing games, and other hobbies may require a little more direct light.

Lastly, add any accent lighting that may be needed. Want to highlight a piece of art, a wall, or a path through the house? Accent lighting allows you to do just this.

Adding lights on dimmers and layering your lighting allows you more control over the amount of light in your space. This will also help ensure you have the right amount of light at any given time throughout the day.

In addition to making sure you have the right lighting for each function, consider how lighting will affect and support your mood in a particular space.

Want to feel energized, awake, and ready to get going in the morning? Let the daylight in! Throw open those curtains and turn on the lights!

If possible, perform morning tasks in rooms that get plenty of natural sunlight. This will encourage your body and mind to naturally wake up and give you energy for the day ahead.

For a good night’s sleep, turn the lights down an hour or two before you want to fall asleep. Keep lighting low or to a minimum. This includes computer and mobile screens.

This allows your body to naturally adjust and prepare for a restorative night’s sleep.

Make space in your home

Being intentional with the colors and lighting you select is a great foundational start to creating a sanctuary in your home.

Surrounding yourself with the things you love goes hand in hand with this endeavor.

If it doesn’t bring you #joy consider donating, selling, or pitching to make room for the things that do.

I recommend doing this at least once a year. If you can make it a habit to do this when the seasons change, even better! It will be much easier to manage and the process will become quicker the more you do.

This also builds upon creating spaces that will support your desire to refuel physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

By clearing the clutter, you make space for your mind to think, create, and decompress.

Surround yourself with the things you love

Once you’ve gone through the exercise of purging the items that no longer bring you #joy, it’s time to surround yourself with the things that do.

If you need some ideas, here are the items on my must-have list in my own home.

Candles in my favorite scents make me happy. I always have one burning in our home and swap out the scents based on the season and my mood.

Photos of loved ones displayed across the top of a console, piano, or a chest of drawers. I love the look of a group of framed photos displayed atop a piece of furniture.

I was first drawn to this idea after seeing photos displayed this way in shows like The Crown and Downton Abbey. I’m a sucker for anything the Brits do!

Pillows and blankets help to create cozy and inviting spaces perfect for unwinding, relaxing, and napping. A MUST for me!

When my mood needs a boost I open my Pandora app and blast my favorite tunes through the speakers in our home. Music is perfect for decompressing and helping to change your mindset instantly.

Keep notebooks and a great pen on hand. They are perfect for when you need a good brain dump, want to journal, or just to capture everyday thoughts and notes. This helps you to clear your head and process your thoughts allowing you to relax.

Stock the bar cart! Whether you enjoy a good cocktail, can’t live without coffee, or prefer a cup of tea, make sure you have the essentials on hand.

One of my favorite cocktail recipes can be found here.

design your sanctuary at home

Create space for your favorite hobby

Once you’ve laid a great foundation, start to think about what truly makes you happy.

Think about the activities or hobbies that help you to unwind and recharge your mind and body. Work to incorporate them into your home to promote rest and relaxation.

Do you like to read like I do? Utilize those pillows and blankets that you’ve brought into your home and create a cozy and inviting reading nook to encourage this activity.

Store your favorite magazines and the books on your must-read list nearby so they are on hand and ready.

Is cooking or baking more your thing?

Create space for this within your kitchen. Add storage to house your favorite cookbooks. Keep staples on hand for when you get the itch to bake your favorite chocolate chip cookies!

Super crafty and creative? Turn that unused spare room into your crafting haven. Make it a space that draws out and encourages your creativity. A place you can escape to and design until your heart’s content.

Move your body

One of the things I’ve struggled with the most is allowing myself the time and space to exercise and move my body.

There is always so much to do and working out would always take a backseat with me because of it.

I’ve been learning though, that exercise and movement are critical to my physical AND my mental health as well.

This may seem like a no brainer for most people. But for someone that is constantly on the go, slowing it down can be hard.

I can easily forget to stop and take a breath to release the tension. Pushing myself instead to finish that “one last thing”. This bad habit of mine has led to a build-up of tension, tightening of muscles and joints, and a less than stellar mood.

Creating a designated space within our home that makes it easy to get a workout in has been critical to sticking to a routine and releasing the tension. If furniture needs to be moved out of the way or equipment dragged out, it’s less likely to get done. Removing as many barriers as possible has helped me sustain this new habit.

I sit at a desk all day so if I can’t get a full workout in, I try to at least stretch. Having the space to stretch my limbs and muscles has been SO good for my overall well being.

Giving myself the space to do this at home has also helped to reinforce our home as a place of rest and relaxation. Our little sanctuary.

Get your vitamin D

Here in the northeast, it’s not always possible to sit outside on our porches and patios. But when we do hit the warmer months of spring, summer, and fall, I try to get outside as much as possible.

Creating spaces for outdoor living at home is another great way to make your home into a haven. Being able to soak up the fresh air and sunshine does wonders for the body and soul.

If you have the ability to extend your indoor living into your outdoor spaces this is such a blessing. Even if the space available to you is not huge, there are plenty of ways to make it work for you.

For instance, we have a small stoop and a small strip of patio in the front of our house. It’s not huge but it’s enough for the two of us.

The porch is big enough for us to sit and watch the sunsets in the summer or I can sit and chat with Mike as he grills dinner.

Moose likes to be outside in the front as well so he can people watch and see what’s going on in the park.

The strip along our house is just big enough for a couple of chairs and side tables and has become a favorite spot for sitting outside and reading.

And when I need a little more space, I grab a blanket and throw it down on the lawn so I can relax. It doesn’t have to be fancy! Just get outside!

We’ve also pulled our fire pit out on cool fall nights, added a table on our back patio for dinners al fresco with friends and family, and have worked in the flower beds.

Any time spent outdoors will help to relax and clear your mind along with working out and easing your muscles. All good things for the body and soul.

Bath time

There’s nothing like a cozy, warm bath for washing the stresses of the day away.

Make it extra indulgent with your favorite face masks, bath bombs, and oils to pamper your skin.

Epson salts will help to relax your achy muscles after a long day. Lavender in the form of a bath bomb or oil before bed will help put you on the path to a good night’s sleep.

I sometimes find it hard to just sit there and soak. Often I’ll bring the current book I am reading along with me or will turn on some music to help me to settle in and relax.

Your favorite candle and dimmed lighting are two other ways to up the relaxation factor.

Date night

One of my favorite ways to relax at home involves one of my favorite hobbies and my very favorite human and fur baby!

Friday or Saturday date nights in are some of my absolute favorites.

After a long work week, coming home to dinner and a movie on the sofa with Mike and Moose is heaven to me.

If you’re anything like me, after a full week of work outside the home, by Friday night you’re craving your sanctuary at home.

Having this time to unwind and decompress within our home is how I refuel for the upcoming week.

I make sure to keep the freezer stocked. Having items on hand makes whipping up dinner super easy.

App night or pizza night are some of our go tos and are quick and easy to make.

Prefer a girl’s night or to have friends over? Not in the mood for a movie? How about a game night? Whatever helps you unwind and settle into the weekend, do it!

Create a space that is an extension of you

Ultimately, the way to create a sanctuary at home is to incorporate whatever helps YOU unwind, relax, and recharge.

Your home should be an extension of what you love. Whatever fills you up and refreshes your soul.

Don’t forget to start with a great foundation. Your color pallet and lighting will help to set the tone.

Purge what doesn’t bring you #joy and bring in more of the things that do.

Create spaces that support the activities and hobbies you love. Whatever refreshes your spirit and helps you to relax.

Follow these tips and tricks and your home will be the haven and restorative place of rest your body, mind, and soul need.

What other things do you do to create a sanctuary in your own home?