…..Ahh!  Breathe.  Relax.  Escape from the outside chaos and enter into this calm, peaceful place that is your home.  What is the purpose of your home?  For me, it is to nurture, teach and protect our young children.  A place where we can come together, to relax, create and to be our authentic selves.  A place that is safe and secure. So often when I have friends and family in my home, they say that “My has such good energy, it’s so peaceful and calm.”   This doesn’t happen by chance.  My husband and I have children ages 5 and 7, sometimes it seems anything but peaceful and calm! 

Everything that comes into our home, comes with a purpose.  However, before you can create your peaceful home, you need to declutter or tidy up rather.  I am and always will be loyal to following the rules of Kon Mari, Marie Kondo’s take on tidying up (decluttering) your home.  Some of her books are “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying UP”, “Spark Joy: A Master Class on the Art of Organizing and Tidying UP”.  Great tool to bring joy and clarity into your home.  Once you have taken the time and done the hard work of tidying up, your home is where it needs to be to create a place of peace and joy.

Here are my top 10 tips to creating a peaceful home.

  1. Choose your peaceful color palette. What colors calm you?  Blue, green, lavender or maybe it’s pink?  Pink is a fabulous neutral, so don’t rule it out!  I gravitate toward the colors of the sea.  Living in the mid-west where there is not a sea with 1500 miles of our home makes it even more important to create that aura. Painting light blue on the ceiling is a favorite technique I like to implement in my decor.  This technique can be traced back to medieval times as it is believed to raise your heart and mind to have lofty, inspiring thoughts.  Works really great with nearly all wall colors.
  2. What colors speak to your soul? This may be different from the calming palette.  Soulful colors tend to have more vibrancy and zest.  For me, they are the colors of the peacock feathers.  We love the water so we have a sofa that is sprinkled with cotton velvet cushions in teal, chartreuse and fuscia for that unexpected touch. 
  3. Surround yourself with natural fibers; linen, cotton, wool and silk. A wonderful way to bring in natural fibers is by using wool for your rugs, cotton or linen blend on your upholstery and silk lined window treatments.  Natural fibers dye beautifully so the colors are divine.
  4. Choose to have furnishing that are comfortable and allow you to relax when sitting or lounging. If it isn’t comfortable it will not bring you peace. 

    Tailored Décor & Bits and images by Canary Grey

  5. Burn incense, light candles or use a diffuser that permeates the air with your favorite scent. Depending what my mood is, I like lemon in my diffuser.  I know lavender is for calming but it gives me a headache!
  6. Play soft music. Is it classical?  Mine too!
  7. Layer your lighting. There are layers in lighting from ceiling fixtures, to wall sconces, to table lamps and accent lighting.  Lighting should be used according to the ambiance you want to create.  Dimmer switches are the best for doing this!
  8. Choose wall art and photography that reminds you of a place of peace, joy or a favorite memory.
  9. Bring in the greenery! Some plants are fabulous for removing toxins and absorbing sound in your home.  The peace lily, bamboo palm, English ivy, moth orchid, gerbera daisy and philodendron are all great options. Don’t have a “green thumb”?  Me either!  I choose fresh cut flowers.  There is something so wonderful about coming home to a lovely display of hydrangeas on my counsel.  Ahh…..
  10. I like the idea of naming your home. It makes it so much more than a house. It becomes a destination.  We call our home CASA LEVI.  We tend toward the Spanish language because my husband is fluent in Spanish and the rest of us are adamant about learning it! 

Creating a peaceful home is part of what you have in it and part of what you bring to it.  As an interior designer, I can guide you to bring peace and calm through your color choices, textures and accessories to create a calm essence.  The other part is up to you.  Choose thoughtfully.

**Content gathered over 25+ years of being a residential interior designer through the numerous books and articles that I have read and lectures that I have attended.