5 Completely Free Ways to Make Your House a Home
We’ve talked time and time again about all the little things you can do to make a house feel like a home. You can have warm enveloping lighting, plants for fresh air and fun additions of color, collections and artwork, but that’s not what this post is about. This post is about how to make your home feel like a refuge; it doesn’t have a single thing to do with your decor or the design of your space and nothing costs a dime – it’s all totally, 100% free…
1. Spend Time In It: It’s almost a badge of honor these days to rattle off your itinerary for the day which leaves little or no time spent at home other than the 6 hours of sleep you try to weasel in. You can’t have the feelings of a safe harbor within your walls if you’re never there. If it’s merely a place to lay your head and hang your coat then it will never mean anything more to you than a coat rack does. Saying no to things in the outside world can be hard, but sometimes it’s worth it for your home, peace and comfort in the long run.
2. Use Your Space: So you’re at home. That’s what we just told you to do right? Chillin’ watching television, staring out the window. What more do you want? Well, lots actually! Use your table, sprawl out on the floor, cook, bake, clean, paint a picture… do something that forces you to interact with the things in your home. So often we’re on auto pilot that forcing yourself to break the home-dinner-tv-bed routine can awaken your senses to how you’d like your space to function or embrace your hobbies and habits.
3. Speak Kindly: Homes are places where love and memories are made. Do your best to make them kind, wonderful thoughts. We’re not going to tell you the words you should or shouldn’t be saying, but tone, attitude, and spirit go a long way to making your environment one that is comforting and a refuge away from everything else.
4. Music Matters: It’s easy to think about music while we’re doing certain things. It’s a no-brainer to listen to music at the gym or during a morning commute. But kick out the jams at home, too! Some of the strongest memories you can make often involve music. Open the windows, add a breeze and choose your tunes to match or make your day.
5. Entertain Without Worry: Quite often when we have friends and family over to our homes, it’s easy to spend our time apologizing or talking about the things that aren’t quite right that we still plan to fix. Spend time with others in your home, just enjoying your home as it is right now. Don’t worry about the dust they might see or the things that didn’t get done. One of the hardest things we can learn is to let go and enjoy being us, wherever we are, without worry or concern.
Do you have something to add to the list? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Re-edited from a post originally published 9.7.11 – NT