10 Easy Ways To Create A Home That Feels Calm

In partnership with StudiO Architecture + Design

In a world that can sometimes feel frenetic and overwhelming, we need our home to be a place of calm. Somewhere we can retreat to at the end of a busy day to escape from the pressures and stresses of everyday life. The way we present our home can have a huge impact on our wellbeing, so we need to get the design right.

But many of us struggle to create the calming home environment we need. In fact, our personal space can sometimes actually add to our stress. Cue the experts! Daria Iwon, interior designer at StudiO here in Guernsey, has some simple suggestions to help you transform even the most hectic of households into a place of serenity and calm.

 

Image credit: StudiO

 1.  Go With The Flow.

We may not notice when we’re in a well-designed space, but we will naturally feel a sense of calm and balance. A badly designed space, on the other hand – where the layout is chaotic or furniture obstructs movement – will make us feel unsettled. So flow is key. Think about how you use the rooms in your house and keep high traffic areas, like hallways and entrances, clear. With open-plan living, it’s important to establish visually separate areas. Creating clear zones through the use of rugs and intentional furniture placement will open up the spaces, creating seamless transitions between different parts of your home.

 

2.  Find the Right Balance.

Most homes are built over time, with pieces of furniture, art, and decor accumulating over many years. Buying these items impulsively and without much consideration can result in unbalanced and overwhelming spaces. But it doesn’t have to! Creating rooms that feel balanced and cohesive enables our brains to process the information as one united space, which in turn makes us feel calm. Using principles of design such as harmony and repetition, you can achieve a home where everything feels like it belongs without necessarily matching. Take the time to carefully consider each purchase you make for your home. Shop with intention. Try following a loose theme throughout. Consider which rooms connect with one another, so that your home looks its best from every angle and doorway.

 

3.  Keep The Noise Down.

From lower blood pressure and reduced stress levels to enhanced creativity and improved sleep, the physical and mental wellbeing benefits of a quiet environment are well documented. That’s why it’s so important to manage the acoustics in your house. Even simple improvements can go a long way to softening and absorbing noise and reverberation. For example, try covering hard surfaces with soft furnishings like rugs, throws and cushions, or getting creative with upholstered wall coverings and textile wall art. Window coverings can also help to absorb sound – curtains work best, but blinds or shutters can also make a difference. Houseplants and living walls work well, too, with the added benefits of improving air quality and connecting our indoor spaces with the outdoors.

 

Image credit: StudiO

4.  Embrace Nature.

Whether through thriving houseplants, a living wall or a view out onto a garden or landscape, bringing nature into your home has many calming benefits. Research shows that biophilic design – the art of designing buildings and landscapes to enhance our relationship with nature –  can have positive effects on our mental wellbeing. Studies show that houseplants and flowers reduce stress and alleviate low moods and anxiety. The actual task of tending to your houseplants can also be therapeutic, providing a moment of stillness in your busy life. Interestingly, while real plants provide the added benefit of air filtration, studies have shown that artificial plants provide similar boosts to productivity, focus and overall mood, so these can be a good place to start.

 

5.  Create Curves.

Compared with the usual sharp, angular shapes and edges of modern houses, curved architectural features and furniture can create a more welcoming and intimate feel. The softness and gentle movement remind us of being in nature and make us feel more relaxed. To bring in curves, there’s no need to knock down walls or redesign the layout of your home – unless you’re at the design phase in your build, in which case it may be something worth considering, if appropriate. You can use rounded furniture and rugs, curved mirrors and shelving, or artwork that includes organic forms to offset the angular nature of most homes.

 

Image credit: StudiO

6.  Consider Colour

Colours have a strong effect on our emotional state. Some will calm or brighten our mood, while others may agitate or deflate us. Theories around colour psychology suggest that carefully selected colour schemes can have a positive impact on your mental wellbeing. For example, high-energy colours like red can make us feel stimulated and awake. However, too much red in the wrong context can be overwhelming and distracting, making it a difficult colour to use in the bedroom, where you want the energy to be conducive to sleep. Meanwhile, cool and subdued colours like blues and greens are more soothing and calming. All of this means it’s crucial to make considered choices when it comes to your colour palette. Plan carefully and experiment before you commit. And remember, you don’t have to go all out too quickly. Even a few, well-selected pops of colour or muted tones, either through decor or furniture placements, can make a big difference to the feel of a space. 

 

7.  Try Texture.

Using different textures throughout your home – in the form of fabrics, panelling, stone, and so on – is another easy way to transform it into a calm haven. The right textures not only look good, they also bring comfort through touch. Wrapping yourself in a comfortable blanket on a chilly evening, or sliding between soft bed linens – these tactile experiences can really lift your mood. Elsewhere, materials such as stone, brick and wood connect us to nature, bringing warmth and visual interest to domestic spaces. Making conscious choices around surfaces, from upholstery to wall finish to accessories, can help to create a nurturing and calming home that supports our wellbeing. 

 

Image credit: StudiO

8.  Amplify Natural Light. 

Natural light can help improve your mood and reduce stress and anxiety. Though you can’t change the seasons or the position of your home, there are plenty of simple ways to maximise the natural light in your home. Well-placed mirrors reflect sunlight and brighten your home, while glass accessories help bounce light around the room. The right shades and colour tones can help you make the most of any available natural light, so when redecorating, pay attention to how your chosen colour swatches look at different times of day. Think about the aspect of each room and consider how different colours will work in different seasons, too. For spaces short on natural light (especially in winter), try leaning into a richer and darker aesthetic to create cosy and intimate cocoon-like spaces, enhanced with textured fabrics and low-level light sources. If you’re at the design stage of an architectural project, consider rooflights for potentially gloomy rooms to pull in that mood-boosting daylight.

 

9.  Find Storage Solutions.

With the rise of post-pandemic home-working, and spaces serving more than one purpose, it’s more important than ever to design for practical storage. Organised, uncluttered spaces encourage calm and creativity, while chaotic, unmanaged spaces have the opposite effect. High ceilings and clear, open spaces give us room to breathe, while smaller spaces require even more careful management. That includes finding suitable storage solutions, from stylish built-in cabinets that hide everyday clutter to statement-making open shelves displaying your favourite and most prized possessions. Think about layout and placement here, too. At your front door, for instance, a strategically placed storage bench, shelving unit or row of simple coat hooks can provide a functional and intentional home for all those coats and shoes that might otherwise clutter up your hallway and diminish the tranquillity you’ve created elsewhere.

 

10.  Keep it Real.

Remember, this is your home and what works for someone else may not work for you. If you have young children or pets, your criteria for a peaceful and practical home will differ from that of someone who is child- and pet-free. But whatever your circumstances, your home is an extension of your personality, and should be a reflection of who you are. Trends and styles will come and go, and following them matters less than finding your own state of calm. A home that feels both stylish and serene is one that, above all else, works for you. 

 

 

The best interior design strikes a delicate balance between form and function, style and substance. Calm spaces don’t have to be bland – there’s room for character, too.

- Daria Iwon, Interior Designer at StudiO 

 

About StudiO

StudiO is an award-winning, RIBA Chartered architecture and design practice based in Guernsey, delivering a broad range of design solutions across residential, commercial, and community projects, at all scales and on all budgets. StudiO offer comprehensive interior design and landscape design services, either as part of broader architectural projects or as standalone commissions. 

Winners in two categories at the 2024 Guernsey Design Awards, the StudiO team (including interior designer Daria, pictured) boasts decades of experience across a broad range of projects, from multi-million-pound private homes to non-profit community spaces, and from much-loved restaurants to curated exhibitions. Explore their award-winning portfolio here.