According to the Pew Research Center, more American households are renting than at any other point since 1965.
If you’re a renter and constantly bouncing from place to place, it can feel impossible to have a true sense of “home.”
Even if you own your own house, this can be a difficult sensation to cultivate.
Never fear! Let’s take a look at twelve bomb-proof ways to increase your comfort at home.
1.Declutter and Organize
Before you head out to your favorite home goods store to deck out your pad with more stuff, you’re going to want to deal with what you already have.
Tackling your extra room filled with storage or your kitchen table stacked with mail can feel like the last thing you want to do. Nothing adds to a sense of comfort and peace at home, though, more than a decluttered house.
Living in a cluttered space can add stress to your life. It makes housework take longer, makes it easier to lose objects, and can make your feel mentally cluttered.
The time you invest in decluttering will be well worth it. You’ll have more space in your home, more time on your hands, and more energy to focus on the things you love. It’s amazing how much more peace you can experience in a space that isn’t overflowing with stuff.
Once you’ve gotten rid of all the things you never use and don’t need, now it’s time to organize. There are countless theories about organization out there, but the most important thing is that you find a system that works for you.
2.Think About the Lighting
Natural lighting is an amazing thing. It can make us feel more happy, relaxed, and productive while at home. If you’re blessed to have a home with plentiful windows, don’t keep those curtains closed!
There are so many different fun things you can do with lighting. Be mindful of the differences between light colors, as they can affect our mood, productivity, and comfort in our homes. Consider decking out your bedroom or a cozy nook with some beautiful string lights that invite you to relax and unwind.
Another great way to use lighting to increase your comfort at home is to use candles. If you’re lucky enough to have a fireplace, keep it properly maintained and use it when the weather is right. There’s nothing like sitting in front of the orange glow of the fire on a winter’s eve.
3.Add Some Life
One of the best ways to make a house feel homey is to add tons of plants. It’s honestly hard to go overboard here.
If you’re new to having houseplants, start slowly so you don’t overwhelm yourself. You’ll have to learn a bit about what type of care different plants need so they can thrive. If you’ve got a green thumb, then have at it!
There are so many positive benefits to adding plants to spaces that you’ll wonder why you went so long without them.
Some plants can help keep the air in your home clean. They add oxygen to the air and can help you breathe easier in your own home. If your home is too dry, house plants can also help increase the humidity.
Having houseplants around can even help you be more focused, heal faster when sick, and experience less anxiety and fatigue.
4.Decorate With Art
Sometimes people stray away from putting art on their walls because they don’t know what they like or are worried that they have “bad taste.”
Don’t fall into this trap! It’s amazing what hanging some pictures on the wall can do to an otherwise boring and uninspired room. Even if you have a very limited budget for decorating, it’s easy to find interesting pieces at thrift stores and tag sales for very low prices.
When choosing art, it can be good to not overthink it. Don’t try to create a space that you think other people will think is cool or makes you seem cultured. Choose works that speak to you at an emotional and spiritual level, things that inspire you.
5.Prioritize Air Quality
Modern humans spend way more time inside than any of our predecessors ever did. Believe it or not, the EPA has found that the average American spends 90% of their time indoors.
The reason this is important is that the concentration of certain air pollutants are frequently 2 to 5 times greater indoors than outdoors. With buildings being constructed with increased energy-efficiency, this is actually magnified because there is less ventilation. Who knew there were health benefits to living in a drafty old house!
6.Don’t Forget About Scent
Did you know that the smell of your environment can influence your mood, your work performance, and other aspects of your behavior?
It’s easy to understand this if you think about how distracting and uncomfortable it would be to work in an environment with an unpleasant smell. Not only can you ensure that your house doesn’t smell bad, you can actually increase the comfort of home by incorporating lovely smells.
You can do this in a number of ways. Cooking delicious and aromatic food is one way, but you certainly can’t be doing that 24/7. Another way is to incorporate scented candles.
Something that’s grown in popularity in recent years is using essential oil diffusers to make their homes and offices smell amazing. Essential oils are awesome because not only do they smell good, but the different oils can impact your mood and energy in a variety of ways.
(Are you confused about the difference between an essential oil diffuser and a humidifier? Follow this link to compare humidifier vs diffuser.)
7.Make It Cozy
So we’ve spent a lot of time diving into how to make your overall environment comfortable. But how can you increase your personal comfort more directly?
A great way to make your house cozy is to, well, make it cozy! Add plush blankets and fluffy pillows to your sitting areas to make it easy to snuggle up and get comfortable.
8.Utilize Outdoor Spaces
If you’re lucky enough to have your own private outdoor space, then there’s no reason to end your cozy-crusade at the back door! There are so many awesome ways to make a backyard feel like your own private paradise.
Creating privacy for your outdoor space can be a great place to start. Whether it’s strategically placed plants or a fence, a sense of enclosure will certainly help you feel more comfortable. It can be hard to fully relax when you know you’re in full view of all of your neighbors!
Consider adding a fire pit, some comfortable seating, and some cool outdoor lighting. Of course, you can add tons of potted plants or even design a garden to install. If you’ve got the room, think about finding a place to string up a hammock, which is the ultimate in outdoor comfort.
9.Decorate With Fresh Flowers
Since your home is now clutter-free, you have plenty of space to display a few vases of beautiful fresh flowers. Not only do they make the room smell fragrant and lovely, but it’s also hard not to smile at a gorgeous bouquet!
It’s amazing how important small gestures like regularly buying yourself fresh flowers can be. Better yet, if you’ve got a flower garden out back or a nature trail where wildflowers grow, consider collecting and designing your own bouquets.
10.Consider Your Wall Colors
If you’re a renter, you might not be allowed to paint your walls. If you do have this privilege, though, use it! It’s incredible and fascinating how colors can powerfully affect our mood, behavior, and emotions. There is a whole field of color theory that can help you decide what color works best for what room.
If you aren’t allowed to paint your walls, you can still create a comfortable home with color. Consider hanging tapestries, utilizing colorful art, or incorporating color in your other furnishings.
11.Make Your Home Welcoming From the Outside
A great way to make your house cozy is to make it a welcoming space from the outside. Take some time and spruce up your front yard and front porch. Keep this area clean, uncluttered, and incorporate some of your favorite design ideas to ensure that you’re always psyched to pull into the driveway.
12.Incorporate Personal Touches
It’s all too common for people to head to a home goods store, fill up their cart with a bunch of mass-manufactured stuff, and come home and call it decorating. Your home is your castle, though, and it should represent and reflect you in a deeper way than just being a display room for a bunch of store-bought stuff.
Of course, we can’t all be hand-quilting all our blankets. That being said, you can incorporate personal photos, objects of private significance, and anything that inspires and speaks to your soul. Your home should be the place you are most comfortable in the world, so make it uniquely yours!
Incorporating Any or All of These Tips Will Radically Increase Your Comfort at Home
Sometimes it just takes a little inspiration to transform your drab home into a comfortable home. Invest in yourself and your space by incorporating some of these 12 tips!
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