Inner Peace On A Budget: How To Create A Calming Retreat At Home

Short of signing off work, bundling yourself down to the Cotswolds for a wellness retreat that sees you bandaged up in seaweed and listening to Orcas on a loop for seven months, it’s tricky to find some calm in the working day-to-day. Not to mention expensive. But as we often suggest, you can find your own slice of calm in your North London abode and create a calming home environment, if you know how. Well boy do we know how. Guess what, there’s not a killer whale in sight.

The benefits of finding your zen at home

Though it might sound like just another way to sell body-part-scented candles and fluffy rugs, there’s plenty of science behind the importance of a calming home environment for our mental health. So long as your surroundings are pleasing to you personally, it goes a long way to help reducing anxiety, blood pressure and generalised London-induced rage. What’s more, we know how to create a de-stressing home environment on a shoestring. Inner peace is on a budget these days.

Detox your worldly goods

While we wouldn’t suggest squeezing all your belongings into boxes and shoving them mercilessly into the charity shops to create a calming home environment, a messy and cluttered pad has been proven to heighten stress levels. The niggling, underlying kind of stress that lurks under the surface on a daily basis. A little like the carefully curated collection of crap you’ve shoved under the sofa.

Unfortunately, the act of decluttering to de-stress is a twisted catch 22 when attempting to create a calming home environment. The mere thought of tackling all that ‘business’ under the stairs simply gives you *more* *stress*. But we have the answer! Don’t attempt it. Well, not all in one go. Decide to do just one little section at a time. Maybe even try to enjoy it.

Giving things away via Freecycle, selling stuff on eBay or doing a swap shop with your friends will whip up some serotonin at the very least. You never know, you might come across a long forgotten tenner you left in a dusty old jacket. That hamster could be alive and well after all – thriving, even. High paws guys! Winning.

Dopamine ‘window’ dressing

Speaking of the good hormones, filling your home with aesthetically pleasing objects – whether necessary or not – floods your brain with dopamine. Especially after you’ve made space for said objects post decluttering session. It’s along the same lines of dopamine dressing. This where you try to alleviate the stress of the world by wearing colours you love in materials you enjoy. Think pink fluffy cardigans with tartan velvet trousers and you’re well on your way.

Hey, if people are staring you’ll be too busy grinning maniacally to care! So the same applies for your home. Have a stroll down to a car boot sale and treat yourself to that Toby jug you’ve always wanted. Perhaps that neon crochet rug. If it makes you smile and won’t break the bank, it’s in the bag. Freecycle can also give you that retail therapy dopamine hit for free. Scroll through pages of flower pots, bookshelves and imagine a brand new you who will use a pasta maker thank you very much.

Colour yourself happy

We won’t tell you to use a blue and white colour scheme for their generic-as-heck calming home effects, but colours do make a huge difference on our mood. What colours depend entirely on you and your tastes. Textures also play a big part in determining our emotional welfare. Some people might love a cream leather sofa and glass coffee table. Others might find these items stressful – endlessly imagining spilling tomato soup on said settee or smashing through the aforementioned table after a particularly late night.

Neutral hues or bold and bright?

There is some evidence to suggest that natural hues and materials are inherently relaxing, such as wood, greenery and (faux) fur. But if pink cacti and neon zebra print float your boat and lift your mood, then fill your boots. Just be prepared for potentially spiky guests.

Employ NASA research technology

No we’re not suggesting you build a planetarium above your bed. While the NASA study into the “six snake plants in a room with no airflow is enough for a human to survive” has been (obviously) debunked, the idea that snake plants emit oxygen all day and night is true. Plus they don’t mind low light so they’re perfect for your bedroom. They’re also proven air purifiers, alongside many other houseplant varieties, helping to reduce allergens and helping you breathe easy without the hefty fee attached to an electronic air purifier.

As touched on earlier, natural materials are not only calming to look at, but fibres such as bamboo, wood and wool help connect you with nature, ground you and reduce that fizzy anxiety that builds up throughout the day in our busy city lives and relentless hum of technology. So there’s your green light to snap up a snake plant, caress your floorboards and wait for the inner calm to wash over you…

You can slowly (and inexpensively) create your calming home inner sanctum, away from the hustle and bustle of daily life, by addressing areas of your home bit by bit and day by day. A huge spring clean or winter clear out can be therapeutic, but it might feel overwhelming to achieve it in one sweaty go. Hey, inner peace is a stroll not a sprint. Namaste b*****s.

Please note that all content contained within our website is for informational purposes only. You should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. All Content on this site is information of a general nature and does not address the circumstances of any particular individual or entity. We advise seeking professional advice from a legal, financial, or other professional.

Contact us:

alex@daviesdavies.co.uk – Lettings Director (contact for lettings and property management)

mark@daviesdavies.co.uk – Sales Director (contact for sales, new homes and chartered surveying)

Davies & Davies Estate Agents, 85 Stroud Green Road, London, N4 3EG

Article & images by Barefaced Studios

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