How to make your home more enjoyable in 2021

In 2020, for many of us, our homes became more than just somewhere that we lived, it also started serving as our place of work.

Our homes slipped from a place that served as our retreat from work, a place in which we feel relaxed and nurtured, into our daily grindstone.

Even though research shows productive soars when working from home, it also causes stress, confronting us with reminders of things pending in our inbox even after we finish for the day.

To help you steer your home back towards a place of escape, try these mood-enhancing ideas and housekeeping tips to add comfort and keep your work worries at bay.

Get the lighting right

Good lighting can lift the mood of a room and help it function better. Get it right, and any space can feel like a welcoming oasis. Weave in a mix of sources for a layered effect and be sure to add plenty of ambient light too — candles and twinkle lights are good for this.

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Listen up

Whether it’s a podcast documentary burbling away in the background or your favourite band drifting through the speakers, sound plays a role in making your home what it is, so tune in and chill out.

Make your bed each morning

Just the sight of a beautifully made bed when you’re having a busy day can help you relax. So even if you do nothing else before starting your work day each morning, make your bed!

Conceal work

When working from home but your desk is part of a large multipurpose room, be sure to hide away your computer at the end of the day to give yourself a mental rest.

The same goes for any paperwork you haven’t addressed yet. When it’s quitting time, stow it away so your home switches to being a calming haven instead.

Introduce some scent

Turning your home into a space that soothes and nurtures can be as much about how it smells as how it looks. Scent can help us unwind and may carry associations of places we love and bring back fond memories.

Try varying the scent with the seasons, choosing something musky or woodsy as the nights draw in, then swapping to something with more citrus or floral notes during the warmer months.

Choose cleanliness above styling

It doesn’t matter if your home isn’t quite ready for a photo shoot; it’s still your special place. To help it feel like a haven, focus on keeping it clean and tidy over styling it with the latest buys.

An ordered home always seems relaxing, and even a space filled with the most on-trend pieces won’t feel like a refuge if it’s cluttered and messy.

Add indoor plants

Bringing a little living greenery into your home can give it a lush focal point. Caring for a houseplant and watching it grow can also be satisfying, and will contribute a sense of specialness.

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This article via Houzz does not constitute advice; readers should seek independent and personalised counsel from a trusted adviser that specialises in property, a tax accountant and property design specialist.