Making Your Living Space Mindful

Mindful Living Space: Meditation for Your Home

Courtesy of Todd Campbell Custom Homes

Minimalism and creating a mindful living space are becoming more and more popular. We are collectively turning away from busy, stressful home environments in search of a peaceful place to escape from the chaos of the world outside our doors. Mindful living spaces are living areas of the home, like the den, that have an air of harmony, balance, and relaxation throughout them. But how can you turn your crazy, vibrant living room into a serene, quiet space?

For a minimalist makeover, remember to cut yourself some SLAC: Space, Lighting, Accessories, and Color. These four focus areas will lead you down the path to mindful minimalism and restful relaxation.

Space

Busy rooms, filled with knickknacks and overflowing with furniture are much more likely to stress you out than help you de-stress. Making some room to breathe is an important first step to creating a mindful living space. Cut down on excess furniture, decorations, and clutter to open up the space. Open the windows when you can, and let some light and fresh air flow through. Light colors also visually open the room, making it feel and look bigger and relieving the mild claustrophobia a cluttered room can cause.

Lighting

Lighting has a very strong effect on how we perceive a room. Bold, bright lighting with modern art-deco fixtures have their place, but they have a way of adding a degree of harshness and distraction to an environment. For peaceful places, opt for warm, elegant lighting. Space plays into lighting as well, so be sure to leave access to natural light from windows and skylights when designing your mindful living space, with window sheers or screens to filter outside distractions.

Accessories

De-cluttering is the most important part of creating a mindful living space, but who wants to relax in an empty room? You’ll need to accessorize sparingly – a few pieces of furniture, a few decorations, perhaps a couple of live plants to help clear the air and your mind as well. Quality over quantity is your mantra; you want to incorporate peace-inducing, functional accessories. Symmetry is also important to the appearance of harmony, so accessorize in pairs or along the centerline of the room.

Color

Color has a huge impact on the visual energy of a room. Bright, vibrant colors are energetic and robust, better suited for a playroom or workshop. For places where calm is important, earth-tones and neutrals are best, especially subtle, light tones that make the space feel warm and open. Remember that bold accent colors are not your friend when creating a mindful living space – opt instead for repeated tones and natural gradients.

By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating a peaceful, mindful living space – a place to unwind after a long day, somewhere to rest and relax. Turning a tumultuous den into a Zen garden doesn’t happen overnight, but as long as you remember to cut yourself some SLAC as you focus on space, lighting, accessories, and color, you’ll be done before you know it!