It’s been a long pandemic. The new normal is a world of extremes.
It’s either being isolated by yourself for days, weeks, months...OR it’s having no privacy at all with the kitchen tripling as home office, school classroom, and family dinner gathering place. It’s either having too much time on your hands with little social life... OR not having enough time on your hands because working hours bleed into personal time as work-from-home has become the new norm. Whichever scenario sounds like your reality, it is still so important to check in with yourself mentally and emotionally, now more than ever.
While you carve out the time to journal, meditate, and decompress from Covid stress, we’re here to help you carve out space in your home so that those peaceful, productive, and healthy energies can circulate freely.
The pandemic has changed life as we know it in every way, but especially how we live in our homes. Whether your home has also become your place to work, exercise, relax, or even attend school, we have a tip for you!
Sanctuaries
It’s no secret that home is where the heart is. But creating your sanctuary is vital now that home is where everything is!
Find a cozy corner in your home and transform it into your meditation nook by simply adding a few poufs for relaxing and a small table for your candles, incense holder, or journal. By being intentional with your space, you not only carve out physical space for self-care, but mental space as well. Separate TV space from meditation space and see how your mood shifts into self-care the moment you’ve intentionally stepped into your little corner of love.
Sleep has always been important, but with a heightened sense of stress, it may be harder to come by. Invest in high thread count bed sheets, a feather fluffy mattress topper, and pillow’s that ensure your head and neck alignment are even throughout the night so that it’s easier to fall and stay asleep. Having a comfy-looking comforter to top it off or duvet set you want to dive right into doesn’t hurt either!
Peacekeeping Partitions
With most of our daily lives confined to the home, the importance of having separate spaces for different activities has tempered the rise of totally open floor plans. Having an open floor plan can definitely make a home feel open, bright, and nonconfing. But for those of us who don’t have separate rooms for places to work, eat, play, and exercise, screen walls and other dividers will help define spaces for flexible use. Whether it’s used for the children’s play corner, separating spouse workspaces or teenagers in their single room, it’s about keeping the peace while upping the elegance.
Stolen Scenes & Nature Loving Designs
From large windows and sliding doors that bring the outside in to greenery and nature-inspired colors, design that enhances our connection to nature will be key to boosting mental and physical wellness as we continue to cocoon in our houses.
No windows? No problem. You may not be able to trek to a Ming Village or Costa Rican Jungle, but you can unfurl their panoramas on your wall. A scenic wallpaper or covering can be transporting and make us feel as if we’re surrounded by nature, like our client Candice did for her Tanzanian jungle inspired nursery. Wrap your rooms in grisaille-toned riverside landscapes, botanical gardens and jungle trees by Anthropologie, or a hand-painted mural of distant lands. No matter how you do it, by candlelight you can almost feel like you are living inside the painting.
Want to see what it looks like before you decide which wallpaper will work best? Fantastic! Our interior designers can easily add wallpaper options of your choosing to your 3D design before choosing which naturey vibe best suits you. Start your project here!
Home Spas
Bathrooms have always been a space to escape after a long day. Now let’s just up the ante. Add a luxurious tile to your shower, replace old faucets with modern or vintage options, throw down a new Turkish carpet to step onto after a hot bath, or add plants to surround your sink. Make your bathroom feel as if you have just stepped into a hotel spa. After all, staycations are here to stay.
Designated Deskspace to Disable Burnout
Studies show that making a distinct separation between your work space and the space where downtime happens will increase your productivity exponentially, especially during WFH lulls. Even if it’s the nook under the staircase, a foldable desk that you can put away after your shift, or simply enhancing your home office to include all of the bells and whistles of a fabulous, functional “me” workspace, this distinction is extremely critical for compartmentalizing work, both physically and mentally. The last thing we want is for you to just not stop working!
Spruce up your workstation with plants, photos that make you smile, ample space creators like floating shelves, and of course, furniture that is comfortable, stylish, and most importantly, ergonomic.
Health is in the Air
Refresh your environment with some of the latest air purifiers, like the Air Pro from Molekule. Not only are they sleek and mercifully handsome, they help contain anxiety around Covid by sucking up viruses, VOCs, mold, and more.
New Focus on the Foyer
Entryways, foyers, and mudrooms are getting extra attention these days as people become more cognizant of maintaining sanitary areas and clear divisions between outdoors and in.
To show you how it can elevate a space, take a look at two of our favorite Farmhouse designs for our clients. Kari’s laundry room is the gateway to the outside world, so she added print patterned tile, green cabinetry, and basket storage above the sink to maximize functionality and zest. Leila’s entryway from the front door has a spa-like all white and beige feel with a side rattan cabinet for storage across from a cushy bench to sit and take your shoes off before you reach the rest of the airy, inviting home.
Outdoor Entertainment Areas
With restaurants, bars, and other venues becoming tricky to navigate—if not shut down entirely—our homes and backyards have become community hubs for loved ones to hang out at a responsible social distance.
Home outdoor living spaces fill a void of missed outdoor experiences and enable safer get-togethers with friends and neighbors, just like our designers envisioned for Trinity’s Tulum-like minimalist patio deck, Kylie’s modern backyard, and Kelsey’s bohemian farmhouse outdoor space.
Happiness at home can be as simple as a decorating choice. Whether it’s nostalgia-inducing photos, vibrant patterns, quirky decor pieces, bright colors, or comfy throws, the best choices are the ones that make you smile. Our team of expert interior designers are here to make those choices a bit easier, whenever you’re ready.
