How to Create the Home Sanctuary You Have Always Wanted
Your home should be your sanctuary. But when things do not look or feel the way you want them to, you might have a conflicted mindset regarding spending time at home. You want everything to be beautiful and comfortable. Organization is an essential component of the feeling you are seeking to create. Luckily, there are many steps you can take to make your home the perfect oasis. Read on to begin.
Start with your bathroom.
The master bathroom is easily one of the last places you might consider remodeling in your home. After all, no one else but the master bedroom’s occupants sees it, so you might consider remodeling a space within your home that sees more visitors and traffic. But, wait. This is your home. You deserve a nice space to get ready and relax in every day. Convinced yet? Good.
Your bathroom remodeling project should bring you joy, a place of respite, happiness, and calming energy with enough space to store everything you could possibly need to get ready for anything. That might seem like a lot to ask of a humble bathroom, but this space can deliver.
Talk with your remodeling contractor about everything you like about your current bathroom and everything you want to have in the final product. Consider visiting model homes, your remodeler’s website and previous bathroom renovations, and home shows for inspiration.
As part of your remodeling checklist, consider including these details:
- Canned or recessed lighting on a dimmer
- Bright, but not harsh lights above the vanity mirrors
- Ample storage in the vanities
- A storage closet
- Towel hooks in strategic locations, such as near the sink, shower, bathtub, etc.
- An integrated towel warmer
- Radiant heated floors
- Separate wash closet or toilet room
Once the updated bathroom is finished, be sure to stock it with plush towels, a soft bathrobe or two, soft rugs, luxurious soaps and scrubs, and decor that suits your calming aesthetic.
Take steps to declutter your space.
If you are going to call your home your sanctuary, you need to ensure it is not a constant mess. Mess causes stress, and that is not conducive to a comfortable space that relaxes you. Keep the chaos at bay, even if everything is currently in disarray, by taking steps to declutter your space.
You have some options for how to proceed with this endeavor. Some people like to declutter, organize, and clean all at once. But for others, this is laborious and takes too long to see any results, and therefore, satisfaction. If this resonates with you, then consider only decluttering now and dealing with the other tasks later.
Start in the smallest room in your home so you can see immediate results and receive instant gratification that will motivate you to keep going. Set aside a trash bag for trash, a box for donations, and a bin for recycling. Carry around a large laundry basket to place items that you want to keep, but that belong in other rooms. (After finishing each room, be sure to put the items from the laundry basket in their proper place instead of leaving them to languish in the laundry basket.
You will probably also find some personal possessions that you want to keep, but perhaps not out in the open. Old mementos, childhood toys, etc., all have a place in your home if you want to keep them, but that place might be in a box. Take time to place everything carefully and neatly into boxes or plastic totes. Carefully list each item as you place it inside. When you are done, you will have an updated list for your insurance inventory, and you will know where everything is. Keep a list of these items on a spreadsheet.
If you need a little extra help in the decluttering department, you can enlist your family, friends, or a professional organizer to help you. There is a modern alternative, however, that can assist you in your decluttering efforts. Consider embracing artificial intelligence to guide you through the process from start to finish. Of course, you have to use your common (human) sense, but if you are struggling with this task, AI can prove beneficial.
Watch this video on how to manage your impending home decluttering tasks with ChatGPT.
Work to keep everything clean and in order.
Assuming you are working one step at a time, if you are finished decluttering your entire home, it is time to clean the house. Built-up dust, dirt, grime, and pet hair are not relaxing to look at or live in. If you have the time and inclination to tackle cleaning on your own, take the one room at a time approach, just as you did with decluttering.
If your time is worth more than your money, and you can spare some funds, you should consider hiring a professional cleaning service. Schedule them to clean as you like. You can hire them weekly – some clients like their cleaning service to come on Fridays so they can enjoy a clean home on the weekend when they have time to enjoy it, others appreciate a Monday cleaning so the weekend’s entertainment mess is taken care of. Monthly cleaning services or a deep cleaning before a holiday gathering are also viable cleaning service options.
Whether you choose to use a cleaning service or take the do-it-yourself approach, it is important to keep everything clean and in order going forward. A clean space is a calming and happy space. After everything has been organized and cleaned, take a finish what you start approach at home. If you use something, put it away when you are done using it. If you make something dirty, clean it instead of leaving it for future you to handle.
Creating the home sanctuary you have always wanted might take some work, but it will be well worth your efforts. This will be especially evident when you are taking a bath and relaxing in your newly remodeled bathroom, or marveling at how clean and organized your home has become. Make your home a place you want to be.