How To Create A Stress-Free Living Environment

Hi, I’m Chenoa Osweiler, an interior designer and founder of White Dove Design Studio.

I believe your home should reflect who you are, support how you live, and evolve with you. Here, you’ll find thoughtful design guidance and inspiration to create a home that feels uniquely yours.

Life is stressful, but your home doesn’t have to be.

Our homes have a direct correlation with our mood and mental health.

Taking care of our mental health is extremely important because it affects how we function on a daily basis.

A great place to begin is in our homes where we spend the majority of our time.

You are going to learn different ways you can help alleviate anxiety and create a stress-free living environment.

This post is all about how to create a stress-free living environment.

Bring Nature In

Having plants and natural greenery in our homes is a great way to bring nature in. Plants and greenery have so many benefits to our mental well-being in our homes.

These benefits include improving the air quality, bettering our mental health and functioning, decreasing stress levels, improving your sleep, and increasing your productivity.

Who wouldn’t like to benefit from any of these things?! If you have a green thumb, bring those plants inside and create a healthy living environment.

Click here to read more about why plants and greenery are an absolute must in your home.

Tidy Up

Cleaning and organizing your home is a great way to alleviate stress in your home.

I know cleaning can be a daunting task to some, but personally, I love to clean.

Yes, I know that sounds crazy, but it makes me feel good. Everyday I do a little something around the house so when I do go to do more of a “deep” clean, I do not feel overwhelmed.

Creating a healthy habit of cleaning and organizing, whatever that looks like to you, is going to help you feel good in the long run. Do your best to make it fun and enjoyable!

Paint

Having the wrong paint color in your home can affect your mood tremendously. For example, in our home, we used to have a dark gray color throughout the entire space. Our house is fairly small, so with a dark color like that, it made our house feel so gloomy and depressing.

We remodeled our house a year ago and decided to paint our walls white. And let me tell you, that made a HUGE difference. The natural light we do have seemed even brighter, since it was bouncing off the white colored walls. This made each space feel even bigger and brighter.

After making this change, I felt a sense of peace and good energy in our home. The power of paint will always amaze me.

So, when choosing a paint color for your home or a particular room, really think about how you want to FEEL in that space and base the color off of that. Also, do not forget to take into account how much natural and artificial light you have, as those things impact the color’s hue.

Rearrange Your Furniture Layout

Change up the layout of your furniture. It is always fun to do this because it can make any space feel brand new.

When you were a kid, were you constantly rearranging your bedroom, or was it just me? Something about it always made me feel excited and rejuvenated. It felt new to me all over again.

Interior design isn’t just all about the pretty colors and materials. The most important thing about it is functionality and how you move throughout a space.

So, really give it some thought as to how you currently move around your space. Is this working for you or does something about it feel off or cluttered? If your room is not properly space planned, this can lead to feelings of overwhelm or irritation.

Play around with the layout and also keep in mind the sizes of your furniture pieces. Believe it or not, some pieces can be too large or too small for a space. Always measure your furniture before purchasing anything new. And if you are working with what you currently have, do the best you can and play around with the different heights and sizes until you feel like it is working for you.

Update Your Window Treatments

Window treatments that are not properly hung or ones with the incorrect material can make a huge impact on your homes overall mood and appearance.

Any window treatment can elevate the look and feel of a space, as long as it is properly executed.

Much like updating the paint color in your home, you want to consider how you want to feel in this space. For example, in a living room, you might want some privacy, but not something that is going to block all of the natural light coming in.

You can choose a material that is light filtering allow you to have privacy, while allowing natural lighting to come in. Or in a bedroom for example, you might want to choose a black out material that can block any natural light from seeping through so you get a good nights rest. \

Click here to read how to elevate the look of your curtains and click here to read about the best curtains from Amazon.

Update Your Light Fixtures

Outdated light fixtures can also make an impact on the way you feel in your home. Depending on the space you are in, the light fixture itself can be overbearing or small in regards to the size.

Much like how important it is to always measure your furniture before purchasing it to ensure it fits properly in your space, you will want to do the same for your light fixtures. If the size of your light fixture is too large or too small for the space, it can make a room feel off.

You will also want to consider the type of artificial lighting these light fixtures have. Choosing the correct bulb style and light temperature is very important. There are a variety of light temperatures to choose from ranging from warm, to neutral, to cool.

Depending on what the room’s function is, and the other elements of the room such as the paint color and materials, you will want to choose a light temperature that works with all of it.

Updating your light fixtures and swapping out our light bulbs for different ones, is one of the easiest updates to do.

Bring In Calming Scents

Not everyone is a scent person, but I sure am. I love when my home smells fresh and clean. There is nothing like burning a candle after you just spent the entire day cleaning your home.

Scents create sense memory. There are so many different types of scents and you can choose ones that correlate with the mood you are trying to portray.

Candles also create an ambiance. I highly recommend using a wall plug-in, wax melts, or reed diffusers. This way your home has a constant fresh smell and you do not have to always light a candle.

My favorite candles and wall plug-ins are from Bath and Body Works. I think they give off the best smells and they have an amazing variety of scents to choose from that are sure to match your mood.

You do not have to undergo a major renovation to achieve a home you love. By implementing these things, you are sure to create a home environment you love and one that provides you with calm and soothing energy.

This post was all about how to create a stress-free living environment.

Hi, I'm Sofia Bianco, a photographer and brand content creator based on the Amalfi Coast. So glad you're here.

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Interior Designer + Founder of White Dove Design Studio

chenoa osweiler

I believe a beautiful home should do more than look good. It should make everyday life feel better.

As an interior designer, I’ve spent years helping homeowners make the hundreds of decisions that go into creating spaces that are beautiful, functional, and distinctly their own.

White Dove is where I share what I’ve learned along the way: the design guidance, practical resources, favorite finds, and little details that can help you create a home you truly love living in.

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