Self-Care Staging at Home

If you think of good design as purely refinement, you may be surprised. Style can also be about surrounding yourself with the features that make you feel healthier and happier. Take a look at these ideas for imbuing your home with decorative objects and impactful elements that can help you live better.

Bring the indoors outside

Spending time in nature is unquestionably linked with better mental and physical health. In fact, the National Park Service reports that visiting a park for just thirty minutes can positively impact your heart health, circulation, and blood pressure. But you don’t have to load up your car and a backpack to enjoy these nature benefits. If you have a backyard or balcony, you’re footsteps away from fresh air.

Just take some indoor comforts outdoors so you feel more motivated to soak up its enriching vibes. For example. If you have a backyard, decorate it with some outdoor-safe furniture, an end table for setting down a drink or book, and an umbrella for shade. Select items in soothing, cool colors like white and blue for a relaxing ambience or vibrant, tropical ones like light green and sunny yellow for a hosting-ready space.

Give your bathroom a spa vibe

You don’t have to check in to a hotel to get some R and R. In a few steps, you can bring that indulgent atmosphere into your own bathroom. Start by swapping your showerhead for a rainfall model, and make any updates that would make the space feel more luxurious, like reapplying tile grout or replacing lime-laden fixtures. And keeping the room clean and sanitized weekly will make it feel more comforting and preserve its materials’ longevity.

Next, stock up on spa supplies, including a wooden bath caddy and waffle-weave bath sheets for wrapping yourself in a warm hug. Then dispense your soaps, shampoos, bath soaks, and other products into matching glass containers for satisfyingly neat style. Add aromatherapy via scent diffusers and calming music via a waterproof portable speaker, and your hygiene routine will feel like visiting a high-end resort (likely for less money too).

Include tech-free zones

As helpful as electronics can be for everything from work to recreation, you should carve screenless time into your routine. Unplugging can reset your mind throughout the day and improve your rest at night while also helping you detach from common sources of stress, like your work inbox or the news.

Although your bed is an obvious candidate for going tech-free, you’ll need additional spots as well. According to sleepfoundation.org, extended use of blue-light devices doesn’t just affect your rest right before bed; prolonged sessions, especially in the evening, can actually interrupt your sleep. So think of at least one other area of your home you can make screenless, such as your family dining table.

Create a reading nook

Here’s an excellent idea for a tech-free zone. To keep your mind sharp and revisit a timeless hobby, craft a space dedicated to the written word. This can resemble anything from a minimalist spa to a traditional library, but you’ll need these fundamentals: convenient access to your collection, a spot to set down a cozy drink like coffee or tea, and a comfortable seat with plush accoutrements that make you feel cozy. Drop in a few houseplants too; they create a naturally soothing ambience and may improve your mood.

If you aren’t the most avid novel reader, this relaxation zone can still be useful! Dedicate it to an enriching hobby like knitting, sketching, or doing crossword puzzles instead.

Re-create childlike magic

Children of the ’80s and ’90s likely remember the whimsical trend of dressing their bedroom ceiling with a sea of glow-in-the-dark stars. And though those days may be long past, you can still recapture that magic in a more decidedly adult fashion.

Try adding imaginative touches to your home relaxation zone, such as colorful tapestries draped across the ceiling or neon LED wall panels in geometric patterns. If you have children, you also have every excuse to cuddle up with them in a play tent—a more permanent, better-structured version of the classic blanket fort—in a bedroom or play area. Finding ways to indulge your sense of wonder is an excellent way to bond with loved ones and de-stress from adult worries, allowing these feelings to slip away. It can even help with cognitive health as the years pass.

Self-care style secrets

Here are some soothing decor secrets that top design experts recommend:

• Add touches of bright color, like fresh flowers or gem-toned hardware, to each room for a joyful feel.
• Don’t oversimplify—minimalistic rooms could feel clinical, so pepper in patterns and items of personal value into each space.
• Consider scent as an additional layer of design, including aromatic plants, diffusers, or even an occasional spray of perfume (a technique luxury hotels use!).
• Layer window treatments with sheer curtains or shades under thick drapes. That way, you can expose outdoor views, filter sunlight, or experience privacy depending on the time of day.