For the next month, the house will become the main and,
possibly, the only place of our stay, so it's time to turn it into a bastion of
security and comfort in the middle of an unstable world. Here are some simple
but useful tips, how to do it.
A critical factor in home comfort is lighting. It is capable
of completely changing our perception of space, highlighting the main thing,
hiding something, adjusting it to a working mood or, conversely, relaxing it.
Pay attention to the brightness of artificial light and its light temperature:
the brighter and colder it is, the more we become tense and collected. These
are good for work, but not for creating home comfort after things are done.
A right solution would be to acquire several additional
light sources and use them to implement an "evening" lighting option.
Table lamps, floor lamps, sconces and decorative garlands will give diffused
warm light, which acts peacefully. The more point sources you have, the more
accurately you can customize the lighting scheme to your mood and needs.
The need to work from home poses, among other things, an
interior task, because not everyone has a separate office. Perhaps it's time to
think about rearrangement: the Soviet habit of placing furniture along the
walls often makes a fair amount of the room non-functional. Visually separate
the workplace from the rest of the space by moving the table and chairs, or
fence it off with a screen or shelving.
Self-isolation is the time to make out things that have
accumulated at home. What to do with the wardrobe, we already told you, now
it's time to take up the rest. How does this relate to comfort? Directly: a
large number of things, especially when they are in a mess, creates visual
noise and raises anxiety. And they occupy the space that you need now.
Get to all the corners that serve as a place of gathering
things, from cabinets to mezzanines, a balcony and a pantry. Archives of
papers, a home library, boxes with memorabilia, items hidden in the depths of a
chest of drawers with the thought "someday will come in handy",
filled with incomprehensible space in kitchen cabinets — all this should be
critically examined and decided how much you value the things that you may not
be using it for years.
When you complete the previous paragraph, you can find a
vacant place - or, conversely, understand that there is not enough space, but
there are many things. This is a sign that you need to rethink the storage
system. Analysis of the accumulated and organizing it into a new, more
understandable and thought-out system, in addition to obvious household
benefits, will also add a sense of control over what is happening - even if it
is happening at least inside your apartment.
To clear the space and at the same time add a functional
place for things, shelving and hanging shelves are useful to you. For small
items, boxes, boxes and baskets are suitable. If you want to put them in a
prominent place, then choose options from natural materials. For example, jute,
rattan or wood: natural accents in the interior look good almost always.
Home textiles are just what is most comfortable to change in
the interior and thereby significantly update it without resorting to
significant repairs. New curtains, rugs, sofa cushions will make you perceive a
standard room in a completely different way. The cover will help you put up
with the old sofa, which is not possible to replace right now, and blackout
curtains can adjust the level of light and noise because not all windows open
onto pleasant, quiet courtyards.
Small details make the house habitable, personalized, your
place of power. Put in a prominent place dear to your heart little things from
childhood, souvenirs from the most pleasant journey, photographs of relatives -
there should not be too many of them so as not to "litter" the
surfaces, so choose those that are most pleasant to stop looking at.
Periodically, they can be changed by sending some to the "box of
memories" and taking others from there.
If you have mastered to appease your sight (lighting and
order) and touch (pleasant to the touch textiles), please the sense of smell.
This is the oldest of our thoughts, and it mostly affects the perception of the
world, although we do not always notice it.
A pleasant aroma in an apartment can be provided in several
ways: you can choose from scented candles, diffusers or scented sachets and
potpourri. We advise you to avoid cheap chemical flavours: they often contain
substances that can cause an allergic reaction.
Candles can simultaneously perform an aromatic function and
work as lighting, but they are a separate category of decor. Candles have a
fantastic ability to transform even an intimate space, turn it into a
mysterious and fabulous place. And you can look at the small fluttering flames
of the flame - and calm down.
Any of them will do: both "pills", they are
heating candles, and tall and narrow - they should be put in a candelabra, but
if you don't have one, fit an empty wine bottle as a candlestick (you'll
probably have one ) Do not forget about safety precautions: do not place lighted
candles close to fabrics and any things that may catch fire (and do not fall
asleep with lighted candles), and take care of a fireproof stand. For example,
candles can be grouped on a plate if they do not have their glass or ceramic
glass.
No wonder the book Urban Jungle has gained such popularity:
plants may well claim the primary source of comfort in a city apartment. It's
not necessary to turn the house into a total jungle - a few green friends will
be enough. Flowers will not only bring visual diversity to the interior but
also add a daily anti-stress routine to you: it's nice to watch them grow,
produce new leaves or even buds.
If you are an inexperienced gardener and do not know how to
approach indoor plants, start with unpretentious, large and beautiful species -
sansevieria (aka "mother tongue" or "pike tail"), dracaena,
some kind of focus. If you need a compact friend, take a look at a variety of
succulents. The main thing - do not worry about the fact that floriculture can
be too complicated: for most plants, a bright place and periodic watering are
enough.