You know the feeling. After a long day, walking into the house with groceries to be put away, there are toys everywhere, clutter and mail on the counters, dishes to be washed, everyone is hungry and everything feels like it is chaotic?
It can be hard to focus on the task at hand when there are multiple other areas that need attention staring you right in the face. Of course there will always be the everyday messes, especially with kiddos because after all, a home is made to be lived in and will not always stay the way we want! Yet, those every day messes don’t need to feel like total chaos and we don’t have to let them get us completely overwhelmed as long as we have a few helpful ideas and a plan in place.
Here are 5 simple ways that can help keep your home feeling more calm, less chaotic, and more inviting even amidst the daily disarray that shows up.
Jump to the end of this post for your 5 Simple Ways Checklist!
Display what sparks joy.
Does it bring me joy? Does it bring my family joy? What purpose does it serve in my home? Every item you own typically requires some capacity of mental and physical energy to care for it. The first step to creating a calmer atmosphere around you is asking yourself some questions and identifying what items are not serving a purpose and only causing you stress. Simplifying and eliminating visual clutter with a minimal mindset will keep everything feeling more cohesive while enhancing the space with what you love. Most of the items I keep on visual display are functional pieces that I can decorate with that also make me happy in my home every time I see them. I also prefer keeping calm and neutral tones in my house which helps me personally in helping my home feel less busy an chaotic.
A declutter every once in a while never hurts either. Donate. Give away. Throw out. You will feel so much more peace when you know you have a more functional space that brings more joy instead of overwhelm.
Hide the chaos.
It makes me smile to see all of my son’s toy trucks and tractors lined up around the house, along with various other ways he likes to play and be creative. Having a simple storage system for these typical messes that accumulate in the day, and for whatever usually feels chaotic to you is the next step to peace in your home. Maybe it can be a small mail station organizer, a hook for the keys, or baskets around the house for the toys. Creating a designated place and home for the “daily chaos” with quick and easy ways to hide these items will be helpful in keeping a less overwhelming space.
I also like to keep lots of decorative options of storage to hide all the daily clutter! My favorite way to store all the extra things and toys at the end of the day is by using cute baskets that add texture in decorating the space as well, and most of the time these are thrifted on a budget! They blend into the rest of my home and at the same time are very purposeful. You will also probably never find me with the trending, open shelving storage in my kitchen. It is beautiful for sure, but I prefer to hide all behind my cupboard doors! It keeps a clean look and helps my kitchen not feel so cluttered on a typical day.
Change your lighting.
Here is a quick and simple idea for you! You can easily turn a busy, high traffic area in your home into a more mellow and calming space by simply bringing in a soft lamp to that area. I typically like overhead lighting to be bright and then warmer lamps at eye level, and it truly creates a very cozy feel. My family and I also enjoy lighting a candle at dinner or diffusing essential oils to bring calm and relaxation at the end of the day.
This past year I decided to bring in a cozy lamp to my kitchen, and then keep my diffuser in our front entryway and it has been a nice first impression upon walking in and feels so inviting. We also enjoy the coziness of our fireplace all winter long! These aspects of our home help make it feel so inviting to family and guests.
Move some furniture.
It may surprise you how moving one or two pieces of furniture from different areas of the house can update and transform an area into a more functional space and create a more calming solution to a busy one. The idea of “shopping your home” and finding ways to bring new life and purpose to pieces you already have can also work well on a budget.
I recently moved a shelf from our office area to my son’s bedroom to create a cozy reading area, and switched out night stands with drawers in our guest rooms for a more functional change that was a better fit for the room. These simple ways didn’t cost a dime and can help update the spaces in a simple and functional way! Creating more purpose in each space can help prevent a chaotic environment and be a better solution to organize and hide clutter.
Make it feel inviting.
Leave out some favorite books and soft textures like your favorite throw blanket to make a space feel inviting after a busy day, or display your favorite mug under your coffee machine for some extra joy to your morning. It doesn’t have to be complicated, and you can start with simple ways to help spark joy in the little moments of your day because they can make all the difference! I move decor around all the time too so it’s not always the same, and maybe even thrift something new to change things up!
While all of these tips I believe are wonderful and simple ways to help achieve a calmer home, as they have for me and my family, don’t forget what is truly important. A home can look cozy and put together and inviting, but if there is no love felt there then the effort is lost. As a perfectionist, I remind myself that my family most likely will not remember or care if the house is perfectly clean or just how I want it to be – they most definitely will NOT remember how it looks, but they WILL remember how they FEEL in it.
Whether it be turning on some soft music while connecting over some fun activities together, baking a comfort meal or dessert that fills the kitchen, cuddling with a cozy blanket and some books to read, or watching a movie with some popcorn…
It truly is the simple ideas together with family that bring the best feelings of love and cozy to a home, that feel inviting!
Here is your 5 Simple Ways checklist to begin these steps to a more calming and cozy home atmosphere!
- Choose the space you want to transform into a calmer space
- Make a list of all the things that overwhelm you in that area
- Find which steps to implement that can address these issues
- Create the solutions and develop the habits to keep the space how you want it
- Enjoy a more calming atmosphere and more cozy memories together!
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
Philippians 4:7
will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
