This post was created in collaboration with Nest.co.uk.
It’s really important to me to feel relaxed when I step through the door to my home. I love London but it’s a chaotic city that (most of the time) is far from chilled, it’s fun and inspiring but rarely chilled. When I get home I want to quickly and easily let go of the tension and stress that I often feel after a day spent in the city. Whether that’s due to taking the tube during rush hour, navigating tourists or just avoiding those annoying people that stare at their phone whilst wiggling/walking down the street. (Yes, I’m guilty too but I like to think I’m a little more aware of what’s going on around me.) Luckily I can avoid a lot of these stress inducing situations most of the time, a huge benefit of working for myself but it still happens as I have regular meetings to get to throughout the week.
We know it’s important to eat well and exercise regularly but how often do you consider how your environment affects wellness?
Stress affects us all in one way or another and although new studies show that it’s your approach to stress that determines whether it’s detrimental to your health or not, I try to reduce it in my life where possible. We’ve all become far more aware of the need for wellness than ever before. It’s mentioned daily in the press, their are blogs dedicated to it and new businesses popping up daily. We know it’s important to eat well and exercise regularly but how often do you consider how your environment affects wellness? A simple space with easy, neutral colours can help calm a busy mind. Whilst cluttered spaces give the eye so much to take in and can excite the mind.
A home should be somewhere you feel happy, somewhere you want to invite and entertain your friends and family. It should inspire you and help you to relax, in equal measures. The way you decorate your home can have the biggest affect on the way you feel in it. It’s important to decorate it in a way that creates a positive space for you to live in. For me that’s a fairly stripped back but comfortable environment. I’m drawn to Scandinavian design; I find the combination of clean spaces, neutral colours and soft textures relaxing. The Scandinavians will often bring the outside in, connecting themselves to nature, bringing them closer to the quiet countryside whilst living in a busy city. It’s this balance that I crave and one of the many reasons why I’m (not so secretly) a Scandiphile. I have lots of plants, wool rugs and throws, and real wood floors and furniture around me. To keep it feeling clean and minimal and not too country I mix in contemporary designs from Scandinavian designers like Normann Copenhagen, HAY and Muuto.
I know it’s easier said than done to keep your place decluttered. Try giving yourself 10 minutes every day to go through anything that stacks up. Also, be clever with your storage, having a home for everything will make it so much easier to keep your place tidy.