Elevate Your Experiences At Home

HomePlayLife

Nov. 15

I like the word “elevate.”

It’s a concept a good friend of mine uses a lot to increase the pleasure of little everyday experiences. She ‘elevates’ a glass of sparkling water with berries, lemons and herbs. The evenings for her family are ‘elevated’ by playing soft music and diffusing essential oils throughout their home.

These little things make a standard day just a little better, without much effort.

BUT…

It’s hard to elevate your experiences at home when you can’t relax because of all the clutter around you or because you can’t find the freakin’ muddling stick to mash berries and herbs into your sparkling water!

By taking the time to “essentialize” your home, you’re making room for elevated experiences.

And really, little experiences are what make a great life, aren’t they?

So here’s a two-step plan to get you there:

STEP 1: CREATE AN ESSENTIALIST HOME

Clear your surfaces.

Having clear counters, tables and dresser tops is visually calming and super functional. You'll have room to actually prep and cook with ease, eat together at your table, and enjoy a sense of having more space around you.

Take time to clear off your kitchen and bathroom counters as much as possible by making space for appliances and practical items in drawers and cupboards.
Have nothing on your dining room table except perhaps a nice centrepiece of flowers or plants or candles or fruit.
Edit down the things on your coffee and side tables that don't belong.
And make room on your dresser just for things that are pretty and functional for getting ready in the mornings.

Do a declutter dash.

Take 10-15 minutes each day for the next week to quickly dash around your home to clear obvious clutter and 'stuff' you don't need or want in your home. Grab an empty box and go room by room through drawers, closets and cupboards to eliminate things that are getting in your way, unnecessarily taking up space, or bringing bad juju into the house. No need to get bogged down if certain areas are overwhelming. Just get rid of the top layer of obvious clutter that does not bring joy or function to your life. Once done, sell, donate or recycle what you have in the box and enjoy the lightness it brings.

decorating your home for more space and fun

Set up an essentialist entryway.

An essentialist entryway is one that gets you out the door quickly and easily and that greets you with that "ahh" feeling when you return home. Here's a complete entryway essentials guide.

Get boots and shoes out of the way and into a home - either in a closet or on a mat specifically for them.
Add enough hooks and hangers so that there is a place for everything.
Have a small bench, chair or stool handy so you can sit down when needing to put on heels or boots.
Use a pretty bowl or tray to corral keys, change, sunglasses, etc.
Invest in enough bins or baskets to contain all your outdoor gear like mitts, hats, scarves, backpacks, flashlights, grocery bags, etc.

Calm your bedroom.

This room, more than any, needs to be a relaxing oasis that encourages rest and rejuvenation. It's essential for everyone.

Clear off your nightstand so it contains only books, a good light, and a bowl or tray to corral your essentials like glasses and lip balm.
Eliminate electronics from your bedroom - they've been proven to interfere with sleep, even when shut off.
Remove anything not relaxation related - like exercise equipment!

2. ELEVATE YOUR EXPERIENCES

Experiences at home are those little things that make for an amazing day. You don’t often have to spend money or bring “stuff” into your home - they’re just little things that bring joy without a lot of effort. Here are some ideas:

Have your coffee or tea in beautiful mugs you just love to hold on to.
Set up a home speaker system and playlists on Spotify so you can play the kind of music that suits the mood with the click of a button (or voice command).
Invest in really soft and comfortable bedding that’ll make you want to turn in early just so you can snuggle in and read a great book with all that softness around you.
Make up a lavender linen spray with distilled water and lavender essential oil. Spray on any textiles in your home for an immediate sense of calm.
Designate a drawer in your kitchen for entertaining - in here keep fancy plates, serving boards and cheese knives, along with things like crackers and munchies that you can pull out for an impromptu Happy Hour after work.
Elevate doing dishes or cleaning the house by putting on your favourite music and using a beautifully-scented dishsoap or cleaning solution.
Make up a jar of Epsom salts mixed with your favourite essential oils and keep it near the bathtub so you’ll want to treat yourself to spa nights more often.
Decorate in a way that makes you happy. Don’t try to recreate the perfect magazine home - use artwork and pillows and mementos to make your home meaningful to you. Here’s more on that.
Delight your senses by infusing your favourite essential oils with a misting diffuser.
Make room for fun! The less clutter you have, the more space you’ll have for things like building blanket forts and pulling a mattress out to have an all-night Robert Downey Jr moviethon.
Create a calm corner with everything you need to enjoy time to yourself. Whether that’s reading a great book, journaling, meditating, doing yoga or just looking out the window, make sure your calm corner has a comfy chair, a warm throw, good lighting and anything else needed for your daily little experience.
Organize for your hobby. You’ll experience the things you love doing more when you’re set up to do them quickly and easily. So for example, if you love to bake, organize your kitchen for easy baking. If you’d love to paint more, clear out that unused bedroom or loft space and set up what you need.
If you work at home, get a really comfortable chair. Nothing can elevate working at a desk all day more than the right chair. Add to that a soft fluffy rug underneath your feet and you’ll never want to leave your desk!
Add pillows and cozy throws everywhere - on a kitchen/dining bench, on your sofa and lounge chairs, on your bed, on your outdoor furniture, even in your home office. (Check out my favourite handmade pillow covers.)
Make a no-shoes-in-the-house rule. Instead have lots of really soft socks or slippers available - or go barefoot knowing that the floors are clean!