Stress-free living: Tips to turn your home into a sanctuary

The home is not just a place you seek shelter and sleep; it should also be a place where you can relax and wind down from the stresses of everyday life and enjoy the company of your family.

In creating your dream home, comfort should be of utmost importance. Here are some tips to turn your living space into a cosy and stress-free sanctuary.

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An apartment’s colour and tone contribute a lot to the space’s atmosphere and mood. A bright tone makes the apartment more open and serene, while a darker tone gives the space a nervous and mysterious mood. The use of warm colours like beige, white and brown, makes the apartment more homely and cosy, while cool colours like black and grey result in the apartment appearing impersonal and harsh.

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One of the best ways to play with colours and tones in your home is through the ceiling. By using light colours on the ceiling, you can increase the amount of natural light reflected, hence making the space appear more open and spacious.

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Besides indirect light, the choice of lighting you install in your home is also important. Direct light can create a nervous and overly stimulating mood, while indirect light is warmer on the eye.

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Warm and gentle lighting can also create a cosy and homely atmosphere.

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The use of sliding doors can save space, making the apartment neater and clutter-free. It also allows for fluidity in between rooms, adding to the interconnectedness and homeliness of the living space.

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To further increase the flow between rooms, consider having a glass sliding door. The transparency between rooms makes the house appear larger, more spacious and more connected.

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In space-starved homes in Hong Kong, it is common to use large storage units to maximise space, but these large cupboards or cabinets can make the apartment appear smaller and claustrophobic. To counter this, consider installing backlights under the units, so they appear lighter.

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Besides adding light to below storage units, consider creating a false ceiling with a light trough of 20-30cm, which causes the ceiling to appear higher, hence reducing the confined feeling of a small space.

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By restricting furniture pieces to below waist-height can prevent the apartment from appearing claustrophobic, increasing comfort, openness and movement.

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An open kitchen makes your space more spacious, versatile and connected with surrounding spaces, creating a more harmonious and cosier environment.

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A home is not a home without a touch of the owner. Inject your personality into the space with a centrepiece, such as a blackboard, on which you can doodle. Guests visiting can also have leave messages on the blackboard, adding a human touch to the living space. 

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While we want our homes to be as clean and clutter-free as possible, it is normal that we start piling up things over time. However, clutter can be distracting and stress inducing. To counter this, consider using storage units and shelves to classify items. Not only are they functional, they also versatile in keeping your place neat and stress-free.

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