Now, more than ever, the space you stay in needs to FEEL like home. Whether you spend majority of your time these days in your house, a rental apartment or even your bedroom, your physical space contributes largely to your wellbeing and well…that should give you an idea of what to do with it, right?
If you follow me on Insta, you’ll know how I’m all about keeping our place (I share it with my girlfriend, Nat) as cozy and vibed out as possible. Fun fact: I seriously considered taking up Interior Design in college. Growing up, I witnessed my mom nearly obsess over, not just the cleanliness of our house, but the general energy of the place. I remember often coming home from school to find a (yet again) re-arranged living, dining, or whatever room in our house she felt like switching up. At the time, my sibs and I thought she got bored waaay too often but now that I have my own, I get why she loves doing it. Moving things around at home, keeps energy from sitting or feeling stagnant. It’s like getting a trim from the salon, where you don’t do anything major, but everything just looks and feels fresh right after.
But it’s not JUST the furniture or decor that makes it. Y’all don’t have to spend that much or go that far unless you’re down for a renovation or a major upgrade. What matters more, IMO, is how a place makes you feel. I’m listing down a few small but impactful things you can add or do to your space to spruce things up.
ART.
Framed artworks are no-brainers. I invested a bit on this baddie in our living room. One of our friends came over for the first time after I hung this up and she asked Nat if it was me in the photo because it’s totally something I would do (“Oh hi, yes, it is!”). Nat let me pick the artwork for this spot and this was a pretty obvious choice for a household of two women who do not give a damn.
While there are plenty of independent artists who make amazing pieces that won’t break the bank (check sites like Esty for an abundance of choices), sometimes it’s the frame that could get quite costly. Good news is that framing art isn’t your only option. I love this gallery wall I found on BYFRYD, that uses hangers.
SCENTS.
If it looks good, it should smell just as good. But I cannot stand synthetic fragrances. I know it’s artificial when it (supposedly) smells good but makes me feel like passing out or throwing up after a couple of minutes.
My love for essential oils started when I realized there are scents that don’t make me feel sick and that are also beneficial for me. I try to be mindful in using EOs, though, they’re highly concentrated that so much of these plants go into each drop. Think 70 teabags of peppermint tea for one drop of peppermint EO. Potent stuff.
To help clear our space energetically, I add a few drops of essential oil into my ultrasonic diffuser. I love the Complete Harmony Aromatherapy Essential Oils from Resveralife. You’ll find Tea Tree (cleansing), Spearmint (Focus), Rosemary (Tension Relief), Grapefruit (Uplifting), Sage (Calming) and Lime (Refreshing) in one box. Each bottle is blended with Grapeseed Oil (as carrier) so they’re safe to drop straight into your diffuser with water or onto your palms.
I also keep scented candles at different areas of our home. We have huge windows and lots of light coming in but I still find a lit candle changes everything. IT’S. A. WHOLE. DIFFERENT. MOOD.
I recently got a couple of artisan candles from Parfums dela Bastide. They come in these gorgeous amber jars and sustainable, minimal packaging. A quick Google search on the brand made me fall in love with these products even more.
REAL PLANTS.
We have 13 live plants in our tiny home rn, and it doesn’t look like we’re stopping there. Y’all learned this in primary school: Plants give off oxygen for us to breathe and purifies the air for us. They instantly bring life to a space because…well, probably because they’re actually alive. I used to have a brown thumb and could barely keep any plant living for long. But I learned that the secret is to 1- do yo research on any new plant you want to adopt (where to place it, how often to water) and 2- tap into your intuition and feel out what your plant needs. When I stopped being afraid of killing our plants and really tended to them, I went from brown thumbed to crazy plant lady. You don’t have to have a dozen (plus one) plants right away. Start with one and if you’re not too confident yet, pick one that’s fairly hard to kill. Succulents, ZZ and Snake Plants are at the top of my list.
There’s more that I wish to add to this list but these are the most basic ones so I’ll probably save those for another post. For now, have fun getting creative with your space!
x, NT
You’ll find Resveralife wellness products and Parfums dela Bastide candles on Hemera.ph Place your order through the website and they’ll deliver to your doorstep. As of writing, there’s a buy 2 take 1 sitewide offer and I’ve taken advantage of it twice already.
