How to Create a Home that Meets Your True Needs

Please make sure you've read the blog from yesterday before you read this one! Base your makeover on your goals & ask yourself important questions as you go along. You need to decide on your main purpose for each room. What atmosphere do you want? What feelings do you want from the room? What do you want to use each room to promote or do? My bedroom has to be beautiful, peaceful, restful, smell good, & induce sleep. I used to go to bed & worry about things. My mind would race, it would be hard to get to sleep, & my sleep would be fitful. One of my solutions was to face things during the day so they wouldn't haunt me as I tried to shut down my mind for sleep. Another was a small fish tank, which provides a gentle night light if I wish, fish to watch as I wind down, & the gentle sound of the bubbles & filter. I also hung paintings & prints with beaches, lighthouses, & waterfalls, which are peaceful & calming. These were especially important when I'd awaken too soon & have trouble falling back asleep. I have objects of comfort from childhood visits to Grandma's house too, to help bring back those feelings of love, warmth, & safety. I'm also very susceptible to pleasing & unpleasing scents, so having one of my favorite scents in every room (lavender, which in itself is very calming, or a calming blend) is important to me. There are so many ways to do that - reed infusers, potpourri, candles, oil warmers, etc. People with pets or small children need to always choose these with special care! My office has to be functional but also pleasing so I'll linger & work & not be drained. Things need to be convenient for my use but also pleasing to my senses. Most of all, it can't be so cluttered that it makes it difficult for me to function. I keep my rooms & belongings uncluttered & contained, keep things put away. That way I can easily go straight to work on whatever I wish or need to do without cleaning up & out first. I can also put my hands on whatever tools I need. It only takes a moment to put them away afterwards. Right now I find myself in the same boat as a guy who's going to hire me to organize for him. I can't paint or do anything in my studio & can barely walk through my dining room. This is exactly what you don't want in your home, but can be a temporary byproduct of your whole house cleansing. That's part of why I recommend doing it room by room. Most people don't have an entire household of excess furniture, clothing, office supplies, keepsakes, & possessions to get rid of. In my defense, my household has gone from 3 to 1 in less than a year & they both left everything behind for me to deal with. I tell you this for 3 reasons - back to if I can do it you can do it, to tell you that I totally understand the job I'm recommending you do, & to reassure you that it doesn't usually result in other rooms becoming unuseable as you're redoing one.

Another room example is my studio. The main purpose of my office is functionality. The main purpose of my studio is functionality with a creative atmosphere, ideas & inspirations to surround me. It needs especially to have things that make me feel good, mixed with things that bring out my childlike joy & nature. I use Boy Scout popcorn tins at the back of my work table to store supplies because the scenes on them delight the creative & child parts of me. All my things in that room were chosen for that reason, down to the color of my scissors & the little bins I keep things in, the clock on the wall, my portable storage cabinets. My kitchen is functional & homey because that's the way I cook. My living room is kind of a cross between my bedroom & my studio. I have baskets of needlework handy & whatever my latest hand-made project is. It's warm & comfortable, but also has the needed electronics for music, TV, movies, etc. It's designed for personal comfort, lounging, & casual entertaining. In this house, the front door opens straight into the dining room & open kitchen at the end so my dining room is rather unique. I'm selling the huge, heavy, ponderous dining room table & hutch that I never use. I'll buy a rectangular kitchen table with 4 chairs & tuck it in so it doesn't seem out of place when you walk in the door. The kitchen cabinets simply end abruptly where the carpeted dining room begins, so I have a spice rack at the end of one side & a small hutch will be at the end of the other. Beside the spice rack is a bookcase for cookbooks & my spiritual library. Next to that I have a gorgeous antique writing desk from my grandparents. Next is one kitchen chair to set purses or whatever, some open space, then right behind the door, a standing wardrobe because there's no coat closet here. So the dining room is being designed to make the transition from front door to kitchen a smooth one, & will serve as a combination eating area, kitchen extension, & study. There are plenty of ways to make spaces work for you.

Your goal should also be that you can easily maintain each room. Remember - perfect isn't cozy, but neither is clutter. "Less is more" better, truly! (Sorry, I had to say it that way - it'll make you think.) Also, always ask yourself whether you really want to dust that before you clutter your surfaces. I collect cat & Punxsutawney Phil things & baskets. I use the baskets throughout my home to decorate with functionality. I use them to keep tools like nail files, cat combs, & clippers handy, hold magazines, etc. I try to stick to functional knick knacks too. I have a cat tape dispensers & cat mugs in my office that hold pens & rubber bands. I use one of those hand exercise rubber balls in the top of the rubber band mug to keep my cats out of them, & store it where it's handy. Also, organize creatively -use bins, furniture with secret hidden storage, closets, shelves, baskets, & glass enclosed cases or cabinets for your knick knacks or collections (or as I said, use them functionally throughout your home). It's also important to pick colors (tomorrow's blog), fabrics, flooring, rugs, & furnishings you can easily maintain.

My best maintenance strategies are: clean spills when they happen, clean as you go - as you see something, combine trips, & put things away from room to room as you go, plus music, & play house. All but the last 2 have to do with daily maintenance that only takes a minute but really saves you a lot of work in the long run. If you get into the habit of doing these things, weekly cleaning is less of a chore or mostly already done. Personally, I don't like to go clean house room by room each week. I prefer to maintain per room as I see the need. Then I don't have a day or two devoted to nothing but. I also space things out. I'm not going to clean the entire refrigerator, oven, & appliances in one day unless I'm upset about something or just feel like blending one into the other. I use mental games too, & music. Sometimes I pretend I'm a child playing house. Music that makes you feel good & want to move is great for exercise & household cleaning & chores. You can pretend company is coming (you are!) or reward yourself with something special afterwards.

The thing is, your home setting influences your energy down to the last detail, & it all matters. You notice whether you're aware of it or not. Once you've ordered your home environment to meet your needs with intentional choices, it's much easier to maintain & want to maintain. You'll notice it makes a huge difference in your life. It then allows you to take charge of all other aspects of your life.