5 Ways to Create a Comfortable Home

Comfortable means different things to different people. For me, comfortable is clean and organized, calming and spacious. It is more a feeling that you get walking into a space than any one item in particular. Which is great news! It will absolutely work even for those on a a budget! You can achieve comfort without spending a dime.

Here is my 5 part system to creating a comfortable home:

Step 1: Clean!

Image from Pink Sherbert

This one is obvious to some, less obvious to others. I knew one gentleman who fancied himself a bit of of a ladies man. And maybe he could have been. Unfortunately the fantasy ended the second you entered his house. You couldn’t see the floor. Who even know what lurked beneath the depths? Now does that inspire throes of passion for you?  Definitely not for me. I hightailed it out of there. So there you have it. Clean isn’t an option it’s just hygiene. Now go scrub behind your toilet.

Step 2: Declutter!

This is a scary prospect for most people. But if you really let yourself go, if you are able to cut your ties with physical objects it will becoming freeing. You will find yourself doing it all the time (ok, maybe not but I know I do). I love the feeling of weeding out the duds in my wardrobe, of realizing some once beloved objet’s time has passed. Don’t feel guilty about any of this! Go to any thrift store and you will see the castoffs of everyone else. We don’t have to love all of our possessions forever. In fact you can think of it this way: getting rid of stuff is just making room for all the wonderful things out there you have yet to buy. Do you really need that lei Aunt Edna hauled back for you from Hawaii? No. Now make some room.

(Edit: please donate your things to a thrift store! The proceeds usually go to charity and it keeps things out of the landfill. There are exceptions to this: bin your old dirty sneakers, ripped up towels etc. but the good things can and should be reused.)

Step 3: Organize!

colour code your books!

Come on don’t stop there! It is really easy to organize yourself. Shoving everything in a junk drawer or a closet is definitely not organized. Start my placing like with like. Baking supplies together. Socks together. Etc. Then if you are feeling fancy you can take it one step further: take that pile of old Domino magazines and arrange them in a few artful piles. Take some attractive hardcover books slap them down and stick some flowers or candles on top. However, I am not a fan of keeping things around just for display. If you are never going to read your hardcover edition of Moby Dick then by all means, donate it.

Step 4: Smell!

mmmm scented candles

I am choosy-whoosy when it comes to scent. I prefer high-end perfumed candles or a Lamp Bergere. But you don’t have to be drop a lot of coin in order to find a great scent. You can buy a tiny votive from Pacifica very inexpensively (right now I am burning Tibetan Mountain Temple….mmmmmm). Or if incense floats your boat there are many delicious varieties out there. I will always be partial to Nag Champa but that is my rebellious youth speaking.

Step 5: Vignettes!

Wait- what are those? Relax guy – this is just a fancy name for an artful arrangement of stuff. You may have even skipped ahead in the decluttering phase to start this. Now what do you have that you love? And how can you display it? I have a collection of shells and odds and ends from the sea that I have arranged on a rustic wooden platter on my coffee table. (Keep in mind this collection definitely did not happen overnight.) I also have glass jars full of wine corks, a display of tall amber glassware, lots of white ceramic animals (mostly thrifted). None of these things cost very much money if at all, but by grouping them together they make an impact. Play around, don’t overcrowd and have fun (there is nothing worse than a coffee table that is so overloaded there is nowhere to put your coffee). If you are really feeling stuck try taking a photo. For some reason looking a a picture often helps you determine what is missing (different heights? groups of 3?).

Step 6: Relax!

Ok you’re done. Now unwind on your cat-fur free couch and breathe in the sweetly scented air. Enjoy the fruits of your labour!