When life gets busy and stressful, we all need a place to escape, relax, and regain our strength after an exhausting day. That’s why it’s essential to make your living space a calming sanctuary where you can have a great rest. 

If you want to add some tranquility and calmness to your home, a zen-inspired design is what you’re looking for. It’s all about creating a peaceful atmosphere featuring simplicity and clarity of lines that fosters harmony, balance, and relaxation. We’ve pulled up eight tips to inspire you to create a zen living space that lowers your stress levels from the moment you cross the threshold. 

Go for earthy pastel colors

The “Zen” design is all about natural colors in pastel tones such as white, grey, shades of green, beige, or pink beige. Such coloring lends a calming feeling to living spaces and induces a sense of relaxation and calmness. For some reason, a lot of people find peace in more minimalist décor choices. Many of them say  that a simple color palette and uncomplicated furnishing designs make them feel more energetic and free. 

Walls painted in white can open up space and make it feel airy, while nature-toned pastel pieces in beige are soothing and easy on the eyes. Harmony in colors among the various elements is significant, as well as the visual integrity between walls, furniture, and floors. Combine a dominant color with two or three matching ones and play with tones to create diversity.

Add texture

Texture adds dimension and contour to a space making the room visually more interesting. Dress up decor with rugs on the floor, pieces of art on the walls, sparse fabrics, and glossy surfaces. For a masculine feel, use rustic metals and rich woods. To add a chic and formal vibe, use silky pillows and velvet slipcovers. Combine a mix of textures to invite people to come closer to take a look, touch, and feel the atmosphere.  

Choose natural fabrics and materials

Opt for natural fabrics with a little natural texture or weave that are neutral in color and coordinate with your overall decorative scheme. It will provide a more cohesive feel to your space. Cotton is a strong and affordable natural fabric that makes a popular choice for many decor items from furniture upholstery and sheets to curtains. Silk is great for oriental rugs and pillows. 

While minimalism is all about the “less is more” approach, there’s a chance your interior design feels cold and too sterile. Do not be afraid to mix fabrics as the sophisticated design may involve various patterns and textures. The key is to mix no more than three textures as combining more than that may lead to a design disbalance. 

As for materials, invest in pieces of natural or eco-friendly materials such as wood, marble, granite, bamboo. Wood, especially if it’s untreated, is one of the best natural materials you can use for your home design. When it comes to wood, you shouldn’t be worried about the grain — the real charm of this material lies in its imperfections. You can even use recycled wood such as pallets. 

Use soft flooring materials

Such harsh flooring as, for example, marble tiles does not match the whole concept of zen design while parquet or massive wooden flooring will suit the zen-inspired styling pretty well. 

Otherwise, a natural-colored carpet or rug can help add softness to the floor and provide a real sense of comfort. The downside is the additional maintenance required. However, if you choose a carpet, pay attention that the carpets’ color matches the floor and room’s overall design.

Opt for calming, nature-inspired lights

There’s nothing as relaxing and refreshing as natural light to make a living space feel bright.  A simple mindful practice is to wake up when it’s light out and fall asleep when it’s dark out to maintain a healthy sleep cycle. So, maximize the amount of natural sunlight that comes in and let it pour in at every opportunity. 

At evening hours replace harsh fluorescent lights with calming, nature-inspired, or candle lights to achieve a peaceful mood. To get a soft glow and feel cozy, you may opt for some nice (scented) candles.

Bring in calmness with green plants and flowers

In modern interiors dominated by concrete, stone, and glass, indoor green plants and fresh flowers make the room revitalized and less and monotonous. When it comes to greenery, the benefits go beyond just aesthetics. A dash of greenery can make your living space a lot healthier by eliminating toxins from the air. Research also proves that caring for plants can improve the mental health condition of those who feel constantly low or depressed. 

Enhance your room with natural scents

Not only does a good-smelling house feel great, but the right scents can also affect our mood and sense of calm. A study found that people who received aromatherapy were significantly less stressed than those who received a placebo. So, natural scents were considered  an effective treatment for stress management. 

Lavender, jasmine, pine, citrus, rosemary, vanilla, and other calming scents will leave you feeling soothed and refreshed whenever you walk into the room. Using burning candles or installing a flavored humidifier can help you achieve this effect. Before that, make sure you have tackled any underlying odors first. 

Eliminate clutter

Any clutter is a visual distraction, and every unnecessary interior piece diverts our attention. De-cluttering a messy room not only looks amazing, it feels absolutely awesome too — a kind of detox for the mind and spirit. Make it a priority to put away unnecessary items and introduce a habit of cleaning up space.

So, the key to a zen-inspired interior is to remove the unnecessary stuff.  The less clutter, the less visual stress we have. 

Author: ESA Care team The description can be: ESA Care is a telemedicine service company that gives people the option to speak with a licensed mental health professional