Do you have a happy place to go to within your home? Maybe it’s the chair you go to soak in a moment of peace, or a room you sit in to bring a little more joy, or the spot in your home where you go when you need to reenergize yourself or to feel more inspired?
In my “homebody manifesto” post, I talked about how often we are told to offer ourselves self-care by heading off somewhere other than our home.
Of course, a “happy place” can be somewhere else in the world. Maybe on a beach. Or in the mountains. Or at a boutique hotel with room service. Those can be very happy places because we feel like we can leave our cares behind.
But I have found I feel my best overall when I create restorative spaces in my home where I feel happier, too.
Home is where a lot of our life is lived, so I’ve observed that there are lots of little decisions we make there every day that can greatly impact how we feel. My new book Dwelling is all about feeling well where you dwell (it’s not just about our home but in how we take care of ourselves there, too).
While a perfectly designed room or new furniture could offer a very happy place, a happy spot is not always about having all of the perfect “things” we want in a room.
Sometimes a happy place means you will claim one clutter-free corner for yourself.
Maybe it means arranging one shelf to bring joy in an imperfect place.
Maybe it’s about cultivating the “happy mindset” we need to see the gifts in a space right in front of us.
Of course, people or pets can bring happy to a home, too! Wherever and however you find more joy in your home, I think having at least one spot where you know you can go to soak in some happiness can be a gift to yourself!
White Slipcovered Sofa /Blue and White Rug
In my house I’d probably say I feel my happiest when I’m curled up on my living room sofa. Besides being where my people and pups are, I think it’s a happy spot because during the day or sunset hours I can enjoy the light and view through our windows. Being there brings more joy to my day.
We intentionally positioned our sofa in the living room and a bench in our dining room so that we can sit in either spot and look outside. We could have arranged our rooms differently, but that decision (among many!) has had a positive impact on my well-being.
Whether or not we have the perfect rooms or make ideal choices from a design standpoint, the decisions we make to improve how we feel in our home matters most of all.
Where’s your happy place in your home? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
If you aren’t sure where your happy spot would be, maybe it’s time to create a little nook for more joy this week!
I agree with you about making spaces in our homes that make us happy. My living room is one, my big king sized bed is another. My kids rooms make me happy too!
I am all about this happy place thing!!! My front porch swing for watching the sky at sunset makes me happy. My favorite place in the summertime , is my backyard patio. Right now our sofa is miserable to sit on for long but its where I read my bible in the morning with coffee, and that make me happy!
We have a beat-up, dog-“distressed” recliner sofa in our living room that is terrible to look at, but is perfect for curling up while reading and sipping coffee, or napping. I am loathe to replace it because what if the next one isn’t as comfy? ?
I love this post!! do you sell the “these are the good old days” towel in your shop? I did not see it… thank you
I have a comfy chair in the living room where I can watch the world whiz by and the sun set. I also have a massage chair in the den where I do my morning readings and start my day, and meditate. And then there’s my craft room that makes me smile when I walk in. Great post. Thank you. P.S. maybe I should mention I’m a widow & live alone so I am able to make all my rooms my happy places.
My happy place is in our library where the big windows fill the room with sunshine and light, I recline in one of the two leather recliners in there to read ( surrounded by our beloved books) I have an iced tea or a warm brewed tea beside me and this is where I have my quiet time with the Lord. I have my morning devotional here. There is also a wall mounted tv for when we prefer to watch something different from whomever is watching something in our living room. I love my happy place! I love my HOME! ?❤️
I just read the devotion “Are you a Gatekeeper” and wanted to say thank you. Normally my house is OK – as a single with 4 Labrador , I do not go for the magazine cover look. But today is the first day the contractors are not here – the compressor is quiet – no banging etc and I was feeling overwhelmed by the piles of stuff that had to be moved while we redid 2 rooms. Where do I start? Should I just stash it all or should I purge as I go? You know the situation. Your words helped me settle my heart down. Yes the Proverbs 31 woman has a lot to teach us but even she did not do it all in one day:) Blessings to you and your home is beautiful!
Hi Connie!! I’m so glad the post has helped settle your heart a bit, and you are so right, this is not something any of us do in a day. It’s a daily mindset of progress. My new book Dwelling addresses the general idea of doing what you can to create a Sanctuary, no matter what season or challenges you are facing.
I have remodeled and know how much chaos that creates!!! I would try to purge as I go, but sometimes it’s just too much to deal with and you might need to stash it all away until the remodeling is over. I don’t know if there is a perfect way to do it, but the more you can get rid of as you go the better.
I wrote about one of my more recent projects, an outdoor space that was giving me all kinds of stress. You might enjoy it here >https://theinspiredroom.net/2016/04/11/daily-affirmations-for-house-chaos/
Also on the topic of decluttering and organizing, I wrote a book called Make Room for What You Love and another book called Simple Organizing, both of which offer simple, practical do-over-time steps! My books are found here: http://theinspiredroom.net/books
Take care and enjoy your improvements!! blessings to you.
I used to have a room where all the things that i didn’t know where to put went to die. Now i turned up that space into a library/Living room that i love and makes me feel happy.