How to Create a Calm, Stress-Free Home

World Mental Health Day takes place on the 10th of October 2025 and acts as an apt reminder of the importance of creating a calm, stress-free home to relax in after a long or difficult day.

Whilst we can’t always control the things that impact our mental health, we can ensure our homes are a cosy, comfortable and clutter-free environment, conducive of peace and calm. Find out how to turn your home into a haven this World Mental Health Day and beyond.

Three Key Rules to Creating a Calm Home

When it comes to turning your home into an environment that removes stress rather than creates it, focus on the following: 

• Keep it tidy: Every item in your house needs a home. If it doesn’t have one, find one or consider whether you need it. ‘Clutter blindness’ is common when things pile up, so try to view your space with fresh eyes, focusing on each item and asking: “do I want this, and should it live here?” 
• Make it comfortable: A stylish home should be visually impressive, but if you can’t bear the thought of your bed because its attractiveness ends the moment you lie down, it’s time for a change. If you want to feel calm, you need to feel comfortable.
• Know your preferences: ‘Calm’ means different things to each of us. Some prefer a neutral, organic aesthetic, others like deep colours that replicate a cave-like environment. Consider your preferred level of visual complexity – the balance between a stark, empty room versus a busy one – and, whatever your preferences, be clear on what brings you zen before you start decorating.

Hallways Are Key To Calm

As the entrance to your abode, it’s crucial your hallway sets the tone for a calm home. First and foremost, if you’re decorating your hallway, ensure it flows with the rest of your house. You want floors and halls to seamlessly complement each other as you move from room to room.

For many, the hallway becomes a space of accumulated ‘stuff’. From shoes, bags and coats, to artwork and furniture that doesn’t naturally fit elsewhere, it’s time to give your hallway love and attention – starting by decluttering! Invest in appropriate storage; if space is limited, built in options or benches that combine seating and storage are great choices. 

With things tidied away, add sensory finishing touches to welcome you into the space. Low lighting on a timer will beckon you with a warm glow in the winter, whilst flowers, candles or reed diffusers invite you in with an attractive scent.

How To Create Calm in Your Lounge

Our lounges work hard! They serve multiple functions – from a space of socialising with all your friends, through to playtime with the kids, and a sanctuary to relax in. 

When you make it to the relaxation part, the last thing you need is tech and toys ruining the aesthetic. Choose closed storage to hide everything away at the end of the day and, to encourage tech-free time, consider a decorative TV unit or one that frames the television, so the screen becomes a piece of art instead of an eyesore. 

Like having trinkets on display? Consider an open bookshelf or display cabinet and carefully choose items conducive to calm – including books! Plants with curved edges and matt, light coloured accessories in round shapes will have a more visually calming effect than spikey edged foliage and jagged edges.

Comfortable seating you can sink into will aid relaxation. Whether you want a large, statement sofa that beckons to you the second you enter, or something more understated that becomes an extension of your oasis of calm, the important thing is when you sit back into it, your worries disappear.

Finally, ensure you layer lounge lighting. That way, when guests leave and toys are put away, you can turn off bright overheads and have plenty of options to bathe the room in a soft glow.

Bedrooms Need To Be Tranquil Spaces

Your bedroom is arguably the space where you need to create the most calm in your home. Fundamental to that is your choice of bed. Style preferences vary by person, just be sure to consider comfort as well as visual appeal. Add throws and scatter cushions to ramp up tranquillity – avoid too much pattern and colour, and ensure you don’t add so many that it becomes a chore to clear the bed every night!

Colour is key to a calm bedroom. An energising colour won’t support peace and sleep; neutral or paler hues are best – something like Pantone’s Colour of the Year Mocha Mousse. If you’re one for colour, avoid strong saturations and stick to a monochromatic palette (a combination of shades of the same colour). A technique like colour drenching can envelope you in your favourite zen shade and immediately bring down your heart rate.

Storage is important here too. Clothes, toys, homework – whatever the clutter – shut it away in a wardrobe or chest of drawers before you wind down for the night. A tech-free zone is conducive to relaxation and good sleep, so use a closed bedside cabinet to shut away devices at night. Then, top it with items more likely to help you relax, like a book, plant and ambient bedside lamp. 

Offices Can Be Calm Too

Although tension tends to be higher in our offices than other rooms in our home, the space doesn’t have to be a den of stress. To create a functional, and fabulous, home office that encourages calm, pick furniture with curved edges so you can fix your gaze on soft shapes and remain in a relaxed state, even when those conference calls get lively.

Where possible, position your desk so you benefit from as much natural light as possible and ensure you have plenty of options for lighting available outside of this. Whilst you don’t want to be plunged into darkness during a meeting, you may be grateful for the opportunity to work under a softer glow during periods of focus away from Zoom.

Cosy Up in Your Outside Space

Just because it’s getting crisp outside doesn’t mean you have to ditch the outdoors until spring. As sunlight hours reduce, it’s more important than ever to ensure you’re soaking up natural light and vitamin D. If the sun is shining, call a friend, grab your jackets and curl up outside for a catch-up. Keep outdoor-appropriate blankets, throws and cushions to hand and set yourselves up on a comfortable outdoor sofa positioned in front of a coffee table to house warm drinks. 

If you have a large garden, take a stroll through it and enjoy the view. By positioning outdoor lamps close to walkways, you can wind down with a short peaceful walk before bed. 

Top Tips to Create a Calm Home

Each room will call for a different design to become a sanctuary, but there are some fundamental tips to consider throughout to create a stress-free home:

• Choose appropriate storage for the space. Tidiness is key to calm, so closed options tend to be best to hide things away.
• From a squishy sofa to an expansive bed, comfortable furniture that hugs you after a hard day should be the priority. 
• A place of peace can be achieved by removing screens and promoting activities that help you to stay present and calm.
• Lighting affects your mood. Natural light is the preference; where that’s not possible, layer lighting so you have plenty of options.

If you have a new design project on the horizon you need help with, the expert team at Juliettes Interiors have over 20 years of experience creating calm, luxury interiors. Alternatively, if you can picture the ultimate calming item you’d like in your home but can’t find it online, speak to us about creating your dream bespoke piece of furniture.