Guest Post: How to Create Sanctuary in Your Home

About the author: Kristen Costa is a lover of all things history, books, and research. Her day job is as a museum curator but loves sharing her passion for writing and the written word with the world, including posts such as this one for Texas-based relocation service helping renters find the perfect North Dallas Apartments.

Kristen lives in Massachusetts, but on the border of RI so calls both states home. She currently is living on her own for the first time (at the age of 29!) and loving every single minute of it. Find her on Twitter @KristenCurator, and check out her blog, Life By Kristen.

As much as I love my house, I recently felt the need to create a special place within it that was just for my quiet time and me. This seems silly considering I live alone, but this small little corner of the house is slowly becoming one of my favorite places to JUST BE.

Perhaps it’s my bookworm nature or my love of sitting in the sun to think and write, but as I was decorating and setting up my house, I felt this strong urge to have a spot that served no other purpose than for relaxation. The whole house has a homey, “me” feel, but each room has a specific purpose and are shared spaces for when I have friends and family over. While my bedroom is a comfy and inviting place for me, I associate it with sleep and clothing; the chair that resides in there far too often has clothes on it to make it an inviting place to read or write. My sunroom is amazing and comfortable, but without heat, it cannot provide me my quiet space in the dead of winter. All of these spaces reflect who I am, but still feel in some way as if it is not solely my space.

In thinking about redesigning the layouts and uses of each room in my house, it became very clear to me that the things I do the most- reading, writing, and cooking – should really bring me the most peace and happiness every time I walked into them. In addition, I should have spaces that really reflected how I used them the most. The previous room known as the dining room seemed silly to me now that I was not doing any entertaining like when I was married. My desk was thrown into a corner of the dining room almost as an after thought and if I wanted a quiet place to read and write, the couch in the living room was the only option.

To create my sanctuary space, I reassigned the previous dining room into my home office and worked to make that spot as welcoming and full of joy as possible. The best part was that it left me a good portion of the room to create as my personal reading nook area. A worn leather recliner that belonged to a dear, late family friend is the focal point of my nook, which is really just the corner closest to the window that gets the best sun in the room. A small side table for tea and a comfy colorful pillow make the spot welcoming; the wall décor is a reflection of my varied interests, favorite colors, and childhood memories.

The sanctuary spot can be for whatever bit of the world brings you joy – crafting room, art studio, sports room, or man cave. Creating a sanctuary space within a house or apartment is as easy as finding a comfortable chair or even cushions for the floor and surrounding that corner or nook with colors, objects, and textures that bring you peace and promote creativity. A nearby table that serves as storage for office related items also is the landing spot for my journal, books of inspiring quotes, and writing prompts. Other than buying a new pillow for the chair and moving it from one room to the other, this decorating project took virtually no time and very little effort because the items that occupy my nook were already scattered throughout my house. Gathering them all together in one spot makes me happy when I walk into the room, promotes my creativity, and allows me a spot to relax, reflect, and forget about the troubles of the day.

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