Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. Breathing is at the base and core of who we are. There’s nowhere we should be able to breathe more freely, than at home.
Our homes are like a magpie nest. We collect and collect all the things that we need, and those things that we think we need. Soon, our home is one giant mess, where we’re having to move things around to get comfortable. Look around you right this moment, is there something that you don’t really need but you keep around anyway? Things that have sentimental value or psychological significance in some way have a valid reason for being around. Let’s all admit that even though we don’t need to, we place things around the home just because they look stylish for the moment and because there is an interior design trend going around that says we must. Not wanting to be part of the loop is one of the main causes for us collecting junk and hoarding things that go out of style very quickly. Your home suddenly becomes a place where you’re actually less comfortable for this reason. It’s time, to create spaces around the home that you can actually sit and breathe freely in.
Away from the action
In the living room of every home, there is a sofa, maybe even two. This is where the family and friends come to congregate. It gets a bit lively around dinner or lunchtime as everyone is gathered around, eating, talking, laughing and watching television sometimes. Even in among this chaos, you can build a place that is away from the action. An egg chair is a great cocoon that lets your half escape from the rest of the room. It encompasses half of your body, while the rest hands out such as your lower half. However since the design is curved, you can always ball-up and tuck your legs and feet in. Still, very much part of what’s going on, however, if you put your earphones in, get a book and get underneath a blanket and you’ve whisked yourself away into another world; your own. This kind of separation from the fray is good because having a contrast of atmospheres despite being in close proximity of each other, can stop you from leaving the room to go find it somewhere else. You can check in and out of what the rest of the family is doing at will.
The younger sister
A lounge can be on par or even higher than a living room, depending on how you choose to use and design each of the rooms. But if the living room is where people spend most of their time, a lounge can be a quick getaway. If this is your choice, then look at the lounge like a younger sister. It likes to mimic it’s older sibling but isn’t quite suited to the proper aspects of that room. So a small sofa is better than a large family-sized sofa. Since it’s small, it’s more personal and this is great because the lounge is for informal guests; people who you’re quite comfortable with already. Finding the right kind of small sofa can be even more difficult than finding a large sofa you want. You can design your own if you wish if you want to see more about how than by all means see what kind of measurements you want. The foam cushioning is very absorbent of weight and slowly regenerates its original form when weight is no longer pressing it down. How large and how many cushions and bolsters you want is up to you.
Watching clouds
Why is it that we forget that our homes include outdoor living space also? Maybe it’s our sedentary lifestyles that keep us locked away in our rooms, fiddling around on our computers. It could be because we just don’t see the outdoors as a place to spend time. But every home should have an outside living area, even if it’s something simple like a swinging bench. Sat on this bench, swinging to and fro, you can watch the clouds fly by overhead. Get some fresh air, think about something that’s seriously been bothering you without being distracted by other things such as a blaring television or family members talking. It’s also a place where you can be alone, and contemplate things that mean something to you. Away from the indoors, a chair of some sort outside takes you back to nature a little bit. Sometimes watching birds flying and butterflies and bees floating among the flowers is more entertaining than a television sitcom.
Creating spaces where we may breathe freely and be by ourselves in our own home can be achieved. We’ve got to start valuing our personal space more than we do currently. Of course, we share space but it doesn’t mean you can’t have a little to yourself.