If you’ve ever been lucky enough to visit a beauty spa,
think about the peaceful atmosphere created especially to relax you. The few I’ve seen are always immaculately tidy
and quite minimal in décor, even if they are just a small local beauty therapist. I feel serene as soon as I step in the door. Order soothes my mind and I immediately
begin to relax.
Soft music is playing, the rooms are free of clutter and
there may only be a few things displayed.
This helps the room feel calm and spacious, even if it’s a tiny space. The lighting is dimmed; perhaps there is a
lamp or fairy lights glowing instead of an overhead ceiling light. The décor colours used are harmonious and
often light in tone.
Thinking about a spa inspires me to apply some of those same
principles to my own home, to:
- Tidy things away to their rightful place
- Declutter items that are there just because they’ve always been there (and I’m not particularly fussed on them anyway)
- Organise items on display to look more attractive eg. group the body lotion, hand cream and shea butter on my bedside table onto a small tray
- Think, speak and move in a soft and calm way
- Dress simply and elegantly
- Take the time to apply a face mask or moisturise my feet
- Be organised with my time and not rush from task to task – do one then continue onto the next
- Look at adding more lamps into my décor, there is no rule that you should only have one per room!
- Have a playlist of relaxing music that I play in the background when I am at home by myself
- Pretty touches such as a few flowers in a tiny vase
I can be guilty of leaving something sitting on a table for
days (weeks!) on end, when it really only would take five minutes to find its
proper home. Being inspired by the
orderly calming inspiration of a spa helps me find the motivation to deal with
that object and restore a peaceful vista.
Our eyes subconsciously pick up on everything around us, so
if we have bits and pieces lying around they are stealing our serenity. The energy drained is more than if we
expended the energy to deal with it!
I am inspired to create my own spa atmosphere at home, and you might be too. Please share your
thoughts – does the thought of a spa inspire you to tidy and simplify? What is something you could do right now?
Fiona
PS. My most popular book to date - Thirty Chic Days - has received a beautiful new makeover. Isn't she gorgeous? Available on Kindle and in paperback from Amazon. Check out the 'Look Inside' function or order a sample to be sent to your Kindle to take a peek at the content!
My spa inspiration would be very much like yours along with soft, non-LED lighting (I don't like the harsh blue-white light LED's emit), delta wave type music, the sound of the wind in the trees, or complete silence, candle(s), muted colors taken from nature, natural scents from fresh cut flowers or oils. All the senses touched by nature I guess :)
ReplyDeleteD.
Ooh, yes, D, I love the essential oil smell in spas too :)
DeleteI love natural daylight, so wouldn't want to give that up. But I always light a candle or two and turn on lamps in the evening (no harsh overhead glare). Baroque music (especially Bach) in the background, but if it's raining or the wind is blowing in the trees I just want to hear that! I also love the tidiness and minimalism of a spa and enjoy a few green plants, a couple of comfortable throws and pillows, books and a candle.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Karen :) Your vision feels so peaceful.
DeleteFiona - I really love the new book covers. They are so pretty!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much, Donna :)
DeleteFiona, just discovered your blog today and liked it so much I'm sharing it at a link party called #BlogCrush.
ReplyDeleteWow, thank you Jean!
DeleteFiona, the new book covers are tres chic! (Sorry, I can't manage the accent!) I can't get into a bath now, and I don't want one of those gadgets in the bathroom for elderlies and the disabled to get in and out, so I shower, thus our bathroom can't be like a spa but at least it's pretty with a toile wallpaper (actually, it could do with redecorating but I'll overlook that small matter!)
ReplyDeleteI've only ever had a facial in a spa once, when we visited a rather posh hotel (I was writing about it for a magazine) and really, I can't say I'm overly enamoured with such things. I'd rather just have a warm shower and then my dressing gown and a good book by the fireside. I don't light candles - well, occasionally perhaps, but I don't make a habit of it - as they are huge pollutants in the home, causing up to 30% more pollution (or so I read recently.) Yes, they are pretty, and some even smell nice (not all of them!) but I prefer clean, fresh air. I will use a nice room spray, though, one from natural products, in jasmine or rose.
Margaret P
www.margaretpowling.com
I don't like baths at all, and only have showers Margaret! I'm bored within five minutes in a bath but a nice long shower and I'm in heaven. And I don't really go to spas that much either, enjoying recreating their good points at home :)
DeleteFrom what I've see of your decor it is very elegant and soothing.
Oh yes I'm much happier and contented if I am in a clutter-free environment... and yet I still have a cluttered home! Haha. I do try to keep on top of the tidying, but with 2 small children around, it's not easy.
ReplyDeleteBut someone else is feeling inspired by this post too and chose to add it to the BlogCrush linky for you. Hurray! Feel free to pop over and grab your "I've been featured" blog badge #blogcrush
Oh yes Lucy, I'm the same - I crave a clutter free life but it's a constant job to not be cluttered! I think some of us are more 'sticky' than others and we pick things up like a magnet :) And two small children won't help matters, so if you've made any headway, even 1%, I tip my beret to you!
Delete