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A home for me has many purpose. We often overlook the need for our home to offer sanctuary, serenity and a place to download after a hectic day, instead we use it for practicality and function and if no considered is given to its decor, this environment can quickly sap us of energy and leave us feeling drained
Here are a few tips to guide you in transform you abode into a place of balance and calm.
Thought provoking Aromas
My rule of thumb, is alway to have a scents in the air to evoke my senses. My friends who visit always comment on the smell of my home and now we share it with a 40 kilo, 6 month old Doberman I am keen to uphold my reputation for having a luxurious smelling home.
The use of candles have the ability to offer a warm, inviting glow, regardless of time of day. Different scents can transport you to far of travels, spa days or family times around the dinner table. My personal favourite at the moment is Sandcastles and Sunsets,https://www.rawchiliving.com/product/127/scented-candle-sandcastles-%26-sunsets even though I can’t physically get on a plane, my scene of smell can take me there.
I use diffusers and aromatherapy oils to fill the room with a signature scent and room sprays for a quick sprits.
The healing Energy of Plants
In 2020 we saw the “Botanical Boom”, with a universe of lock down nations, sales of houseplants rocketed by 500%. Plants are known to eliminate toxins from our indoor space, offering a re-oxygenation environment, improving our air quality. They also promote feelings of calm, reduce stressed and anxiety, improving our mood, and reducing fatigue.
For me adding house plants, in gorgeous earthy textured plant pots in my home was meant with a little amusement from my husband as in the past I have possibly struggled to maintain their green luscious appearance. However by choosing plants such as parlor palms, snake plants and raven, with their unusual dark foliage I have managed to tune my not so green thumbs that bit greener.
The need to declutter
When I am amongst clutter I can feel the chaos rising inside of me. Having a 4 and a 2 year old, my home cango from tranquility and calm to piles of clutter in a matter of hours and by not having a system to control the chaos, I can find myself spend hours looking for my daughters paw patrol figures that could well be hidden underneath a mountains of unkempt toys, blankets, dirty clothes, my definition of disorganised utter chaos and for Paige a traumatic 20 minutes until she has been reunited with Sky and Chase!
I make a point of spending time each few weeks to declutter our lives, anything not used can be repurposed for donation does and throughout lockdown I have invested in gorgeous woven baskets, smoked glass jars and new organised shelving. I like to see clear sleek lines within my home and having a home for everything offers me the calm amongst the chaos that I need. Shoe are my biggest clutter nightmare, just been thrown in the cloakroom and the door shut behind so anyone visiting can’t see the mismatch of kids and adults trainers, wellies, boots and havianas, you name it its thrown in there, together with muddy coats and kids satchels. For this I have had a shoe cupboard made for behind the door and for the best part the shoe clutter is contained. It is a work in progress, keeping it tidy. But life is a work in progress. So sometimes a just take a big deep breath breath, smile and shut the door.
The use of Light
We built a subterranean home, to which most people tilted their head when we described it and I could see them instantly think, gosh that sounds dark. However we considered the light in all aspects of the design.
When the light bounces from our open void above does into the basement the joy I get from the strokes of natural light is both calming and warming, it is purposeful and intrinsic to the tranquility atmosphere that this space offer.
Where light is offered from above I have strategically place large mirrors to bounce the light, offering double the amount of natural day light and also increasing the feeling of space. This is a fabulous tip for people in apartments with few window, reflections offer new depths.
Outside in
Our home has an internal courtyard that is opened on to by sliding doors from my children playroom with an adjacent garden room opening onto the garden. The free flow of this space as I sit here now in the April Sunshine allows me to feel like I am working outside, from the comfort of my desk inside. This is all a work in progress and the gardens are not finished yet as we have only just finished building, so the full flow and balance of interior exterior has not quite been achieved, yet what we are working towards is a living green wall drawing our eye away from a redbrick wall to luscious green calming space, concrete planters with tall olive trees and a space that allows us to feel as one, not so we are moving from room to room but that it is one space, considered and offers with the purpose of giving us the feel of Mediterranean living, right from our garden room in Cheshire.
When considering your external space, don’t neglect to design and see it as an extension of your home, it is often overlooked and for not a huge expense can offer you the tranquility to just sit in the stillness of your garden, reading a book, mediated, enjoying a green smoothie, or share the space with family and friends, whatever it’s purpose is on that given day, the point is, just remember to give it a purpose and it isn’t just somewhere you throw the back door open to let the dog out for a wee or the kids out for a run. It is your piece of outdoor sanctuary and deserves your love.
I do hope you are enjoying the new direction and do get in touch to share thoughts, ideas or have any questions for me.
A missed miscarriage followed by a second pregnancy served up with a dose of the truly debilitating illness that is hyperemesis gravidarum has left me with a level of humility I couldn’t possibly have reached before. I would often get frustrated by what I thought were people not taking their health into their own hands yet our health can very much be out of our hands!
Water is the essence of our life and is required in every cell of our body. So how much should you drink and what type of water is best? Is tap water okay? Do tea and coffee count and how about fizzy water?
Most people think they need to get protein from meat yet meat protein takes anywhere between 24 to 72 hours to digest whereas plant based protein offers slower releasing protein within hours of consumption which sustains your energy levels for longer.
If money were no object and little things like green cards didn’t stand in my way I would almost certainly have a crash pad in LA. I spent a month there back in 2013 and came back feeling every bit a Venice beach babe.
LA is a mecca for anyone into clean living and raw food delights.
Next time someone tells you chocolate is bad you’ll be able to give them ten reasons why Raw Chocolate is good for you
For instance did you know that pure chocolate contains fabulous esoteric properties and this is likely why for centuries it has been linked to having strong aphrodisiac effects.
This is a fabulous alternative to sugar and doesn’t push your blood sugar levels up, so it’s perfect for diabetics. It also contains fewer calories than sugar so for me is a firm favourite when sweetening smoothies, raw cookies, breakfast cereal, I even add it to my raw ice creams.
With so many more people announcing they have a gluten-intolerance without ever being tested, I thought it time I share my findings with people who come on my courses. You can’t go in a supermarket these days without seeing the gluten free isle and the thing that concerns me is how people see the gluten free sticker and immediately think healthier option.... well read on!
When your body is acidic it can lead to pain, excess weight and in some cases the more acid your blood the increased risk of chronic disease.
By being alkaline, you can increase energy, improve digestion and build a strong immune system.
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