How to Design a Home Around the People You Love

By Jolene Nannette

Designing spaces in your home to foster a sense of connection just takes a little bit of planning and organizing. And it’s very worthwhile. Here are a few things you can do to make your home more open to encouraging close relationships with the people you care about.

Focus on Emotional Well-Being in Space Design.

To create spaces that enhance emotional well-being, it’s crucial to recognize the relationship between our environment and our mental state. A well-designed home can reduce stress, encourage connection, and promote mindfulness. Cluttered or poorly designed spaces can increase anxiety. A calming environment can help mitigate this. You can create spaces that promote interaction which can strengthen relationships among family members and friends. Rooms that encourage face to face interaction help people connect.

Creating Spaces for Connection.

Of course, there is the living room set up with the sofa’s facing each other, the four chairs around a coffee table, etc. That’s great if you make a point to use them, but less useful if they just remain unoccupied. Utilize the space you have to facilitate meeting areas, but also make the spaces you frequently use comfortable for gathering. The unused breakfast nook? We turned ours into a comfy hang out area with a couch, TV, and is the closest space to the kitchen. Connection every evening achieved.

Make a Comfortable Dining Space.

It used to not be family dinner time if everyone wasn’t seated at the table, at a certain time, with dinner presented in the center of the table. Times have changed and that doesn’t mean that dinner time is less valuable. Pay attention to how your family connects over meals and make that the cozy space. It could be around the coffee table, the kitchen island, the front yard outdoor table. Wherever you feel most comfortable having dinner, focus on making that space great.

Encourage Individuality in the Home.

Be intentional about making space for everyone. Look around your home and find spaces for individuals to get downtime while not being far away from the family. If there is a corner of the living room, family room, entry way, etc. that can be made cozy and inviting, take advantage of that space. In the closest families, some members are a bit introverted but still want to be close. Make space for them.

Show Your Family History.

Display family photos or artwork that shows the experiences you have had as a family. Hang pictures on the wall. Make family photo books and don’t just put them on the shelf. Make your family history part of the decor in your home; it will make everyone feel more connected.

Keep Your Home Clutter Free.

Regularly assess and declutter spaces to maintain a calm environment. A tidy home will foster a clearer mind. Make cleaning out a regular practice, rather than a yearly one. Model this by keeping a clean and clutter free kitchen, living room, and family room.

Welcome Guests With Open Arms.

Don’t let a less than spotless house, a busy schedule, a few too few ingredients stop you from inviting friends over. If the opportunity is there, just say yes. You’ll figure it out and in the worst case, you’ll have to order pizza. Always say yes to friends coming over.

As we are far into the new year, and thinking about what matters to us, it’s a great time to take a look at things we would like to be better. Connecting with the people we care about is top of the list. Let’s make the small changes around our home happen to make big improvements to our close relationships. Let’s choose this to be the year to be closer.

By Jolene Nannette

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