Unlocking the Secret to Calm Living

In today’s fast-paced and stressful world, finding solace and tranquility within the comfort of our own homes has become increasingly important. As an interior photographer in Denver, I’ve learned how to curate spaces that look best in photos, but the principles I apply can transform any living room into a serene sanctuary where you can unwind and recharge.

You see, the living room is the heart of the home – or at least the stomach, if you’re like me and believe the kitchen is the true center. Regardless, this space plays a significant role in creating a calming and peaceful environment. By incorporating thoughtful design elements, decluttering, and utilizing soothing colors and textures, you can transform your living room into an oasis of serenity.

Decluttering for Clarity

The first step in creating a calm living room is to declutter and simplify the space. Remove any unnecessary items, excess furniture, and visual clutter. Adopt a minimalist approach, keeping only the essential and meaningful items. Simplifying the room will create a sense of openness and spaciousness, allowing for a more tranquil atmosphere.

Have you ever noticed how much better the energy of a space feels after putting things back in their place and cleaning up? The clutter that consumes a room also consumes space in our minds, so the more we can discard, the lighter we feel ourselves. I personally like to Spring clean at least twice a year and really remove the things that no longer serve or spark joy in my home.

Lighting for Ambiance

Lighting plays a crucial role in setting the mood of a room. Maximize the use of natural light by making window treatments easy to keep open, like our drape hooks, or using translucent fabrics to allow ample sunlight to filter through. During the evening, opt for soft lighting options such as floor lamps, table lamps, or even string lights to create a cozy and inviting ambiance. Avoid harsh, bright lights that can be jarring and disruptive to the calm atmosphere.

In our living room, we were lucky to have a skylight already added before we moved in – the pros of buying an older home! My favorite thing to do is sit on the couch with the fireplace on while it rains and you can hear the drops hitting that skylight. It also adds ample light to the space, which made painting the fireplace a deep jewel-toned blue even more eye-catching, as the light really shows off the color.

Honoring Sentimental Pieces

Along with the skylight and a big window framed with Modern Magic Curtains, we’ve added vintage lamps to the space. These lamps are very special to me because they were my grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s. The Rococo-looking one was originally a kerosene lamp that was later converted to an electric lamp, and it’s one of my favorite possessions.

This is when your story takes precedence over having a perfectly aligned design. The style of lamp is not something I would have bought at the store, nor does it go with our overall vibe, but the story behind it, the connection to family, and its uniqueness all add to it and make it a great piece to have in this space. I don’t believe in making cookie-cutter houses that look like everyone else’s. I want pieces no one else will have to start conversations and share something about who I am – that’s what home means to me.

Embracing Color and Texture

When it comes to creating a calm living room, don’t think that you have to limit yourself to muted tones or a monochromatic palette. I’m all about color, but I use it in intentional ways that leave breathing room for the mind to wander.

Soft and muted hues like blues, greens, grays, and earth tones have a calming effect and can be incorporated through wall paint, wallpaper, fabrics, and decor. In our living room, you’ll notice that I went bold with a blue curtain in a fun pattern. I could have downplayed it and chosen something in the sage green shades that are used in the adjacent rooms, but I thought, “Why not?” My space is meant to be a statement, something to start conversations and a place where our family and others can get inspired.

Add to that our favorite Article chairs in a terracotta color, a deep blue fireplace, and a rug that pulls it all together with grays and reds, and you have a visually interesting yet serene environment. I’ve experimented with different shades and hues to create visual interest while maintaining a calming atmosphere.

Bringing Nature Indoors

Every design blog will tell you to bring nature into your home – and for good reason. We’re meant to be in nature, and we need that connection. When the season blues take their hold on me, I need to get my hands in the dirt, which usually means tending to my indoor plants.

While our home might be bright and colorful, we actually get limited direct sun, so we’re restricted to what type of indoor plants we can have – a lot of leafy things that don’t flower. However, every room has some sort of plant in it, and the living room has the most light, so it has the most plants, with I’m sure more to come.

Integrate nature-inspired elements into your living room to establish a connection with the outdoors. Use indoor plants like peace lilies, snake plants, or aloe vera to introduce greenery and purify the air. Incorporate natural materials like wood, bamboo, or rattan in your furniture and accessories for an organic and grounding feel. You’ll see that we have baskets within the space as a touch of nature, as well as the fibers on the pillows on the couch. Together, they add little pieces of nature that invite a calm energy.

Investing in Comfort

We waited four years, maybe more, to get our Article wingback chairs. It was love at first sight, and they weren’t in our budget at the time, nor did we have a space that would fit them. Then it came time to get new furniture for this space and our family room, and we knew we needed two of these chairs – our old “people chairs,” like Ellie and Carl in Up.

It was worth the wait to invest in something not only beautiful but insanely comfortable, too. You can sit in these chairs in any different way and still be able to fall asleep. To add to the coziness, I have a blanket on almost every piece of furniture in the house. They don’t always make it into the photographs because it can look messy, but when it’s the naked eye in the room, it’s one more way to add texture, color, pattern, and, of course, coziness.

The Beauty of an Unfinished Space

This living room was developed over the course of three years of living in this house and years of dreaming of the right furniture, and it’s still not done. To me, that’s the most important thing to remember in a slow home – it’s never finished. We dream of replacing the carpet with hardwood floors when the budget allows and to add some more paint and maybe a new door that leads to the garage.

While we think that once we re-decorate a space, we’re done for good, the truth is there is always something we’ll want to change or add. Styling a space is never done, but when done slowly and with intention, it can be a creative act that takes a lifetime and is well worth it.

So, if you’re ready to create your own Sofa Sanctuary and transform your living room into a serene oasis, start by decluttering, incorporating thoughtful lighting, and embracing color and texture. Don’t be afraid to mix sentimental pieces with your decor, and don’t forget to bring nature indoors. Most importantly, invest in comfortable seating that invites you to relax and unwind. Remember, the journey of creating a calm and intentional space is never truly over – it’s a lifelong pursuit that’s well worth the effort.

Sofa Spectacular is here to help you on your journey to creating a serene living room sanctuary. Browse our selection of comfortable, stylish sofas and accent chairs to find the perfect pieces to anchor your space.