| In today's fast-paced society, it's sometimes difficult to | | | | your bedroom make you feel as though you've |
| achieve balance in life. All too often, we spend | | | | walked into a safe haven, or does it feel sterile and |
| countless hours at the office and more hours | | | | uninviting? |
| commuting or chauffeuring our kids to and from after | | | | Next, take an emotional inventory of your outdoor |
| school activities. We wired to the max, with our cell | | | | space. Is the front yard a place you rush through to |
| phones, our BlackBerrys, our computers, and our iPods | | | | get to the front door? Does your patio make you feel |
| always within arm's reach. We pride ourselves on our | | | | relaxed, or is it simply additional storage space? Does |
| ability to multitask, but somewhere in the process, our | | | | your backyard conjure up feelings of community and |
| ability to simply relax and enjoy life gets lost. One of | | | | sharing, or does it represent the yard work that you |
| the best ways to get back on track and bring balance | | | | never get around to doing? |
| into our lives is to use home decor to transform our | | | | Once you have completed your emotional inventory, |
| houses into our sanctuaries. | | | | begin thinking about the small things you can do that will |
| The inevitable question is, Who has time for home | | | | change the tone of each room and of your outdoor |
| décor? But think about it for a moment. Work | | | | space. Perhaps bath lotions and candles will make |
| may bring feelings of accomplishment, but it probably | | | | your bathroom feel more luxurious. Maybe well-placed |
| doesn't refresh your spirit. When you make your home | | | | mirrors will give a small apartment a more spacious |
| a priority, it becomes a place of respite, a place that | | | | and less suffocating feel. Picture frames with photos |
| helps rejuvenate your body and your soul. When you | | | | of family and friends will warm up any room, as will |
| make a few simple changes, you'll feel a greater | | | | decorative plant stands with houseplants. |
| connection with your home environment. When you do | | | | When it comes to the outdoors, the possibilities are |
| that, you may find that your desire to multitask | | | | endless. You can choose to do major landscaping, or |
| diminishes, and you just might turn off the electronic | | | | you can add simple things like bird feeders you can |
| gadgets and simply enjoy your surroundings with those | | | | see from your kitchen window or bird houses that are |
| you love. | | | | visible from the living room window. Hammocks in the |
| The first step in using home decor to enhance your | | | | backyard absolutely invite relaxation, while wind chimes |
| house is to take the time to inventory each room in | | | | can calm even the most frazzled nerves. |
| your house. This isn't a furniture inventory, or a count | | | | By taking an emotional inventory of your living space |
| of the number of clocks or lamps you own, but an | | | | and adding simple home decor items, your home will |
| emotional inventory. Take a notebook and a pen (or | | | | become your sanctuary and you will feel the same |
| your PDA) from room to room, and jot down how you | | | | connection with your environment that you may feel |
| feel in each room. When you walk into the kitchen, do | | | | with your personal electronics. |
| you feel energized, or do your shoulders sag? Does | | | | |