5
H O M E + S T Y L E
THINGS TO MAKE YOUR WORKSPACE WORK FOR YOU IN QUARANTINED QUARTERS By Brandy Landry
There’s no doubt about it that new norms and times are upon us! If there was ever a time that our homes were our sanctuaries, it is now. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to dwell in our houses now more than ever before. We’re having to rely on the use of our homes for EVERYTHING now. Our houses are being used for work, home-schooling the kids, operation our businesses, etc. Transitioning these various things into our spaces that were once traditional living quarters can prove to be extremely difficult. To help you, here are (5) things that can make quarantining less cumbersome.
SOUND
Research has proven that what we hear vastly impacts how we feel. The sounds that we are surrounded by in our homes during stressful tines should be those that encourage focus, calm, harmony, and balance. One of the most enjoyable and simple ways to evoke these different moods into your space is with music! There are everyday ways that you can use sound and music to enhance your environment, create the mood you’d like to feel inside, and promote a mood in those around you. Generally speaking, calming tempos create calmer feelings; livelier tempos can energize you when you’re feeling sluggish. Calming white noise can help mask undesirable noises in your environment, such as traffic sounds or fighting neighbors.
LIGHTING Nothing brings clarity and highlights the intricate design details of a room like a stroke of natural light. A naturally-lit room boosts productivity, improves mood, and creates an overall tranquil atmosphere moreso than an artificially-lit environment. For fellow apartment dwellers with little to no windows, try incorporating reflective surfaces into your home. The amount of natural light will immediately double from allowing sunlight to reflect off strategically-placed large mirrors or lacquered pieces.
COLOR The colors that you use to highlight the different rooms in your home are typically a direct reflection of your personality. While many people do not spend a lot of time thinking about room color, it affects us every day. The color paint that we use on the wall as well as the color of the accessories that we use in a room can influence our moods and our thoughts. Contrary to popular belief, each color has a psychological value. Think about how you feel when you’re surrounded by certain colors. Some colors can influence any emotion, from calm and peace to rage and excitement. To create balance and tranquility in your home, choose your colors wisely.
FRAGRANCE There’s nothing more soothing than the smell of lavender and chamomile burning in a freshly cleaned room but, OOPS, be careful! Make sure you’re prepared to rest if you decide to use this combination of fragrances! Lavender and chamomile promote peace and relaxation while lemongrass promotes clarity, and citrus promotes energy and vitality! You can distribute fragrances in a variety of ways through your home. You can burn fragrance lamps such as Lampe Berge lamps that don’t just smell great, but are aesthetically pleasing and compliment almost any décor. There are fragrance diffusers that are dainty and stylish and work beautifully in small spaces. Although there are many other new and trendy home fragrance options, the more traditional candle and wax melts are still many people's favorite.
FUNCTIONALITY So you have created this beautiful magazine-worthy home from a décor perspective and you STILL cannot get comfortable! Your day-to-day tasks seem difficult in your space. Your space is probably lacking functionality. Functionality is the way that the house allows you to MOVE in the space. It is also what allows you to be efficient in a space. Is the TV mounted at the correct height for the positioning of the furniture? Are the rooms soundproof for the different activities that take place in certain areas? Can you transition easily from one room to another? Does everything have a place in the house or, is everything a cluttered mess? You should assess the functionality and ease of navigating in your home. Brandy Landry is an accomplished business owner, interior designer, public speaker and non-profit contributor for the area. She loves everything about fresh starts and complete transformations. She's also a personal branding strategist and serves as a keynote speaker for various area conferences and events. She's the owner of Brandy Landry Interiors and iBrandYou360. V OL U M E 6 IS S U E 3
3 3 7 MA G A ZINE.COM
13
