Absolute oasis

Creating a home wellness space

BY BECKY CALVERT

One of the lingering effects of COVID-19 is how we have adapted our homes to accommodate so many aspects of our lives. From home offices to kitchen renovations, garden overhauls to wellness spaces, we’ve turned our homes into places that sustain us for every activity we can imagine.

With so much of our lives now focused under one roof, it’s important to carve out space for recharging our batteries.

What is a wellness space?

Wellness spaces can be used to describe a home gym, a yoga studio or meditation room, a hobby space, a library or even a little music studio. It’s carving out a space that allows you to shake off your day and reset your battery, giving you emotional, as well as physical, wellness.

Wellness spaces can be as luxurious as an entire room devoted to serving as a home spa, complete with sauna and massage table or as simple as a corner in your underutilized guest room where you practice yoga and meditation. There is no set definition for wellness spaces beyond a place that helps create calm, so whatever form your wellness space takes is absolutely determined by your needs, space and budget.

How to create a wellness space

These wellness spaces don’t have to be limited to one function, rather, they can host multiple purposes. In creating your own wellness space, consider exactly what you’ll be doing in there – you’ll want form to follow function, meaning, the purpose(s) for the space should dictate the set-up. There should be storage, good lighting, and enough room to carry out all the activities you desire to take place there. Make the investment in the right tools and equipment to make the space exactly what you want it to be, which in turn, helps you maximize the space.

If you’re lucky enough to have an entire room to work with, you can create zones for various activities. One corner can be for reading, another for yoga and so on.

But one needn’t have an entire room as long as you can carve out a space that is used intentionally to find your inner calm somewhere within your home. Here are a few tips:

Storage. You’ll want the space to be one that you make a habit of using, so having it be well organized will lend itself toward that goal. Shelves or bins can be used to store whatever you will need for your chosen activities: hand weights, yoga mats and blocks, books or craft materials.

Natural elements. A touch of nature can add a soothing element while adding a dash of life to the area. Plants, natural light, a view out a window or just some botanical prints can add warmth and encouragement to slow down and breathe.

Light. Lighting is another important consideration. If you are going to be using the space as a library or hobby space, you’ll want to ensure suitable light levels to carry out your activity, whereas a yoga or meditative space would require more mood lighting.

Set the stage. Develop the right atmosphere for your space with music, a small fountain or a white noise machine, as they help you shift attention away from the outside world and focus on the activity at hand. Another consideration is aromatherapy, using a diffuser for essential oils to fill the air with fragrance that offers a host of benefits, including calmness and mood boosters.

Start simply. If you want to use your wellness space for exercise, start simply. You can perform a number of activities with just a mat and resistance bands. As you explore more options, you can add to your collection. Your interest and space may determine how big you go.

Get outside. Wellness spaces are not just limited to indoors. Gardens and exterior structures in the outdoor portions of your home can be used in a variety of ways to offer calm while also doubling as entertaining and even working spaces. A shaded seating area near a flower garden humming with pollinators can be a delightful spot for bird watching or enjoying a nice book. An exterior wellness space can be a secondary one, but it also opens up the possibilities to find sanctuary within your own personal habitat.

You’ll want to be drawn to your wellness space, so make it what you want it to be. If having a Peloton and a yoga mat in a corner is what helps you unwind, then make that your wellness space. Or maybe turning that room over the garage into a combination hobby studio/happy hour spot is more your style. A home wellness space should be planned around what helps you relax and recharge, shrugging off the demands of modern life. ✦

Let’s take this