A clean, well-designed home is good for your health. This is why you should never overlook the look and feel of your home when considering your overall well-being.
It is one challenge to work with your real estate agent or realtor to find the most suitable home for you. And it is another thing entirely to keep that home in its best condition from its appearance to its structure. But when you get into the habit of keeping your home beautiful, you will live a better life because of it.
However, as you design your home, you might have encountered this common concern: there is too much empty space! What do I do with the pockets of emptiness in my rooms?
We’ve got several great ideas to make sure you utilize every area of your home well!
Sometimes, Empty Spaces Work
Before stressing yourself out with the need to fill those spaces, first assess if you have to or if the room is fine as it is. Keeping your empty spaces as-is is a simple way to make your home look clean and organized. There are times when filling those spaces contributes to the accumulation of clutter in your home.
Let us establish this now: you do not have to fill those empty spaces immediately.
Buying a house often comes with the hope that you will live in it long term. This means that you have the luxury of taking your sweet time to find the best uses for those empty spaces. And the longer you spend in your home, the more often you should also declutter and make space for new things.
The Psychological Role of Clutter
Having too much stuff takes a toll on you emotionally. It leads to stress, feelings of anxiety, and depression. It hampers your productivity, as our brains are wired to work in an orderly setting. Disorganized environments give way for distractions that get in the way of cognitive processes, making it harder to focus on whatever task is at hand.
In reality, your mental health is at risk in a cluttered home. It could lead to higher cortisol levels or the stress hormone, which could make you experience mood swings and bouts of irritability.
The longer you let clutter sit in your home, the harder it becomes to get rid of it. Uncontrolled clutter makes you feel dissatisfied about your living situation, negatively affecting your long-term well-being.
So yes, empty spaces do not always have to be filled. The key is to stay mindful whenever you consider putting something in those empty spaces.
Ways to Fill Your Empty Spaces
When you have thought it through and felt like it is time to get rid of that awkward empty space, here are some great ideas to make it work.
- Add indoor plants.
Plants are a great way to freshen up your room—literally. While there is no conclusive evidence that they significantly reduce air contaminants when used indoors, it is still one of their major roles.
Not to mention, plants also introduce a lovely biophilic element to your home. These green touches promote good health and productivity, which are helpful, especially when placed in home offices.
- Place an accent seat.
If you are the kind of person who loves entertaining guests in your home, an accent seat is a smart space filler. An accent seat is not only an artful touch. It also gives your guests more places to sit down comfortably and spend time with fellow guests.
Choose an accent seat that works with the theme of your home, but do not be afraid to let it stand out a little. Accent seats are supposed to make a statement, so let yours be the conversation starter that it is!
- Make room for more storage.
One thing that any house can never have too much of is storage. As you stay longer in your home, your family will likely get bigger and you will find new ways to make use of the space in it.
Remember that extra storage space is always handy for the future. Your future self will thank you for those smart moves today!
The key to making sure that you don’t have odd empty spaces in your home is knowing when it is a good or bad empty space. When you can tell those two apart, you will have no issue decorating your home in a way that keeps it beautiful.
