Creating Intentional Spaces in Your Home
The purpose of a home is to have a place to make memories with those you love. A home is not meant to simply be where you sleep and store your belongings. It’s not just where you rest before bustling off to your busy job, and where you crash after a long day, just to do it all over again.
Too often we get caught up in our to-do lists or our daily lives and don’t take the time to really live in our homes. This post is intended to encourage you to find ways to make your home a fun and interactive gathering place to enjoy this beautiful life you were given.
A Lived in Home
Create intentional spaces in your home that are reserved for fun or relaxation. These are easy to add in without requiring much additional space. Think about ways you can make your own home more interactive and inviting for hobbies, leisure, and all-around enjoyment.
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Cozy Reading Nook
A reading nook is a great addition to any home. If you have extra space for a chair or two and a small table with a lamp, you’re good to go. Place a few books on the table to encourage reading time. This nook can be in a bedroom, office, or part of the living area. No space for chairs? Just simply stacking a couple of books on your coffee table can encourage time to relax.
I keep a basket near our fireplace filled with books. It looks tidy, but I notice it when I sit down on the couch and it encourages me to read a few chapters of a novel, find a new recipe for the following week, or learn something new and inspiring in the evening. Many times, I will pull out a book instead of turning on the tv while waiting for Daniel to get home from work.
A Kitchen is for Cooking
It’s all too easy these days to pop a frozen pizza in the oven or grab some fast food on the way home. We all have those nights when we are too worn out to want to cook. But making your own meals on a regular basis is not only a healthier alternative, it’s also a great way to spend some quality time together.
Try taking at least one day a week (weekends are perfect), where you cook a meal together. This can be waffles with fresh fruit for breakfast, or a healthy dinner to have with a glass of wine. Try out a new recipe, bake some homemade cookies, or pack a picnic lunch to enjoy out in the sun. Make some new memories around the stove.
Be sure to start a cookbook that you can fill with recipes you love as well as those you wish to try! Cookbooks are great ways to store your recipes all in one place, and much easier than trying to read a recipe on your phone while dodging pop-ups as you search for that “jump to recipe” option. I keep one cookbook for our regular healthy meals and a second one for entertaining.
Dine at the Table
Too often our dining room tables become like every other flat surface in our home. Used to gather paperwork, mail, odds and ends that have yet to be put in their proper place. Keep this space clean. Consider a basket that can easily be tucked away as a tidier alternative.
If it’s just you and your spouse like it is for us, light some candles after making a homemade meal together. Pour another glass of wine and enjoy conversing at a clean table with an added touch of ambiance.
Liven up your Living Room
Make the living room an intentional space in your home, a place for engagement and interaction. Consider a weekly game night with friends, family, or just you and your spouse! There are so many games out there. If you don’t consider yourself a games person, you likely haven’t found the right ones yet!
Looking for some good 2 person games? Rummikub is great for a more relaxed activity (they make a 6-player version too!), and Unstable Unicorns is a fun choice for more interactive game playing. Not a competitive person? Or is the problem the opposite, where games get too competitive in your household? Get a collaborative game where it’s you against the game. Everyone wins or everyone loses. Our favorite collaborative games are 5 Minute Dungeon and Pandemic.
Card games, board games, and even puzzles help to mix up a boring weeknight routine. Puzzles can be kept on a mat with a roller and easily slipped under the couch for storage between uses.
Yard Blessings
A yard is a place for fun and entertainment. Consider investing in a few yard games to make the warmer months outside more enjoyable. Jenga (giant or tabletop), ladder ball, or corn hole are always great picks and perfect for 2 players or as a party game. Ladder ball is easy to travel with and they even make collapsible versions of corn hole. These are great for those with small yards or little storage space.
Plant something! Gardening is a great evening activity and watching the seeds you sow actually grow is quite rewarding. Even if you only have a small patio, consider adding some plants. A small vegetable or herb garden, even dwarf citrus trees are perfect for many climates and encourage you to cook fresh meals at home. Nothing tastes better than what you can get from your own garden.
Balancing Time
Recruit Help
Making time for enjoying your home may not always be easy, but it doesn’t have to be hard. Recruit your spouse, kids, or friends to help make these activities part of your home routine.
If you wish to do more game nights, for example, work with friends to set a rotation where you go to a different person’s home once a week, or every other week, for a game night. Most kids love game nights, so if you have children, you can make it part of their job to be sure you have a game night each week. They can take turns picking what game you play.
Set a Day
Making these fun things part of your routine is much easier to do if there is a rhythm to it all. So, assign a day and time for each of these new activities you want to begin in your own home. Make every Thursday night game night. Make every Saturday when you cook a meal together. Take 15 minutes before bed every Monday and Wednesday to read a chapter in your book. You get the idea.
Stick With It
Creating these intentional spaces will help encourage you to relax, have fun, and enjoy your time at home. So, go make some memories, unwind, and remember that your home is meant to be a happy place.
If you are looking for more home tips, check out this posts on how to simplify your home.
