I’ve always felt the most “me” at home. Don’t get me wrong, I love to travel, I love to go out to delicious dinners and grab cocktails on rooftops; I love to spend time gathering with friends and family and exploring new places. But honestly, my homebody self feels really at peace at home.
This time of quarantining isn’t easy on anyone, and even my homebody heart is itching to get out, but today I wanted to share a guide to making home feel a little more comforting and special my a homebody herself.
Home Decor
Create a space that inspires you.
Look around your home and pinpoint the places that bring happiness, and the places you desperately want to change. Yes, home renovation can be expensive, but think of it compared to a vacation – some quick fixes like new throw pillows or a fresh coat of paint are much less than a trip away, and lasts far longer than a week-long trip. This is your sanctuary – invest in a space that inspires you.
Make your home an experience.
Think about the experiences you enjoy most when you go out to eat, grab a delicious cocktail or stay at a beautiful hotel and incorporate some of these little luxuries into your home. Do you love sipping out of a beautiful wine glass? Or find yourself so relaxed in a hotel lobby with amazing music and aromatherapy? Do you love eating dinner on a patio? Bring these little experiences to your space where possible and host yourself in your own home. Break out the beautiful serving ware, light the candles, and spend the extra time setting up a yummy meal outdoors on a beautiful spring day.
Bring your individuality out through the details.
Your home should be a reflection of you. Above any other home decor compliment, I love to hear “your space looks like YOU.” Dedicate time to making your home a space that feels like an extension of your style and that incorporates cherished memories. Sometimes it can be as simple as framing a picture you love, swapping out some decor pieces, moving furniture around. But if it takes more, like fresh paint, new bedding, etc – do it! Invest in a home that makes you feel at peace. It is worth it in the long run.
Bring in elements of serenity.
Whether it’s soothing music, cozy pillows and blankets, a nice pair of slippers or some aromatherapy, these extra little touches make such a difference. I love having essential oils going all of the time and am constantly in cozy slippers and bundled up in blankets.
Invest in luxury details that you appreciate most.
Not everything in your home needs to be the most luxurious thing, but for those things you really care about, consider investing in them. If you love your bedroom to feel spa-like and luxe, buy yourself the silk pillowcase or nice sheets. If you love your morning cup of coffee, buy the nice coffee machine and local beans and create your own at-home coffee shop. If you love grabbing delicious cocktails around town, build yourself a beautiful bar cart and invest in some cocktail books and master your own drink of choice.
Bring plants into your space.
There are so many studies that point to the endless benefits of plants indoors, lowering stress, cleaning the air, increasing productivity and so much more. Not only do they bring so much positivity into your space, but I also love taking care of my plants and find little moments of happiness watering my plant babies. I have five plants all around my apartment and love having them there for the endless benefits and the aesthetic.
Home Favorites
Home Wishlist
Dining + Eating
Invest in nice serving ware – even if it’s just for yourself.
I swear food tastes better when it looks prettier, and nice serving ware adds such a special touch. You don’t need to host all of the time to invest in serving ware – do it for yourself!
Create a presentation with your meals.
Even though I live by myself, I still always top my meals with fresh herbs and make it look beautiful on my plate. Like I said, when it looks prettier, I swear it tastes better. No need to save this beautiful presentation for entertaining – make your plate beautiful every day!
Build out a weekly menu.
I love to plan out my meals for the week, prep snacks, lunches, and parts of dinners, cut up produce, and have as much as I can ready to go. This helps me actually get through all of the fresh food I have in my fridge and makes the week much more productive. I also love the process of planning out a weekly menu, researching recipes and putting everything together. Check out my Pinterest for lots of meal prepping, lunch and dinner recipes.
Have a splurge night or a themed meal.
Especially as we all stay home, we deserve to treat ourselves every now and again. I love to incorporate a delicious splurge meal every week or two or have a fun themed meal, like taco night with alllll the the sides. Yum! Have some fun with your meal planning – now is a good time to treat yourself and make meals a little more exciting.
Keep healthy snacks on hand that excite you.
Okay, we still need to get the healthy food in too. Stock up on healthy snacks, but find healthy snacks that you will actually want to grab. If you know you’re never going to reach for the plain, unsalted almonds, get the chili lime with a little extra sodium instead if you know you’ll actually snack on them! I love being home and knowing I have healthy and delicious snacks waiting for me in the fridge.
Purchase the tools that take your cooking up a level.
Have some fun at home and buy a cooking tool that lets you elevate your meals or cook in a different way like a crockpot, a hand mixer, or my personal favorite: an air fryer!
Buy cookbooks that double as decor.
Two for one: stock up on yummy recipes and add a cute touch to your space!
Kitchen + Dining Finds
Beauty + Lifestyle
Bring the spa home.
The spa is so much more than a treatment. It’s an entire experience. It’s a moment of relaxation with soothing music, flickering candles, and a sense of rejuvenation. I love to have spa nights at home where I relax, soak in a epsom salt-filled bath, throw some eye gels on, do a facial and have the essential oils diffusing.
Have the products at home to create a total experience.
To make your spa-like experience complete, go the extra mile and invest in a few fun touches for your home.Take the money you’d normally spend on a facial or a blowout and buy yourself a skincare tool, some decor pieces, and a nice candle. Here are my essentials for a spa-like experience at home:
- Facial steamer
- Terry cloth headband and robe
- Epsom salts and bubble bath
- Eye gels
- Facial mask
- Facial oil
- Jade roller
Always have a handful of face masks on-hand.
Face masks are a MUST. I typically do two face masks a week and find this little self-care moment a perfect touch to the week.
Find a beauty routine that excites you.
Doing my skincare routine before bed is one of my favorite times of the day. While I love to travel, I miss this moment at home each and every time I’m not in my own bathroom, doing my normal routine. Take the time to find a routine that you like to do, feels good on your skin, and then get yourself in the habit of doing it each and every day. My trick: don’t wait until you’re about to fall asleep, or you’re going to cut corners and it won’t be as enjoyable.
At-Home Beauty Tools
Skincare + Body Care Must-Haves
Style
Buy a few pairs of pajama sets.
Is it possible to feel put-together in pajamas? Heck yes. Not only is it just easier having cute pajama sets, I also feel somehow put together, even while cozied up at home. Add a few pajama sets to your wardrobe and you won’t ever want to change out of them.
Keep a cozy pair of slippers around the house.
Give me a cute pajama set and some cozy slippers and I may never leave my home (even if I could – ha).
Keep scrunchies in your bathroom and in your bedside table.
I am constantly throwing my hair up, and scrunchies are so much nicer to your hair. Keep them ready to go in your bathroom and on your bedside table – just another little touch that makes home feel special.
Buy a cozy robe.
You know when you walk into a nice hotel and they have the softest, coziest robes, and you just feel like you are living in luxury? Why not make that your everyday experience?
Cozy Loungewear and Pajamas
Long story short: make your home exactly what you need it to be. For me, I need my home to be a place that inspires me as I spend my nights and weekends working on the blog, and a place that provides comfort and relaxation as I come home after busy days. The more you put into your experience at home, the more you will love it. Treat yourself to the little things, find joy in cooking and self care, and make your home a space that reflects YOU.
You just might become a homebody before you know it.