How to create peace in your home for 2022

More and more evidence suggests that our homes directly influence our moods, overall health, and well-being, and this couldn’t be more accurate than in this “new normal” we continue to adapt to this new year.

Our homes are our sanctuaries, refuges, and our way to escape the chaotic world around us, and it’s essential we create spaces that feel peaceful and harmonious.

Is it any surprise that in 2022 – our third year in a global pandemic — interior trends are slanting towards ways to make us feel emotionally relaxed? Here are some of my favourite interior design trends for 2022 that focus on calm.

Nature-inspired surfaces and accents

Think of anything that feels warm and cozy, like nature-inspired surfaces (marble, stoneware, terracotta), accents like cashmere throws and oversized pillows, vintage bulbs in your lighting fixtures, or incorporating shades of brown (chocolate, camels and caramels) into your soft furnishings, a kitchen backsplash or decorative accessories. Stay close to hues you would find in nature to create an environment that feels soothing and mimics the calming nature of the outdoors.

Create a meditation nook

When it comes to maintaining a healthy sense of self, more and more people are going for an inside-out approach. A big part of that is incorporating meditation and mindfulness practice into their daily routines. Pre-pandemic, we may have looked at taking time out of our busy days to meditate as a luxury. Still, it’s now become a necessity: We need an outlet to relieve stress and develop coping mechanisms that preserve our mental health during one of the most trying times we have been through.

You can transform any room in your home into a peaceful mediation nook: Find a comfortable corner (ideal if near a window) and create a cozy sanctuary with soft floor pillows, a small carpet, and a comfortable bench for sitting. Whether you meditate for three minutes or thirty, carve out time in your day to focus on yourself outside of your daily distractions. Meditation works wonders in keeping us in the moment, and it can be effective in reducing our heart rates, cortisol levels, and anxiety.

Creative work-from-home solutions

Home offices are a must these days, and I don’t see this need dying down anytime soon. With everyone now working from home and likely having the option to continue once this pandemic is over, we will need to be more creative with designing our spaces to accommodate our working from home lives.

Many open-plan kitchens will reconfigure into alternative workspaces with shelves, space-saving features, and maximized corners. Kitchen nooks are the new workspaces, as walk-in closets: they can work double duty as a workspace instead of the living room.

Curved furniture

Curved furniture is massive for 2022, and as we continue to shift away from cold minimalism towards cozier interiors, our furniture is also moving towards softer and curvier lines. Organically-shaped furniture (no hard edges!) and round-edged pieces will dominate, giving comfort and calm.

Sustainable pieces

People have begun to shop more sustainably, and I don’t expect that will stop anytime soon. Vintage is such a strong storyteller, and it has the power to create a beautiful narrative in any room. Still, aside from the inherent intrigue and history in antique furniture and pieces, vintage also supports sustainability, which we should all commit to in an even more significant way this new year. Whether you commit to shopping locally or buy responsibly-sourced items, people are keen to stay green as much as they can. By repurposing old, reworked, or antique pieces, we reduce our footprint.