Lockdown: How to create a refreshing home environment

Your home is your sanctuary, but spending days indoors can be taxing, especially during this lockdown season.  

However, by focusing on a few small adjustments in a home, one can easily create an escape route that welcomes peacefulness in times of insecurity.

Invest in new beddings

A good night’s sleep is key to maintaining a strong immune system and reducing stress.

Beryl Beryl Moraa Sevume of Samara Bedding and Interiors on Luwuum Street says one can choose soft neutrals from bright patterns to lift their spirits. High-end sheets and pillowcases can improve your sleep and give your bedroom an easy makeover. “Sleeping under quality beddings soothes the body and makes a person feel like a king or queen upon waking up,” she says.

Change your lighting

The right lighting can lift your spirits and make you more relaxed and productive. Thus, it is very important to pick the right lighting for every room in your house. This adds a little comfort to your space, but also creates a warm environment. Gloria Kawuma, a lighting expert and interior designer says one can swap bulbs, depending on the nature of the room and their usage.

Open plan that accommodates the dinning and Kitchen space

Every room should have a mix of lighting, including overhead, accent and task lights. For a living room, for example, one can hang a decorative ceiling fixture near the centre of the room. Depending on a room’s arrangement, accent lights could be used to highlight art, and table lamps could be placed besides them to add another layer of light. And for extra ambience, she says, “a candle never hurts.”

Make your bed daily

This may seem an easy and small act, but it is vital. Aloysius Kizito, a fitness expert says in addition to keeping the bedroom neat, laying your bed prepares the body for productivity during the day. One is advised to prioritise this exercise by trying different styles and designs to create an appealing effect in the room.

Declutter

Use the lockdown period to declutter your home in all possible ways. Consider removing extra items from one place to another or simply give out items you no longer need to create space. You can replace the empty spaces with plants because a clean, clutter-free space is the best way to promote productivity and reduce stress while you spend more time at home. Katherine Kwizera, an interior expert advises one to focus on one room at a time and use the extra hours to get rid of all stuff that is not needed in a home.

Clean the windows

When was the last time you cleaned your windows?  Even though natural light has proved to be an antidepressant, it becomes toxic once it is mixed up with foreign particles like dust that is so often found on windows. Windows must be cleaned like any other room in the house. Bedroom and living room windows must be cleaned every day because they are opened and closed daily.

Music interludes

The soothing and motivational sound of music has far-reaching health benefits. A favourite musical tune can stir up positive memories and boosts one’s morale. Keeping soft background music playing in your house during the day creates a serene and peaceful ambiance. You could line up a playlist of old school music with a classic turntable, or set up smart speakers to play classical music. Quiet tunes help family members relieve stress and concentrate, if they working or studying at home.

 Set a table

Gloria Kawuma, an interior designer says the detail one puts on their tables can either help to make it special or have it screaming for unnecessary attention. To spice up a table in a home, have it dressed with table runners regardless of the space a table is found. This can be in the living room, dining room, bedrooms and other places where there are tables. Kawuma admits that using table runners in a creative and organised way creates beauty in any place the tables are placed provided they are not excessively used.

Turn your bathroom into a spa

A bathroom may not be renovated, especially during a lockdown, but this does not deny it a chance to be revamped. It can be turned into a spa. A spa frees the body from tension and stress that fight off sleep. Kizito adds that a spa combined with a massage stimulates the lymphatic system, which carries away the body's waste products. While bathing, one can use body scrubs that gently exfoliate the skin, thus removing dead skin and promoting cellular renovation.

Rearrange your bookshelf

With schools closed, homeschooling is the new normal. In this regard, every home should be having a fully-stocked library by now. However, Esther Nekusa, a senior librarian at National Library of Uganda says books are not only a good distraction in hard times, but they also make a wonderful décor in a home. “To achieve the look, a home owner should spend time organising the books in different sizes and colors,” she says. Nekusa adds that one can categorise the books under the same author or favourite reads to boost the reading interest or to ensure an organised space in a home more so during the lockdown.                                                                                    

Tidy up your home office

Due to the Covid19 pandemic, offices moved into homes to reduce crowding in workplaces. It is, therefore, paramount to have a clean and tidy working space. Apart from creating sanity in a home, it also promotes productivity and reduces stress. Create a clutter-free working environment at home, by introducing mood-fitting objects like an office working desk set, a natural plant in a cool vessel and memorable frames to spice up your work-home space.

Rearrange a room

Are you tired of your home after spending three weeks indoors? Well, Kwizera advises you to consider changing the furniture around to offer a home makeover in a very easy way. In case it is an open space, there is a need to switch the direction of a couch or table to give the room an informed look. This can be done through readjusting the décor measures used to achieve a fresh and new look in any room.