How to Have a Peaceful Home

One of my primary goals for our home is that it would be a joyful, nurturing haven for my family. A place everyone wants to come home to. Today, let’s talk about how to create a peaceful home that is filled with welcome.

What Does a Peaceful Home Look Like?

HA’VEN,noun ha’vn.

1. A harbor; a port; a bay, recess or inlet of the sea, or the mouth of a river which affords good anchorage and a safe station for ships; any place in which ships can be sheltered by the land from the force of tempests and a violent sea.

2. A shelter; an asylum; a place of safety.

So, we want our home to be a place of safety for all who live there and for anyone who walks through our doors.

But how do we do that?  What does a peaceful home look like?

These are a few of the things I think of when I think about a peaceful home:

• Good, nourishing food
• An orderly, pleasant environment
• Uplifting conversation
• A feeling of being cared for and loved

How to Create a Peaceful Home

So how do we go about creating a peaceful home?

For one thing, we can start with some practical ideas. Things like learning how to manage a home and keeping the home presentable.

If you’re totally new to homemaking and you need a starting place, read Homemaking 101: Home Management for Beginners. This will give you an overview of how to manage a home.

If you’re looking for a way to keep up with daily chores and keep your home cleaner, you might try making a personalized cleaning schedule or consider doing these 7 things every day to keep your home clean.

Here are some basic ideas to start with:

• Create a daily/weekly/monthly homemaking routine
• Start planning meals
• Declutter and organize your home
• Eliminate possessions and habits that don’t promote a peaceful environment

But the most important thing to consider when making your home a haven is the atmosphere. If the atmosphere in your home isn’t all you want it to be, let’s consider some ways to change and improve the home atmosphere.

How to Change the Atmosphere of Your Home

Sometimes our home needs an atmosphere adjustment.

You know those days where everything just feels “off”? Maybe everyone is feeling negative or grumpy. Or maybe the house is a mess, or the kids are sick, or you received some discouraging news.

Whatever the reason, sometimes you just have a “down” day. When you don’t know where to start to get things back on track, try some of my favorite ideas for changing the atmosphere of your home.

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1. Say a Prayer

Ask God for wisdom and help to change the atmosphere. I think we would see so much change and improvement in our lives if we would just remember to pray!

2. Light a Candle

It might not seem like it could make much of a difference, but try lighting a candle on dark days (whether it’s physically dark outside, or it just feels dark and discouraging). Just seeing the flicker of a candle can make things feel more cheerful.

For a less-toxic candle, try one of these. Or, make your own soy candles or homemade beeswax candles.

3. Turn On Some Music

When you need to change the atmosphere, try turning on some beautiful, uplifting music. Upbeat music is great for when you’re working on a task, and peaceful music will help create an atmosphere of peace. I love having this retro Victrola bluetooth radio/speaker in the kitchen.

4. Spend 15 Minutes Decluttering

Set a timer and declutter your house for 15 minutes. It’s amazing how much can be accomplished in just 15 minutes, and you’ll feel so much better after a decluttering session!

5. Bring in Some Fresh Flowers

Cut some fresh flowers from the yard (even dandelions can brighten the room in a tiny vase!). Or, if you don’t have any flowers growing, buy some discount flowers from the grocery store. Or, invest in some realistic-looking artificial flowers for some long-lasting color.

6. Bake Something

It’s amazing how the smell of something baking can transform the home atmosphere! It doesn’t really matter what you bake, just pick something your family likes.

Homemade dinner rolls, sourdough artisan bread, overnight sourdough biscuits, or cookies are great ideas.

7. Speak Encouraging Words

Never underestimate the power our words have on the atmosphere. During my morning prayer time, I often pray for help to say the right words in the right way.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. —Ephesians 4:29

A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger. —Proverbs 15:1

8. Smile

Putting on a smile doesn’t cost anything, and it makes such a huge difference! If you live with other people in your home, be sure to make smiling at them a priority.

9. Give Someone a Hug

Again, if you live with others, hugs can be so encouraging. I love that my older children still enjoy a hug from Mom!

10. Plan Something Fun

Sometimes, when you’ve had a hard day, it helps to plan something special to encourage everyone. Plan a special dessert, a treat of some kind, a game night, or read a book aloud together.

Find More Homemaking Posts

• Homemaking 101: Home Management for Beginners
• 7 Things to Do Every Day to Keep Your House Clean
• How to Create a Joyful Home
• Create a Morning Routine for Homemakers
• How to Create a Cleaning Routine
• 7 Habits of Highly Effective Homemakers

I hope these ideas are helpful to you as you create a peaceful home!

This post was originally published Jan 8, 2014.