Create a Zen-Like Atmosphere in Your Home with Simple Changes

Navigating the hustle and bustle of life can prove exhausting at the best of times, especially if your home is as chaotic as the outside world. Centering yourself and your intentions in a grounded, intentional, and calm space can help you achieve your goals and even bring an inner sense of equanimity. This guide offers inspiration for minor adjustments that can help create a zen-like home with thoughtful energy.

Important Features of Any Zen Home

When you apply the concept of zen to the home, the focus often turns to the atmosphere within those four walls and beneath that roof. Establishing the home as a place of balance, harmony, and tranquility reinforces the idea of a personal sanctuary, where the cares of the world diminish as the peaceful serenity that almost all of us crave at one or more points in our lives fills the space. Yet, a zen home is more than just mindful and meditative. 

Within the physical space, a zen-like atmosphere does away with clutter and excess. Simple lines and natural elements create a sense of clarity within the space. Any materials, textures, colors—and scents—exist in a neutral state, gracing our senses with a gentle presence. 

How to Create a Zen Home With These 10 Simple Changes

It’s all too easy to become overstimulated in a world of one-minute videos and flashy advertisements driven by an overwhelming sense of urgency. Creating a meditative space requires approaching the design of your home with zen in mind. Use the guide below to make small changes so your home can become the blissful retreat you desire. 

1. Select Neutral and Calming Colors

When it comes to selecting zen-like paint colors for your home, you’re not stuck with plain colors like white, beige, and gray. Instead, shades of green and blue can add a pop of color without overwhelming the senses. Green is often associated with nature, and blue has a way of calming and centering the mood. 

2. Infuse the Space With Calm Scents

Soothing fragrances like sandalwood, chamomile, and lavender infuse your living space with a peaceful scentscape. Drift’s deluxe home fragrance collection includes several premium products you can use to layer your favorite aromas for the ultimate zen experience. You can easily place these products throughout your home and rely on them for a subtle yet grounding signature fragrance. 

One of our most popular products is the Home Scent Diffuser, which allows you to choose from three customizable scent levels. The sleek and stylish form remains neutral in any home decor, and the magnetic cover makes it easy to renew the scent after 30 days. Choose from distinctive scents like Grove, Teak, Frosted Spruce, Wild Lavender, and Open Air. 

The Room Spray, Scented Candle, and Reed Diffuser also make it easy to create a zen-like atmosphere. Our alcohol-free Room Spray is safe around pets and can be used on furniture, carpets, and fabrics. While the Reed Diffuser is a more passive way to infuse a space with tranquil scents, the Scented Candle features a 45-hour burn time. Each of these Drift products is available in similar scents. 

3. Take a Minimalist Approach to Furniture

Applying minimalism to your furniture selection can mean purchasing fewer items, but it can also mean integrating only those that are most important to you. Form should follow function. Rounded edges are often preferable to sharp corners, and lower furniture helps make the room appear larger. 

4. Leverage Natural Lighting

As you might expect, a zen-like atmosphere isn’t complete without natural lighting to illuminate the space. Windows and skylights can help your home gather more light during the day, even if you cover them with sheer curtains for a bit of privacy. Incorporating softer lighting, rather than stark white, can also help regulate your circadian rhythms.

5. Incorporate Plants and Water Features

Plants add a welcome natural element to any space. Incorporating plants into your home may be a stretch for those who struggle to cultivate their green thumb. However, a few strategically placed (low-maintenance) plants can bring the spirit of nature to any home. Water features can also be therapeutic for those who enjoy the sound of a babbling brook or trickling stream. 

6. Optimize Space Flow

Arranging your furniture in a particular way might sound more feng shui than zen, but it’s important nonetheless. The flow of movement through your home plays a significant role in how easily you can maneuver around, which can greatly impact your demeanor. Explore how the elements interact with one another to create a seamless transition between spaces and around the room. 

7. Maximize Storage

A minimalist approach to home decoration can make it challenging to store miscellaneous items, but optimal storage makes it easy to stow away what you don’t need until you need it. Does the phrase “A place for everything and everything in its place” mean anything to you? 

8. Add Music

When you’ve matched the physical flow of your home with soothing scents to create a restful ambiance, the only thing that’s missing is a soft melody. Instrumental music, chimes, and natural sounds can turn any home into a zen oasis. 

9. Place Mirrors Strategically

Artfully placed mirrors can create the optical illusion that rooms appear larger than they are, while simultaneously promoting a sense of openness. Positioning mirrors so they take advantage of natural light can amplify their presence. However, you should avoid having too many mirrors, as they can be distracting and disorienting, rather than grounding. 

10. Personalize Your Space

Amidst your goal of creating a zen-like atmosphere in your home, don’t forget that it’s your own space you’re occupying. Let some of your personality shine through with intentional elements that speak to you. Claim your space with a treasured lamp, sentimental pictures, or even a hand-me-down blanket or throw. 

Use Drift’s Home Scent Diffuser to Create Your Own Zen Home

Minimalist in its design yet subtly powerful in its fragrance, Drift’s Home Scent Diffuser makes it easy to create a zen-like experience in any living space. Explore the luxury scents available exclusively from Drift, and subscribe to the Home Scent of the Month Club to receive fresh scents every month. Sign up for our newsletter to stay informed about the latest product releases and sales.