The term “Zen” comes from Buddhism and refers to a school that originated in China during the Tang Dynasty, which ruled between 618 and 907. It favours spiritual practices and meditation, interacting with an accomplished teacher, and practising self-restraint and self-reflection. Simplicity, being aware and grounded in the present and being able to just sit still and become calm are the most critical parts of its tradition. The word has since expanded to the West. Here it is used as an adjective to designate anything calm, peaceful and wholesome in its simplicity. And, there’s no place that benefits more from that atmosphere than your home. This is the safe haven where you’re meant to feel calm, relaxed and at ease with yourself at all times.
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What is a Zen Home?
The Zen household should be relaxing and contemplative. Features achieved through a design that is appealing through its clean and well-balanced design. Minimalism, the use of natural materials, and a simple colour palette are essential. These are the most likely combination to create tranquillity and inner stillness. The curtains should be soft to let plenty of light in, so gauze or linen are the ideal materials. If your home is in a natural area, you must showcase this through large windows. Zen design enjoys blurring the lines between the indoors and the outdoors.
You can also bring greenery inside by creating a Zen garden. Bonsai trees are the most obvious choice, and you can find the best pots for yours at elho. Taking care of this type of tree is typically a complex process, so although it occupies a small space in your home, it will have an impact on your schedule. You can take the time necessary to water, fertilise and prune your tree as an opportunity to meditate and practice mindfulness.
Boston ferns, jade plants, Japanese bird’s nest ferns, and dragon trees are just a few of the plants you can add to your home for a more serene environment. Plants have proven health benefits, keeping the air clean and connecting you to greenery even in the midst of an urban jungle. Studies show that having access to natural areas has a positive impact on your overall mood.
Movement
Moving your body is a prerequisite to a healthy life, but you don’t necessarily need a gym membership for it. If you already work out regularly, it can help to integrate more focused and slower routines into your daily life. You can easily do them at home, and they don’t need to be more than fifteen minutes long. Simple stretches in the morning and at night can serve to both energise you and get you ready for the day, or banish all the tension from your body as you prepare to rest.
Breathing exercises are good for both the body and the mind. If you’re going through a stressful period, creating a cycle of deep inhaling and exhaling that you repeat at least three times will instantly calm your mind.
Just get your foam roller and an exercise mat, change into comfortable clothes and put on a relaxing playlist. You’ll notice that once your energy is better, you’ll also feel the space around you is more welcoming and warmer.
Purifiers
Indoor air pollution can either contribute to or exacerbate chronic illnesses, some of which can be downright deadly. Allergies and asthma are the most common, but other respiratory complications can also develop. The natural way to have cleaner air inside is to get some flower pots and bring plants indoors. There’s also the option of buying a professional air purifier. But, you need to know that the upfront costs can be quite elevated. Moreover, they require periodic filter replacement to remain effective.
Water purifiers also promote improved well-being since water is such an essential element of life. You use it to drink, cook, bathe, and do laundry, so your body will suffer if it isn’t perfectly clean. Water contamination is a serious problem, and a specialised purifier will work through several stages, including adding electrolytes and distilling vapours, to create water that is much safer to drink.
Intentions
Living intentionally means that you’re making choices based on your personal values, goals and beliefs. You choose not to act based on simple impulses. Instead you think ahead and choose things you know will benefit you. Adopting this mindset will have a positive impact on your life and allow you to see how your choices affect your lifestyle. A relaxing home is one in which you’ve set an intention for any room. You keep your bedroom solely for sleeping and resting, the living room for lounging, and the kitchen for cooking.
This way, you’re keeping your home orderly and don’t have to spend a lot of time cleaning every single corner. When you need to clean, ensure the products you use are entirely non-toxic so you don’t put anything potentially harmful close to your body.
The Senses
There’s no denying the visual appeal of a well-organised home. But a household that focuses on wellness will appeal to all senses, including smell, touch and sound. There are many pleasant fragrances you can use to make your home smell better. The ones you should focus on include moss, lily of the valley, Palo Santo, lush greens, or subdued florals for a relaxing, welcoming atmosphere.
If you prefer something to remind you of the beach, amber and wood mixed with white musk and rose can do the trick. To promote mindfulness, hinoki wood, a staple of the Japanese Kodo ceremony focused on appreciating incense, is the ideal Zen scent. For different textures, you can make your bedding plush and soft and add carpets made from coarser fabrics to create a nice contrast. The rougher material will also be better equipped to handle daily wear and tear.
When you’re beginning to develop a wellness routine, it can be easy to think the only thing you need to do is change your routine a little bit. But starting with a few small but impactful changes in your living environment will help turn your life around in surprising ways.
I hope you found my post, What is a Zen Home interesting and useful. These are suggestions that can be easily applied within a home. They can encourage a positive impact on how you feel and how your home makes you feel.
Would you like to make your home more Zen?
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I definitely need to work on making my home more zen. I love what I do, but it can be a stressful career. I need all the relaxation I can get!
It sounds like it would be great for you to go Zen.
Oh, I love this idea! Anything I can do to help make my home more relaxing is always welcome. I’m starting with a bonsai tree, but I’m going to be trying all these ideas.
Bonsai’s are a great addition. there are so many things that you can do which is great.
I need to make my home more zen. I’m a Virtual Assistant, and it is a high-stress job. I work all day, sleep, and repeat. Anything I can do to help make my space more emotionally and spiritually calming is important to me.
Oh wow, that’s interesting. I’m sure that a more Zen home would be very beneficial for you.
I would definitely be zen with a bathtub like the top one. Wow!! Great tips!
It does look amazing. I don’t think anyone would object to a bath like that.
I would love a zen home, but alas, we have too many things. And I will not give up my things. So I will just admire pictures of zen homes while knowing it’ll never be my home.
We do have purifiers though! So that’s something.
Ha, that’s a start. You can start with baby steps. Getting rid of a few items at a time you’ll never use will help you gradually free up space and make the home look larger and give it a more relaxed feel.
I may just make one room a Zen room. I do love the look of the plants in the bathroom.
It would be lovely. You’d probably want to do it to more rooms after!
I love decorating with natural materials and I agree that a simple colour palette is very calming.
It really is. It’s a great way to create a relaxed mood throughout the home.
Wow! Interesting! I will check this more out. We planned to renovate our home next year.
I hope that these tips can help you create the perfect Zen home for you.
My daughters dream home is a Zen Home! I can definitely see why now. To have such a calm aura in a place that’s your own sounds amazing.
It can make such a big difference to how you feel in your home.
A zen home sounds like exactly what I need – thank you for explaining the concept.
I hope you are able to do this in your home.
The emphasis on spiritual practices, meditation, and self-reflection resonates deeply with the idea of creating a peaceful and harmonious home environment. Indeed, our homes serve as sanctuaries where we seek solace and tranquility amidst life’s chaos. Thank you for sharing these insightful reflections on cultivating a Zen atmosphere at home!
I’m so glad that you liked the post. These tips can help you create a lovely living space and one you will enjoy.
Oh I love this! I need to create a more zen environment for sure. Thank you so much for these tips and ideas to create a calm space.
I’m so glad you liked the post. Have fun creating an amazing Zen home for yourself and your family.
Thank you for sharing such insightful tips on creating a Zen home! I never realized how much thought and intentionality goes into cultivating a calm and peaceful living space.
It can take a lot of thought and prep but it is worth it in the end.
I strive to make my home more Zen by incorporating natural elements, decluttering to create a sense of spaciousness, and adding calming colors to promote relaxation and serenity. By cultivating a peaceful environment with minimal distractions, I aim to enhance my overall well-being and create a tranquil sanctuary for myself!
That’s great to hear. There is so much you can do and it can make such a difference to the inhabitants.
I would love a zen home and these are great tips! 🙂
Thanks so much Tami.
Last year I tried to make my corner of the bedroom a Zen space. This year I will strive to refresh the rest of the house using these suggestions!
That’s great to hear. I hope it goes well.
It is nice to think about what goes into a peaceful, zen like home. These are all good components of a comfortable home environment.
They certainly are and can look so lovely.
trying to keep things minimal for sure but over time somehow things collect.. but your post inspires me to try some more and once again
Keeping things minimalistic also means there us less to tidy up which is handy.
The thing is I am living in a condo but there is Zen Home I visited, it is a cozy and relaxing place in the countryside. As soon as I arrived, I felt a wave of calm wash over me, as I was greeted by the friendly staff and the soothing sounds of nature. I spent the next few days enjoying the fresh air, the delicious food, and the peaceful atmosphere, and I returned home feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
That shouldn’t make a difference as you can still create a Zen home. It’s all about minimal clutter, simple design etc
Having a nice and peaceful environment is always welcome. I think creating a zen home would be wonderful.
It can make such a difference to how you feel.
I’ve always been fascinated by the concept of Zen and its emphasis on simplicity and mindfulness, and I love how you’ve translated that into creating a Zen home. The idea of a living space that not only promotes but embodies tranquility and contemplation really resonates with me!
It’s great to hear that. I hope that it is something you might consider in your home too.
I really love the whole zen home concept. I once had a huge sort out of our living room and rearranged the furniture and decluttered and my daughter said it felt very “zen” and literally it made us all feel much more relaxed.
That sounds great. Hopefully it’s stayed like that.
I like having my own home organised which definitely makes me feel zen. Although I would say we’re maximalists and not minimalists so for some other people it probably wouldn’t feel zen to them x
What a nice sharing and insights about Zen home. This will be added to my plans.
I am sure your home will look great.
A zen garden would be so nice & relaxing to have! Maybe when I move, I will think about doing a small garden out in the back. Thanks for the great post.
They can be a great addition to a home.
I didn’t know about zen before. Yes I would love to make my home more zen. you shared some amazing suggestions. I love the idea of water purifier we have air purifier right now.
This is the ultimate goal! We have added more plants indoors and have installed air purifiers in all rooms already however, there are still a lot to be done.
Love how you included the intentions because I totally agree with you having the right mindset and living intentionally is definitely a factor in having a genuine zen home.
Adding plants can make such a big difference to the look of a room.
Such amazing decor advice! I would love to make a Zen home for myself as I love the relaxed and peaceful vibes more than anything. I’ll keep these tips in mind 🙂.
It can be so lovely and relaxing on the mind.
I love this and I do love the idea of a Zen home. It is a relaxing and stress-free environment that I can appreciate and I think of a spa when I think of a Zen home.
It is such a lovely idea and one that helps relax the mind.
I consider a zen home a minimalist style home and my husband loves that and talks about getting rid of stuff as he thinks less is more. It is a place where you can relax and enjoy a stress-free atmosphere and that is a good thing!
It certainly is a good thing. Getting rid of unnecessary unsightly clutter benefits us greatly.
Wow these look amazing
Thanks Fiona
Reading this article makes me miss Japan where all the ryokans I stayed in were zen focused. They were all very minimalistic with simple futon mats as beds and if possible, a zen garden in the middle to bring in some nature and light into the house. You do feel at peace and never not adequate enough. Sadly in my house, we feel like hoarders with the amount of stuff the kids have
It can be hard to create a zen home when you have kids. It’s amazing how fast you accumulate things.
Sounds so good and nice and relaxing – I need this!
I think we all do. Enjoy your new home set up.
I think removing some of my clutter would make my home more zen!
It sure would Siobhan. It’s great to improve mental wellbeing
Nice piece, I could do with more Zen in my home!
I think it can make such a big difference to all.
I’m currently redecorating my new home and I love the idea of zen living!
It can be so lovely to create a more Zen home.
Lovely! I like the simplicity of Zen. Must clear out some clutter and add pretty plants.
A clear out is always a good idea.
A Zen home sounds like a real dream!
It is lovely when you create a more zen home.
I’ve followed a zen style both at home and in my daily life for many years now and it brings so much calm and balance into my life.
It is such a lovely idea but I think I need to work on getting more Zen in my home
It can make your home look amazing.
Yes, I’ve just moved to a lovely flat and my aim is to make it very zen and cosy!
Yes, I’ve just moved to a lovely flat and my aim is to make it very zen and cosy!
A zen home is a must, I use my crystals to help create good zen
It would be wonderful to have at least a room with that Zen feeling but until my daughter is older, it wont happen haha. Sounds wonderful though and definitely something I would love to adopt later in life.
this looks fab, some great ideas to try in my home
I hope you enjoy the new home style once you manage to do it.
It looks beautiful but it’s not the style I would be comfy in living with its like I would be afraid to make a mess. Do have an air purifier though!
An air purifier can be a nice addition.
Planning changes to my home this year and after reading this I feel motivated with new ideas.
That’s great to hear. Have fun redecorating.
This looks gorgeous. Very modern but classic feel to it too. I really like it.
It is a simple design and easy to recreate.