Serenity by Design: Use Your Home to Combat Stress

Most of us have busy modern lives packed with family, work and personal obligations. Most of us value those things as priorities, but wow — they can cause a lot of stress at times.

And we know where constant, unending stress leads: doctors’ offices, crankiness and even emotional, mental and physical issues if we allow our stressers to get the best of us.Serenity by Design: Use Your Home to Combat Stress

That’s why it’s important to reduce our stress. Many tried-and-true strategies such as regular workouts, yoga and meditation do a great job for many folks. But what if de-stressing was even simpler? And you could do it without sweating (although workouts always are good)?

Coming home to a house where we feel relieved and comfortable is a great away to combat stress. It’s your own personal yoga studio and sanctuary rolled into one. Certainly, keep those other healthful strategies going, but if you’re in the market for a new custom Florida home, we’re happy to suggest some actionable ideas for achieving serenity by design.

Pick a floor plan that fits

A house that flows seamlessly room-to-room, and whose functions fit your family’s lifestyle, make relaxing in it a whole lot easier — a practical factor that makes a big, overall difference.

For example, consider the laundry or utility room. It should be sited near where the laundry accumulates rather than on the opposite side of the house. Traipsing across 3,000 square feet with a load of dirty clothes doesn’t sound like fun.

And, if putting up and taking down a manual ironing board makes you grit your teeth, have one built into the laundry room that easily flips down and back up, out of sight.

There’s no need to make necessary chores more stressful than they need to be.

Organize, organize, organize

We don’t mean a spotless, monochromatic home with nary an item out of place. We mean a home without “stuff” piled on floors and surfaces.

Kids’ toys littering their rooms. Coats, keys ad backpacks plopped where discarded near the front door. That infamous “junk” drawer. Fourteen red T-shirts in your closet when you actually wear only two or three.

Dare we say “declutter?” We do. If you have stuff, find places to corral it neatly, then toss, sell or donate the excess. A great time to do that is before you move into your new custom Florida home.

Establish your favorite flop spot

Every member of the household has one. Teens agog over video games. Adults in their recliners.

For you, it might be a cushioned window seat in a bedroom with great task lighting, where you can read, watch an online streaming service or catch up on TV.

Wherever your flop spot is, make it comfortable. Don’t use Aunt Gertrude’s inherited chair just because you think you should. Need a lumbar cushion or footstool? Buy it.

A coffee bar? Make it happen.

Ready for your new custom Florida home? Talk to ICI Homes here.