Wow, June has been a busy month. I had a fantastic time participating in Durham’s Habitat for Humanity Woman’s Build on June 16, thank you again to everyone who donated and participated! I wasn’t sure what to expect and ended up learning how to put posts in for the fence, a far cry from my interior decorating skills but a great learning experience. Hopefully you’ve had the opportunity to finish some of your own outdoor projects before summer’s heat leaves you with nothing but the desire to kick your feet up in a hammock with an ice cold drink. Perhaps there’s time for one more small project- finding a place in your home to design your very own Healing Nook.

Now a Healing Nook can be as simple or elaborate as what suits your needs. My favourite nooks take advantage of former closets (after decluttering this Spring, surely you have one closet you could transform, right?) which If you need an energy boost, you might lean towards designing a nook with brighter colours and an energy-driven activity, such as a crafting station. If you find yourself stressed and overwhelmed once the day is through, consider using cooler colours and sparse décor in a nook used for meditating. If you like the idea of cozying up in a library nook with your favourite book, there may be carpentry involve- but rest assured, nothing you couldn’t handle with a bit of planning. On the other hand, if you wanted to create something like a prayer closet the décor might be very sparce, with a table, chair, light, pen and paper to focus on your written words.

The point is, there are endless possibilities and before you tear out those closet shelves be sure to:

1. Establish what kind of space (active vs meditative, for example) will enable your personal healing

2. Establish what kind of mood or energy the space should have to encourage healing (which will help lead into décor choices)

3. Plan your budget (do you want to hire an electrician to install new lighting, or can you work with what you have?)

4. Do your research beforehand if (for example) you would like to put up shelving and need to know how to find a wall stud.

The fun thing about re-designing a space as small as a closet is that you can choose to splurge on the details that in a full-sized room might push the budget too far. Take mural wallpaper, for example. A closet may only need 30sq ft of wallpaper for the back wall, or about $200 worth of wallpaper from a company like wallsauce.com where you can find murals of dew drops on wildflowers, serene forests, beach sunsets… so many choices! (P.S.- I’m not sure where the wallpaper used in the nook above was purchased from, but what a beautifully subtle way to complete the space.) While I was having fun looking through wallpaper on the web I found a few great closet transformations to share and inspire. First up, the Craft Station.

Craft Station

I’m sure many of us have a closet that looks like the image on the left! With a whole lot of decluttering, you can turn that closet into useable space. I like how although this is an activity space, the blue paint with crisp white makes it feel very calm- a fun place to de-stress and get lost in craft. The peg board was a fantastic idea- you can buy a whole 48 X 96 inch piece at Home Depot for around $23. You might notice they chose to eliminate the header over the closet, making it easier to reach the top shelf and making the space feel less closet-like. That might be the trickiest part of this design, as you’d also have to re-trim the old door frame. If you’re not confident with your carpentry skills, call a friend!

The Book Nook

Young or old, everyone can get lost in a great book. Sarah from Thrifty Décor Chick (see the link above) gave a fantastic step-by-step on how she made this library nook. She did hire an electrician, but did the rest of the work herself with very little prior experience. The horizontal decorative boards was a great detail to add, a texture that makes the nook feel less closet-like.

Prayer or Meditation Nook

These two nooks could not be more different! And yet, both serve the same purpose. Some people may be drawn to very neutral colours and décor in order to achieve a meditative (or prayerful) state. Others might absolutely need cheerful bright colours for their spirits to be lifted. Although the colours may differ, both these spaces remain sparsely decorated. They’ve been simplified so that when the curtain is drawn, all focus is on the practice itself.

That’s all until next month, happy decorating!

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