Setting the intention for your home is so important to bring peace and function into your home.
I heard about this concept when I was starting my minimalism journey two years ago. And it really was a lightbulb moment for me. I wish I could remember exactly where I heard this so I could share the piece of content with you but I think it was from an Allie Cassaza Podcast Episode. Love her message.
So how does this work. Well it’s pretty basic and I have a set of 4 questions I ask for each room in my home.
- How do I want to feel when I enter this space?
- Who will be using this space mostly?
- How can I bring peace to this space?
- What can I add or remove to improve the functionality of this space ? Or What action steps can I take?
So I will give you some examples from the various rooms in my own home of how I set intention for each room.
Kitchen
- I want to feel like this is a hub, a gathering place and it is easy to work in. I want it to feel organized and not chaotic.
2. It will be mainly me in there cooking so I want it set up or how it will serve me best to cook and clean. My family and guests will be in there eating so I want that part of the kitchen to feel welcoming and homey.
3. To bring peace I know I need minimal, organized, bright and airy and clean.
4 .I can remove certain cooking gadgets I never use. I can add some new artwork to make it feel bright, airy and welcoming. I can add an improved organization system for papers coming in since this is the hub of our home. I also can paint the ceiling to fix up the paint from when we had pot lights installed. I can create and stick to a regular cleaning system so I never feel overwhelmed with the mess in my kitchen. I will commit time every month to ensure it remains decluttered and organized.
Living Room
- I want it to feel clean, comfortable and organized.
2. We use this space as a family. Reading, games, dance parties, entertaining. I also do a lot of work from home from the couch!
3. To bring peace it needs organization for games/books/my notebooks and work gear for me. I want memories to be showcased with photos and and photo books. I want minimal decor and clean scented candles and diffusers for a welcoming scent.
4. I can remove the large cupboard and bring up the 8 block shelving unit that is sitting empty downstairs. This allows me to organize within the 8 shelves rather than have everything in the two big shevles which caused disorganization. Move the newly organized photobooks upstairs. Keep the fireplace cleaned off for minimal decor and candles.diffuser only.
Master Bedroom
- I want it to feel clean and cozy. Like a haven for good sleep and relaxing. I want it to be minimal in decor and only hold the things we use regularly and love.
2. My husband and I, and we read books as a family on the bed.
3. I feel like we have done a good job of bringing peace to this space.
4. Right now it houses a change table and bassinet for our foster baby and this area could use a bit more organization. Other than that we love and are happy with how the space is utilized.
Kids Room
- I want it to feel clean and inspire learning as well as cozy for sleeping.
2. The girls use it as a playroom as well as a bedroom.
3. I can bring peace by working with them to keep it clean and organized consistently. To have clear divisions on whose space is who’s so each girl feels like they have their own space within a shared space.
4. I can add labels to their toy bins to help them keep it organized. I can utilize Lilia’s love for organization to help keep it organized. I can do do monthly declutters/ a big clean with them to keep it minimal and organized.
Basement
- I want this space to feel clean and organized with lots of extra room for exercising and kids activities. I also want my office corner to be dedicated to my things and space. I want the couch area to be cozy for movie nights.
2. I use this space mainly for my office/work from home. We use it as a family for movie nights or exercising.
3. I can bring peace by making the areas more defined and organized. Keep it clean and organized and do regular decluttering.
4. I need to do a big declutter on the bookshelf wall and make it more defined for business and shop supplies verses family things.
Bathroom
- I want it to feel clean every time I walk in.
2. We all use it, as well as guests.
3. It needs to be organized at all times, clean hand towels.
4. I can stick to a regular daily cleaning schedule and ensure I declutter and organize the cupboards once a month. The kids can be a big part of this is part of their chores.
I think you get where I am going with this. The key is when you set an intention for a place it is easier to keep only what belongs in that space, adapt systems to keeping it feeling peaceful and eventually these things just become regular habits so you don’t need to use up the mental energy.
For me you see a lot of repetition with the words Clean, organized and minimal. These are overall home values that are important to me. Yes cozy, comforting and welcoming are also, but not as important to me as clean and organized. I know how quickly I can get overwhelmed when things are not clean and organized. Its how I function best. So i need to make sure those elements are consistent within every space in my home.
You may be different and do a ton of entertaining and you main values may be welcoming and homey for example. A little bit off clutter makes it feel more real life for you and it doesn’t overwhelm you, then awesome, you do you mama.
The key to this exercise is allowing you to bring focus to how you want your home to function, and how you as the lady of the house functions best.
Maybe part of your action plan involves hiring a house cleaner or planning for renovation or maybe you realize your space doesn’t serve your growing family anymore and it may be time to move. We spend a ton of time on our homes. Identify the rooms you use most and the rooms that aren’t serving you. Your environment directly effects your mood so make the changes in your home to make you a happier mama.
A friend of mine for example values her home feeling fresh and new. She realizes moving regularly is not realistic but every few months she completely rearranges the furniture in her home.
I have another friend who is big on holidays so when she set the intention she valued having an organized storage system for her various decor so she could switch things out easily.
I have a friend who just loves having Bible verses all over her house to help her memorize whats important to her.
We are all different and our homes at the end of our day, are just our shelter but how can we function best and be happiest in that structure? How can we bring our values into o