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The new year has arrived, and for many of us, it's the perfect opportunity to redecorate our homes and discover new trends. And if you haven't heard of the concept of Slow Living yet, now is the time!
What is Slow Living?
The Slow Living trend has become increasingly popular recently, as it acts as a stop sign on the path of an ever-accelerating world. Slow Living is about quality over quantity. It's about creating space for moments of rest and breathing. It's about doing less, so that what you do becomes more important and gains greater meaning.
That sounds good, if a little fluffy, because how do you actually do it? Each of us would like a less hectic daily life, with time for family and friends, as well as for ourselves – but if it were that easy, we would have already done it.
As with so many other things, it's about not starting too big a project, but beginning small. This often makes the project much more successful, and with Slow Living, you have the great advantage of being able to start from the comfort of your own home.
To make your start with Slow Living easier, we've put together 5 tips below on how to create a cozy and calm atmosphere at home. Choose the tips that make the most sense for you.
How do I design my home in line with Slow Living?
1. Soft materials create that Hygge feeling
To create more calm in your daily life, you can use this simple trick: incorporate soft materials like real sheepskin into your decor.
Imagine sitting in your favorite armchair after a long day at work and draping a wool blanket over your legs. Or snuggling up against a soft cushion while enjoying a cup of tea. Moments like these feel like warm hugs and are ideal for slowing down after a long day.
Also remember that colors have power! Soft, muted tones create a calming effect and a harmonious appearance, while overly strong or bright colors can create an unpleasant atmosphere if they dominate the room.
If you want to incorporate the Slow Living trend into your home, beige, muted pastels, and earthy tones are your friends.
2. Candles provide true Hygge
With candles, you create a pleasant and calm light in your living room and can simultaneously help to establish a routine and unwind after a long day at work.
Both real candles and electric candles can be used for this purpose, depending on your taste – and today you can find very beautiful electric candles. If you have a preference for scented candles, you can advantageously choose one with your favorite scent. Light it when you come home; both the ambiance and the scent will signal to your senses that it's time to slow down.
For the finishing touch, you can combine different sizes and candle holders to express your personal style. Arrange pillar candles on a tray or place elegant candle holders with colored candles on the coffee table to truly set the mood.
3. How do I incorporate natural accents into my home?
Incorporating natural accents into your home is an essential part of Slow Living. At the same time, you can also see natural accents as a shortcut to a calmer ambiance, as they bring the tranquility of nature directly into your home.
Add some plants and feel free to include a bouquet of flowers to bring green life into your home. They lend a fresh breeze to their surroundings and also bring a calm note that makes your home more inviting. And on top of that, plants ensure better air quality – so this tip is pure win-win!
You can also use natural materials like wood and lambskin to spread a feeling of true Hygge. These materials connect you with nature and add a pleasant warmth and texture to your home. The practical thing about these materials is that they can be used through smaller elements such as a wooden tray, fur cushions, or a cozy lambskin. Therefore, you can bring natural calm into your home without having to make space for large furniture pieces.
4. How do I create a personal retreat?
A personal retreat is both a beautiful and quite practical way to bring more Hygge into your home while creating a quiet corner just for you. But setting one up can be challenging.
Most importantly, the place should represent your taste and preferences. Only then can it offer you a break from the hectic everyday life and help you slow down.
How you furnish your retreat depends entirely on how you best relax. Whether it's with a book, knitting, or painting – any activity can help you breathe deeper and find peace. So you should keep your preferred activity in mind when setting up your retreat.
Choose a comfortable armchair and drape a wool blanket over the armrest and perhaps a cozy cushion for extra back support. For lighting, choose string lights and candles for a calm ambiance, but if you enjoy knitting or reading, a well-placed floor lamp is a must.
Choose a small side table to have a surface for cups and complete the look. You might want to look in second-hand shops for a table to add a special accent. Perhaps it's especially practical for you if the table has a drawer, or perhaps you prefer a simple table. Most importantly, the table should be practical and not take up too much space, so as not to make the environment appear cluttered.
No matter whether you've chosen a sunny window corner or a quiet part of your bedroom, you can create a personal retreat with these simple steps and start incorporating quiet moments of Slow Living into your daily life – be it while reading, knitting, or simply drinking tea.
5. How do I incorporate relaxing routines into daily life?
Probably the most important reason why the Slow Living trend has become so popular is that it focuses on building a less stressful daily life. But unfortunately, we all have to admit that moments where you can step back and breathe more freely don't just appear out of nowhere.
They require work and planning. Therefore, it's important to build routines into your daily life to create small, calm moments for yourself.
However, this doesn't mean you have to schedule an hour a day to do yoga or something similar – if you can, perfect! If not, you can use smaller moments to ground yourself and slow down. And this can be slowly incorporated into daily life with small steps.
For example, when you come home and prepare a tea or coffee, you can use the time while the water is boiling to take deep breaths and let your thoughts pass calmly, without holding onto them. Allow yourself to take a break and not rush directly to the next task.
Or, if you usually watch a series in the evening, you could instead get out your knitting or a book and immerse yourself in it. Even 5 or 10 minutes make a difference and give you a break. Perhaps play your favorite podcast in the background, or simply let the silence wash over you.
A physical book or a craft like knitting has a different effect on us than scrolling on our phones or watching TV. Our brains are occupied, and when counting stitches or engrossed in a good book, you can't think about the workday – you can disconnect much better.
Conclusion – What is Slow Living?
Slow Living is a trend that allows you to find more calm in daily life and slow down the pace – and that's precisely why this trend has become so popular! By using natural materials like real lambskin, thoughtful lighting, and small moments of self-care, you can slow down the pace of daily life and create more tranquility within the framework of Slow Living.
Slow Living is not just a trend, but an invitation to consciously take time for yourself and enjoy life to the fullest. With the help of our 5 tips, you can gradually build good routines into your daily life and achieve a less hectic existence.
