Maybe it’s your first home that you’re completely in charge of. Maybe you’re just sick of not being sure whether or not you should allow someone into your sanctuary. Making friends feel comfortable. Showing your family how self-sufficient you are. Making a love interest welcome. Your home should be able to do all of these things. If it’s not, then we’re going to look at how you get changed as soon as possible.
Welcoming is crucial
If you want a place for people to feel welcome, then it needs to actually be welcoming. A lot of young people (and men in particular) tend to create rooms that are very insular by design. They don’t have the proper seating arrangements for more than one person, or if they do, they’re not angled toward one another. There’s no central coffee table. The focus on the whole room is a TV. None of it really shouts ‘sit here and talk to me’. So, it’s time to make some changes. Use welcoming, expansive seating like a Chesterfield sofa. Find a new focal point for the room like a vase or a painting. Make sure that everything in the room is centred around a communal element, like the aforementioned coffee table. Envision how multiple people would interact together in that space.
A bit of yourself
That’s not to say that your home should be self-sacrificing. At the end of the day, your aesthetic taste will rule. But more importantly, you shouldn’t be afraid to put a bit of yourself into your own room, your hall, or your living room. Feel free to add a bit of personality. Photos and experiences from your past should dot the visual landscape, giving a peek into you. Elements of your culture and your passions can just as easily serve as some great fodder for conversation with any guests you invite as well. A home that lacks the personal touch only makes the owner look like they might not really have a personality, to begin with.
A thorough tidy
The one element that you have no say over is making sure that the home is totally prepared for any guests. Your coffee table shouldn’t have any lingering stains. There shouldn’t be any clutter your guests have to step over. If you want to make it look even cleaner, then take a few elements from modern room design. Use brighter colours and thin dressings on windows to maximise the effectiveness of light throughout the room. Provided the room is tidy, it creates a very fresh and airy atmosphere. Of course, if the room isn’t tidy, then it’s only going to highlight the horror show. More than looking unsightly, it simply makes it seem like you don’t have much respect for your guests if you’re not going to prepare for them.
The right mix of welcoming, openness and your own values and loves is going to make the room an extension of you. And of course, a little housekeeping is going to ensure no-one is feeling grossed out by that extension.
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