Transforming Your Home into Your Personal Retreat
By Laurel Phipps

Everyone has a story that helps to frame his or her experience of life and their core values. My story is about learning to help clients design their life and then transform their personal space including their homes. I’ve been helping people for more than 12 years as a professional interior designer and my story may relate to your own personal evolution.

One of the things I have observed is that it is hard to separate how we live our lives from the space we call home. Most of us aspire to create a sanctuary where we can rest and renew our spirit to be more authentic and effective with others. Ideally, our home and personal space reflects our deepest sense of truth and passions.

I have always been interested in self-improvement, psychological, and spiritual books. Over a course of many years of growth and expanding awareness, I reached a point when it was time for me to be more conscious about integrating my life with my personal space.

I was cluttered, out of balance, and not focused on my highest intentions and goals. Mother Nature has a way of helping us pay attention when we are disconnected. For me, that came in the form of waking up one morning to three inches of water throughout my house. My water heater had broken in the middle of the night. In the same month, my roof started leaking.

I recognized that both incidents were a dramatic call for doing some cleansing in my life. Nature was literally trying to get through the walls and to be part of my life in a meaningful way. It was a time to rediscover what it meant to take care of myself and to make friends with nature again.
This is the moment that I started my journey to get back to the basics in life and a more simple way of being. For me, that meant living more in joy, love and balance. I realized that I was not going to be able to give the best of my self to my family and other loved ones unless I could get myself into a more positive place – emotionally and literally.

Every obstacle and setback presents opportunities. Mine was to de-clutter and clean my entire home. I committed myself to the clear intention of attracting a successful career into my life. That included the decision to move my business into my home.

The choice to leave a commercial office was about being closer to my family and making a fresh start. My family is now much more empowered to be together now and we are happier. My business reflects my highest truth and authentic self. This has made me more effective and happier at every level.

My pre- flood home had one chair instead of two or more in almost every room. I intentionally placed two chairs in the sitting room and five comfortable sitting spaces in my living room. This is a powerful declaration that I was open to my sanctuary being filled with people who enjoyed spending time together. The space quickly filled with positive people and new friends who were attracted to the new space with so much more openness.

Another aspect of the positive change was bringing in nature in the form of real plants, beautiful orchids, soothing music that calms the mind, and clean tables and kitchen counter tops to let the energy flow. When we have spaces that are clean and clear there is room for new intentions, creativity, and peace.

You cannot fill a water glass any more when it is already full. Nature is a vital element to bring into our homes. Studies show that when humans connect with nature, they experience less mental instability and stress. That is worth pondering in our stressful society. We can bring nature into our homes not only with live plants, but also with animals, natural colors, and even open windows to welcome the sun and fresh air. These are just a few of the ways to invite nature into our home sanctuary.

Start small if the whole house process seems overwhelming. Find a small table, a shelf space and designate that one spot as your sanctuary or alter space. Only place things on the table that symbolize closeness to your heart. Place special objects in that area that reflect your greatest hopes and passions.

Taking time for our self, breathing more deliberately, connecting with nature, and listening to our hearts is essential to our wellness. We can create our unique sanctuary inside our homes irrespective of our budgets or challenges. It always comes back to our intentions and focus. Home is where the heart is....inside you!

Laurel Phipps is a nationally certified, licensed Interior Designer. She is now giving monthly Retreat Day Workshops to help individuals and couples create personal sanctuaries. Laurel is the founder of Retreat Interiors.

Learn more online at RetreatInteriors.com or call 941-350-9240.