If your home is truly a sanctuary, it should bring calm and relaxation – whatever that looks like for your taste and budget. While the go-to picture when envisioning a Zen space may be one that is stark and minimal, restful and restorative design can be achieved for any style preference by simply following some standard home design best practices.

“Calming design comes down to how the space makes you feel,” says Brittany McNab, co-owner of Fifteen Twelve Home Co. and a featured presenter at the upcoming 2024 Calgary Home + Garden Show.

No matter the style, McNab says creating a relaxing home environment is all about functionality and personalization. Instead of having a hard-and-fast rule about what makes a space beautiful, she stresses that form and function should work in tandem, creating practical interiors that work for the people who interact with the space every day.

For anyone looking to update and enhance their home to feel more comfortable in 2024 and beyond, a thoughtful and intentional de-cluttering of unnecessary items and mess would be the first and most cost-effective and important step, says McNab.

“Before hiring an interior designer, clear your space of things you don’t need, want or like. I often see people who have rooms with too many pieces of furniture or too many small tchotchkes. It looks too busy, and that is something I believe contributes to a space feeling stressful. After decluttering, simple design changes will make a space shine and feel lovely.”

The next step is to focus on creating a purposeful floorplan. Beyond just the style and finish of the pieces in a room, being thoughtful about how furniture and decor exist in a home can help minimize ‘noise’ and elevate the overall look and feel of everything within the four walls.

Borrowing from the ancient philosophy of feng shui – the practice of arranging furniture and decor to create balance with the natural world – intentionality in a floorplan can greatly improve the overall energy of a home. Even if you or your designer are not strictly adhering to the rules and practices of feng shui, the right scale and positioning of the pieces in a room is a must.

“I always consider a few things when deciding on furniture orientation,” says McNab. “First, I take into account natural paths of travel through the room and make sure a space of at least 30 inches, but ideally 36 inches, is available for people to move about the room freely. This should be a given, but focus on keeping doorways, hallways, and windows clear, as well as the space around a coffee table or a bed. You also want to be able to move chairs in and out of a dining room or office. Nothing should impede travel.”

Finally, it’s time to understand how you use the rooms in your house. For example, will the living room be used for conversation, watching TV, eating, snacking, or snoozing? Is it a busy space like the bathroom, mud room, laundry room or kitchen where people will be in and out throughout the day? Each room should be designed to prioritize purpose and function.

Once the three objectives are met – decluttering, furniture placement and function – you will have the perfect canvas to apply your unique and personalized style, while maintaining a sense of calm, relaxation and comfort.

And above all, says McNab, “Stay true to yourself in your design; you will feel most at home in your space.”