A peaceful home- 5 ideas to create sanctuary for you and guests

A peaceful home

Let your home be a meditation in loveliness and a beacon of refuge.

Do you desire that kind of peaceful home? Where it feels like a safe place from the storms that rage in the world around you?

Me too.  Sanctuary, simply defined,  is a place of refuge.

When I first read that sentence , it literally spoke to my heart and stunned me. Yes. Let that be our goal… (I so wish I could find who wrote it to credit them, and thank them).

Historically, a sanctuary is the holiest of holy places — a temple or church. Now, it’s a word for anywhere a person feels especially safe and serene. People might call their homes their sanctuary, or a beautiful spot in a quiet woods can be described as a sanctuary- vocabulary.com

We all desire a place to walk in the door, and feel that home is your spot. That place you can breathe, love, be loved.

A place of restoration. Would you like some ideas for offering that to anyone who walks through your front door?

It is attainable and comes from so much deeper of a place than fancy Instagram feeds and home store advertisements. It is a spirit of welcome that starts in our own spirits and spills over into a hospitable welcome for all we are blessed to invite in.

But sometimes,  you might just not know where to start? What to do to create that sort of atmosphere?

 

(you can download a printable PDF of this here)

What makes a place peaceful?

Friends, we have lived in lovely places and the kind of places that keep you awake at night with disgust.  We’ve learned a lot about what home means, and what we want people to feel like in it. Our family, ourselves, our loved ones.

It doesn’t take a showhome, a five-course meal, and a fancy parting gift.

I have had the privilege of learning from some of the most hospitable women in our moves across the country. From Denise, my first friend from “the south” who showed up to help a desperate mama clean her house, unannounced.

From many other amazing people who simply said, please come in.

Let’s consider together how we, and those we love, can enjoy a peaceful home with minimal effort.

Home is a shelter from storms – all sorts of storms.” – William J. Bennett

 

?How do we want people to feel in our home

Welcomed- the first step can be the hardest for those who aren’t naturally inclined towards hospitality (and it’s totally ok if it isn’t an automatic response!).  However, it really is the simplest.

The invitation is of greater importance than all the Pinterest offerings we could muster up…people will feel loved by an invite. Wanted. That is a powerful gift that takes no physical offering, simply being desired to spend time with.

Comfortable– Remember when our elderly relatives covered all the best furniture in plastic? Whew, in today’s world it is a lot quieter and less sticky with regular ol’ fabric 😊.

Consider a guest’s needs before they arrive. If you like the air low, have a throw blanket for example on the chair. Create a simple place to land that allows a physical letdown for weary bodies.

Safe- Sanctuary implies safety, with emotions as well as words. Be discreet and remind them that in this house, what is spoken stays here permanently.

“Peace that was the other name for home.” – Kathleen Norris

Heard- If we are asked for input, then we can thoughtfully offer some. Sometimes our natural tendencies fight to listen when our brain has ideas. Let people just speak…we can do this by practicing becoming comfortable with silence.

It can take a while for people to express their heart, no need to rush and fill in the gaps and tell them about “our” experiences right out the gate.

Peaceful– Atmosphere is powerful. In casual gatherings, noises will abound from others in the household. That in itself is a beautiful thing! Let us take queues from our guests and set the tone for making them feel comfortable.

For whatever is realistic in your stage of life, to the best of our abilities, let a spirit of peace comfort our guests. Sometimes that will be laughter, and sometimes tears…look for ques. And remember, we don’t always have this option.

Welcome still trumps peacefulness if that is what we have to offer ♥.

“I want my home to be that kind of place–a place of sustenance, a place of invitation, a place of welcome.” – Mary DeMuth

How can I make my home peaceful?

Sanctuary for our loved ones starts at the door.

It has so little to do with our physical surroundings, it really is about our open arms and attitude of welcome. Sometimes even that feels hard to muster, at first. But once we open the door?

Knowing we offered a safe port for a small season, a place for restoration to people we love…and strangers we will. It matters more than we understand.

How to create a peaceful home environment

When you can? Enjoy adding little touches in all rooms-  music for mood-setting, simple. Candles for ambiance. Things that feel cozy and comforting to you? Might be just what someone else craves as well.

TIDY IS NOT crazy mom clean.  Don’t let that deter you in your efforts.  Tidy but imperfect is a wonderful way to exhibit hospitality—because it comes from the heart, not our overachieving efforts that leave us grumpy with exhaustion.

C’mon, you know what I am talking about 😉

The world can be a difficult, toxic, and ever increasingly volatile place.  Sister, we NEED refuge.  Home is a tremendous gift of love that we can treasure, and share. A true gift that keeps on giving.

Walking through the front door of your home can be a wonderful relief.

Benefits of a peaceful home

One caveat, if you are in a season where this feels too huge to tackle?

Remember to just take one step at a time. Five minutes here and there to keep working towards a goal. Flip through a magazine or Pinterest and find an image that feels restful to your spirit.

You can do this! You offer so much to your space and your people. Your value is immeasurable, and so is what you have to offer when it is time to decompress.

Relaxation at home

Perhaps you are in a time of chaos? Small children knocking things over faster than you can tidy up? A family member with illness? Stretched too many places?

A peaceful home has as much to do with restoring YOU as the people you care so much about. Treat yourself well so that you have the energy to face the day. Restoration is a practice that gives, it doesn’t deplete.

A woman really is the heart of the home, and that is a wonderful place for people you love to return to.

Sanctuary is offered in our honest moments of just being. And offering that safe port for others.  Be blessed as you let YOUR home become a mediation in loveliness.

It won’t be perfect, and that is more than ok! It is the same story for every other woman.  And that my friends, is where the gift of vulnerability and welcome come in. We can all just be. And heal. And be restored.

Home. A place where peace is.

Home is the nicest word there is.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder

Psalm 27:4 One thing I have asked of the LORD, and that I will seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD [in His presence] all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty [the delightful loveliness and majestic grandeur] of the LORD and to meditate in His temple.

P.S. For some of my favorite peaceful home quotes for homemakers, click here

Peaceful home books I enjoyed

• Extraordinary Hospitality for Ordinary Christians: A Radical Approach to Preparing Your Heart & Home for Gospel-Centered Community
• The Lost Art of Hospitality: Making People Feel Welcome in Your Home 
• Just Open the Door – Bible Study Book: A Study of Biblical Hospitality
• How to Celebrate Everything: Recipes and Rituals for Birthdays, Holidays, Family Dinners, and Every Day In Between
• How to Keep House While Drowning: 31 days of compassionate help
• Disclosure: I only recommend products I do/would use myself. This post may contain affiliate links that at NO additional cost to you, may earn me a small commission to help support this blog. Read full privacy policy here.