Welcome a brand new guest blogger to the ROOT tribe, Interior Designer Mia Yamada! Learn how Mia tackled a turbulent year by focusing on her favorite form of self-care — creating her home sanctuary.
Whether big or small, our homes are our refuge and safe spaces from the craziness of our busy lives. In the outside world beyond our homes, I often deal with lots of unpredictability – traffic, stressful work situations, fast walkers (or the dreaded slow walker), long lines at Trader Joes (I’ll endure anything for their Riced Cauliflower Stir Fry), intense (but inspiring) spin class instructors. And for so many of us, our homes – condo, apartment, sublet, illegal sublet (sssh!), or house – are our sanctuaries, the one place where we know what to expect and can have some peace and control.
As an interior designer, a lot of my work has been about co-creating these peaceful and safe spaces with my clients. My core skillset involves listening to my clients, understanding what “peace” means to them, and translating that into spatial design, paint colors, accents and furnishings. Nothing makes me happier than welcoming a client into their new or redesigned home and seeing their faces light up and bodies relax – this is their new sanctuary.
This past year, however, I realized that I was in need of revamping my own sanctuary after experiencing a trifecta of changes all in a three month period. Right after moving in with my boyfriend, we went through a bad break-up. And since home is where I feel the most grounded, I started to feel very untethered and almost afloat. To make matters worse, the break-up had a cascading effect that led to some positive – but still disruptive – changes including moving to a new city where I knew very few people and beginning a new job in a relatively new area of design (from interior design firm to architecture firm). Everything familiar was now gone and although I had new business cards and a home address, I still couldn’t figure out who I was anymore.
At home in Austin, TX with our resident Interior Designer, Mia Yamada.
One way that I began to heal was by treating myself like a client and making my new apartment my sanctuary – a place that I could look forward to at the end of a long day. It’s a safe space for me full of my favorite colors (blues & greens), things that make me happy (art, scented candles & greenery), and pictures and memories that remind me of who I am and that I’m not alone. This process helped me to feel grounded and settled while so many things were happening/changing around me. I finally felt anchored in my new city, like I’d carved out my own little niche, which gave me the confidence to move through the change and set myself up for the next chapter.
For those of you going through a big life change, or simply hoping for a more mindful space, invest in making your space your sanctuary, a reflection of you and somewhere you love to be. Just as in yoga, it’s important to first set an intention for the environment you want to create. In design we have a more visual representation of this which we call a “moodboard.” These are created for every client I work with and are used to tell the story of the vibe that we’re trying to create. We fill them up with shapes, textures, inspiration images, and even words to set the intention and keep us headed in the right direction. Think pinterest in real-life.
To help you out, I’ve done some of the leg work for you to start your own pinterest/mood board. Here are the five steps I took during my recent life transformation and the sites that gave me inspiration, and continue to populate my mood boards.
1. Declutter & Organize
Often times our inner world reflects our outer world and if our space is disorganized and cluttered, our lives can feel that way too. In order to restore balance, take the time to organize your space and free yourself from clutter. A tidy space allows you to not only feel more relaxed in your home, but also lowers anxiety. It’s important to get rid of the old and make space for the new, especially when we are trying to move forward
Get creative with containers and shelving to remove the fuss from finding your favorite pair of shoes, earrings or other accessories.
in our lives and move into a new season or chapter. Commit a few hours, a day, a weekend or whatever your schedule allows to organize your space. Throw-out, sell or donate your old items, and make sure the things you are keeping have a specific place in your home. There are some great sites out there that even let you make a little extra money from this tidying up endeavor. Check out Letgo or Poshmark.
Also, to maintain a clean space, get in the habit of practicing the 2 minute tidy up – take 2 minutes before bed to pick up any excess clothing, put dishes in the dishwasher, organize papers, etc. – that way when you wake up in the morning your space will be fresh and clean to greet you.
My mood board is filled with mostly items from The Home Edit – a snappy site that mixes the practical with the pretty. I follow them on Instagram to keep my eyes tuned to order.
2. Incorporate Greenery
Now that you’ve decluttered and organized, it’s time to decorate and make sure to add plants as part of your scheme. Not only are plants beautiful and bring life to a home, they help you breath easier by increasing oxygen levels and purifying the air, boost your mood and promote healing, and lower anxiety and your risk for illness – what’s not to love! Take a trip to your local plant nursery where you can get all sorts of advice about which plants are best for your home.
Mix and match varietals for a combination of form and height.
I personally love succulents because of the muted tones, pillowy shapes and they’re hard to kill. Seriously, these things might look a little droopy, but they come back to life the moment you give them a little love, sun, and water again. You can also get into a new habit of getting fresh cut flowers every few weeks to bring in green and fragrance. Have fun with it, experiment and get your green thumb on!
My mood board has big bursts of green in different shapes, sizes and varietal from Blue Flamingo and Burkatron.
Cacti are so classic and another low maintenance plant. Mix the southwest vibe with a super glammed out gold vase for a little fun. Complements of #BumbleHiveLA.
3. Remember the Entryway
Entryways can sometimes be missed opportunities but you have the power to change that! Don’t let this be a forgotten space where you just set down your keys or hang up jacket. Your entryway can be beyond basic and really set the tone of your home and be an area that makes you feel invited into the space. Get a new doormat, add an entry table for a bouquet of your favorite flowers, or hang a painting or picture you love. Try adding an ottoman with a pop of color that gives you an immediate place to sit and decompress after a long day. It doesn’t have to be big, just bring something to this area that makes you immediately feel welcomed and sparks joy so you’ll be greeted with happiness when you walk in.
I’ve found mood board entryway-inspiration from a few sites like Tiny House Giant Life and Sugar and Charm. They really nail this “after the front door” space.
4. Joyful Decor
For some joyful notes, create a wall of shelves to display your favorite books, candles and plants. Another one from the the savvy #BumbleHiveLA team.
Decorate your space with colors, furniture and decorative items that make you happy and promote positive feelings. Do you have family or travel photos that remind you of a time of strength and possibility? If so, get them blown up to be large enough to hang, invest in nice frames, and give them a prominent space on your walls.
During a previous move, I made a photo montage of all of the cities that meant “home” to me – Oakland, Brooklyn and Los Angeles. I put them in a sleek frame and set them somewhere I’d see everyday to remind that those places were always with me.
If you love throw blankets and pillows, pick out a variety in colors and textures make you want to get wrapped up in them. And remember, everything doesn’t have to match or be the same style to look good – the important thing is that the pieces spark positive feelings, and are things you love to look at and make you smile. Mix it up, experiment, and explore what makes you excited – there is no right answer except where your inner compass leads you.
Take a minute to check out these mood board finds that gush joy, warmth and “the journey” to me from Apartment Therapy and Decordemon.
5. Sleep Well
As mentioned in a previous ROOT post (Sleep right, not tight), good sleep is an essential part of functioning well and being our best, which means investing in your sleeping space is probably the best use of your money.
The Eva Diffuser by Pilgrim. Invest in a high-quality and beautifully designed diffuser to open up your senses and balance out your space.
The goal here is to find ways to promote relaxation and serenity. Splurge on a new set of sheets, a new comforter, great set of pillows, and maybe even a new mattress. All of these items really can make a world of difference between falling asleep and waking up in a restful environment. Especially after my break-up it was also critical for me to reclaim my sleeping space as my own. Another tip is to use calming cool colors in the the bedroom – whites, blues and greys are nice and create a relaxing atmosphere. Dimmable lighting can add to a feeling of serenity, as well as calming art with scenery or ocean views.
I recently invested in an oil diffuser and some essential oils to help relax me at night and bring calm to my other senses like smell and sound. There are a lot of diffusers to choose from, but my favorite one is by Pilgrim Collection as its hip modern look and clean lines compliment my room decor and bring serenity to my space.
I love the subtle sleep tones of these pins. They are relax-tastic in the best way.
Want to read more about reclaiming your space and finding your home-oasis? Check-out my go-to reading list for my personal and professional designs:
About Mia Yamada
Mia Yamada is an Interior Designer based in Austin, TX. As a former dancer and fitness instructor, she strives to incorporate wellness and balance into her design work. Follow her design adventures and inspiration via instagram @mia.yamada.
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