It is not necessary for women to leave the comfort of their home in order to experience the relaxing and healing effects of a personal retreat. With a little planning, time and creativity, women can create their own personal oasis within the boundaries of their current living space. Here are some points women should consider once they have decided to create their own sacred space.
Consider the Purpose of the Oasis
It is important for one to have a basic idea of what she wants to accomplish with the space before creating it. There are a number of reasons women might decided to create a personal retreat space. Some might desire a spot in which to relax and unwind after a hard day, or to meditate. Some people prefer to create a personal spot to rejuvenate the mind and body.
Choose a Design Method
Some women don't have a preference for a specific design method and may choose to just place items wherever they believe works well or feels comfortable. Others have a specific interest in decorating or planning styles such as the Feng Shui method. Those that prefer a particular style can benefit from researching the practices common to their method before starting the decorating.
Brainstorm Ideas for Decorating
Collages work well as a tool for brainstorming how one might want to decorate her space, especially if she doesn't have clear idea of what she would like the end result to be. Cutting pictures from magazines, flyer's and catalogs that are appealing and then pasting them randomly on a piece of poster board or cardstock can help in formulating a basic theme and style for the area.
Women can also include samples of following items to help them decide what styles are inspiring;
- Fabric swatches found in craft stores and dressmakers shops.
- Paint chips can be found at hardware stores or specialty paint shops.
- Pieces of ribbon samples or odds and ends of yarn in colours and patterns that are appealing.
Designate a Space
A personal oasis can be any size or in any location of the home. It can be as simple as converting an end table into a mini oasis or dressing up an easy chair to be used for meditation. Slightly larger locations could include the corner of an office or bedroom. For those with larger homes, an entire room could be designated solely for retreating and then decorated accordingly.
Consider the Budget
The person designing should think about how much money she has to work with before beginning to seek out the items for her oasis. Many items can be found around the home or at garage sales for those who have little to no budget. Here are some low budget ideas for decorating the space.
- Runners and table toppers can be cut from larger swaths of fabric, old or heirloom sheets or even retired graduation or bridesmaid dresses.
- Small trinket boxes can be found at garage sales and dollar stores and can double as both a hideaway for small personal collectibles and a table top decoration.
- Landscape pictures can be found in wilderness magazines and on the internet and printed out in lieu of expensive landscape art. A 12 by 12 piece of metallic cardstock can be transferred into a photo mat or makeshift picture frame.
Those who have the luxury of larger or unlimited budgets may want to spend some time seeking out catalogs of different varieties to find those items they don't already have that will add a special touch to the decor.
Designing a personal oasis can be as big or small a project as the designer prefers. Whether the space is the corner of a dresser or a renovated garage, the most important point is to ensure the space is inspiring, achieves it's purpose, and reflects the designers personal taste.
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