Your home is your safe haven, or at least it should be. If you find conditions that negatively impact your lifestyle, it’s a good idea to identify the culprits. Then take proactive steps to eliminate, or at least, lessen them. For instance, you can lower excess noise and make other aesthetic changes to upgrade your comfort levels. Here are seven changes you can make to help design a home sanctuary that works for you.

Related: Cost-Effective Home Upgrades that Deliver Lasting Value

Add New Window Treatments

Featuring our WinGuard® Vinyl Picture Window PW5520 and Casement Window CA5540

Adding new window treatments could serve two purposes. It can add style and beauty, but also serve the practical purpose of blocking unwanted sounds. For instance, if you’ve got night owl neighbors, morning dog barking next door, DIYers using power tools, or round-the-clock traffic, chances are it’s disruptive. While window treatments alone won’t necessarily make your home soundproof, they can go a long way towards reducing and absorbing undesirable noises.

Combine this with the multitude of style options you can choose from. Select a hue and pattern that brings out feelings of tranquility. Determine how much light you want to allow to enter. Imagine splashes of light streaming across your rooms as the sun rises and sets or, alternately, being easily able to darken a room. The treatments you hang or mount on your windows can effectively help set the mood you want.

Install Soundproofing Materials

As the old saying goes, “silence is golden.” If you’re looking for some peace and quiet to help build your sanctuary, try installing soundproofing materials. You’ll find different products on the market—you should be able to find something that fits your needs, budget, and style. What you should buy will depend upon the level of sound you want to stifle. Acoustic products fall into different categories.

• Sound absorbing
• Sound insulation
• Sound dampening
• Decoupling

Materials to research before installing can include but aren’t limited to, acoustic foam, sound insulation, acoustic panels/boards, acoustic fabrics, acoustic coatings, floor underlayment, and architectural soundproofing. You’ll find different types of products are available to consider as options.

Include Rugs and Wall Coverings

Rugs and wall covering options are solutions that are less costly and not permanent. Depending upon the level of noise you’re trying to muffle, including these in your décor might serve as enough of a barrier to solve your issue and bring sounds back down to a comfortable level. Plus, you can use rugs and wall coverings to set a style and mood that gives you joy. For instance, the rug you install can make a room look open and airy or tight and intimate. The same goes for wall coverings.

Additionally, studies have long suggested color and mood are tightly interwoven. Choose floor and wall coverings that reflect the mood you want to convey.

• Reds offer stimulating feelings of warmth and comfort.
• Yellows are associated with happiness and positivity.
• Greens are linked to emitting feelings of calmness and soothing.
• Blues offer tranquil and calming effects.
• Oranges stimulate confidence and warmth.
• Purples emit feelings of calmness and inspiration.

Choose colors for your rooms to help create the feeling you want to experience when moving throughout your house. This will help you cultivate your sanctuary.

Install Impact Windows and Doors

Featuring our WinGuard® Aluminum Preferred Sliding Glass Door SGD770

Impact windows and impact doors provide the important benefit of protecting your family from hurricane-force winds and shattered glass from debris. However, did you know they can also help you create the oasis you seek? Consider the following.

• Energy-efficient to help you maintain a comfortable temperature.
• Provide protection from harmful UV rays during the hottest times of the year.
• Provide a sound barrier to offer people more tranquility from disturbing noises from outside their homes.

Since impact-resistant windows and doors come in a variety of styles and shapes, including french doors, you can truly customize your home to boost aesthetics and add in practical features. Essentially, you can choose impact windows and doors that complement the rest of the design factors in your home.

Related: Benefits of Vinyl and Aluminum for Your New Windows & Doors

Declutter Your Space

Marie Kondo has gained worldwide fame with her decluttering strategies. Her strategy is based upon the phrase “spark joy” when it comes to the physical things in our homes. This doesn’t mean you need to throw everything out. What Kondo emphasizes is to “learn how to cherish each thing in your life.” If you think about it, that makes more sense than the minimalist approach. Surrounding yourself with things you love that give you comfort—and getting rid of those things you don’t—directly contributes to creating an environment you want to spend time in.

Add Soothing Greenery

Going back to color psychology, greenery evokes feelings of calmness. Don’t underestimate the power of plants. Many people spend time hiking or walking in nature when they want to de-stress. Why not bring some calming natural elements into your home? Adding soothing plants throughout your home can help you to create the sanctuary you want. Plants also help eliminate toxins and are a continuous source of oxygen.

Related: 7 Upgrades to Enhance Your Remote Work Lifestyle

Integrate Amazing Scents

Aromatherapy is a holistic practice that has been used for centuries. People over generations have used scents to strengthen their physical, spiritual, and psychological well-being, along with using them to promote healing. Integrating pleasant aromas in the various rooms of your house can bring a feeling of calmness and peace.

Incense can create a nice and calming scent. For some people, these might be too strong or they prefer not to burn. If you’re looking for something a bit more subtle, invest in a diffuser with a shut-off feature and disperse soothing essential oils. Alternatively, you can use scented candles. However, these can be a fire hazard if forgotten or left unattended. Wax melts generally bring the same result as candles. Look for a wax melt device that has a timer. This way you don’t accidentally leave it on when going to bed or leaving your home.

As you can see, there are numerous ways you can boost the interior appeal of your home and integrate noise reduction. Investing in these features goes a long way toward creating the sanctuary you desire. Try a combination of strategies to create the type of aesthetic home you desire.