How to make your home the perfect retreat from life

Creating a positive atmosphere to make your home a comforting place is easy and fun. Here are some great ways to transform your house into a welcoming home.
Get cozy
During this chilly season, decorate with comfort in mind. Add throw pillows to sofas. Turn off overhead lamps and use soft lighting instead. Consider how texture and warmth can contribute to your comfortable decorating scheme.
Screen family flicks
From It’s a Wonderful Life to Home Alone, keep your favourite films playing all the time to create a memorable home atmosphere, or host a special movie night and select a few classics. With the right projector, you can turn any room of the house into a home theatre experience. Select a portable projector for your home that will sense ambient light in the room and automatically adjust the projection
accordingly.
Fire up the oven
There’s no better time of year to roll up your sleeves and knead out some dough. One of the best ways to create a cheerful atmosphere is with scent, and the aroma of baking cookies, cakes and other traditional desserts will do the trick. If you’re worried about having all those extra sweet treats around the house just after kicking off your New Year’s resolutions, consider volunteering to bring dessert to potluck and parties you attend this season or donating the product of your labours to a bake sale raising money for a charitable cause.
Make music
Get happy moods going in your home by making music. Now you can get the sound of a 9-foot concert grand piano with a portable digital piano, making it easy to gather round for a sing-a-long of all your favourite seasonal tunes.
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Add some flora
Decking the halls with your favourite seasonal plants adds colour and vitality to side tables, dining areas and staircases and more. Those with pets and small children should take heed, as certain plant species are toxic — so avoid these plants or be sure they are displayed well out of reach of curious children and animals. Preparing your home to make it a haven of comfort and tranquillity that everyone will appreciate takes a little thought and energy, but the end result is a cheerful and warm atmosphere to make memories while spending time with loved ones.