The global trend forecasting company WGSN predicts homestyles for 2025, one of which is living intentionally.
…We are stepping into an age of living intentionally, where consumer decisions and actions will be made with a greater sense of purpose.
This is a relatively recent and hugely consequential change – worrying about plastic packaging or air travel emissions might have been considered fringe concerns 40 years ago, but now they are mainstream sentiments. As climates become more erratic and extreme, and as access to food, fuel and water becomes less certain, intentional living will be an important strategy for
consumers to survive, thrive and gain a sense of control amid uncertainty, rooted in the conviction that many small actions have the collective power to make a difference.
Just look at how you choose the products you bring into your home—the food that you feed your family, the cosmetics and skin care products you use on your body, the clothes you wear. Then there is the pull of eco-travel, buying local, avoiding the use of plastic, walking when the destination is not so far away, biking instead of taking the car, choosing plants for your garden that require less water, turning away from trendy to embracing classic, going vintage or retro to give a new lease of life to objects, car pooling, coliving or cohousing, coworking…
Maybe if you give it some thought, you will realize that there are things that you do now that you didn’t do a couple of years ago. Many believe that the pandemic changed the way we think about how we should live our lives. Perhaps we are now more in touch with our core values, to live a life of meaning and purpose.
There had been years of mindless consumption, of being part of a throwaway society, of not caring for the environment. But there is a rising tide of awareness that we should live intentionally, and that we are in this together. There’s no you and me to this survival, only an us.
How Do You Live Intentionally
When we talk about homes, there are many things that we can do to be more caring about ourselves, the people we love, our communities, and the environment.
1. Take care of your health
Whether that be mental, emotional, or physical health, treat yourself with love. Go to bed early enough that you get your 8 hours of sleep a day. Don’t bring your gadgets into the bedroom. Eat healthy food and avoid processed ones even though it is much easier and faster to prepare those. Be grateful for the day. Exercise.
If you want some affirmations, click on this link. Share those that resonate with you.
2. Choose a restful color palette
Paint the exteriors and interiors of your home with a neutral palette. Interior designers are no longer going for the cool grays that were so beloved for so many years. Now they are embracing the warmer neutrals like taupe, beige, and greige. Check this link and find a neutral palette that appeals to you.
One sure way of making your home look restful and elegant is to choose a paint palette with similar tones. Add textures for interest and to dial up the coziness factor. Click on the image above to see some beautiful rooms with light neutral colors.
The reason for choosing a neutral color palette for your home is to help you get into a relaxed state. There is so much noise in the world today. You deserve to step into a home that calms and soothes you. Light, warm neutrals can help bring you that frame of mind.
3. Your kind of beautiful
Just like fast fashion and fast food, following home trends is not healthy. Please remember that the only people who can define what home means to you are you and your family. This is why we keep saying in this blog that the choice of paint colors cannot be given to someone else.
Maximalism may be the flavor of the month but if this doesn’t appeal to you, then don’t consider it. Some interior designers are now saying that it is time to retire the mid-century style. However, if the designs of Charles and Ray Eames, Milo Baughman, or Verner Panton make your heart beat faster, then don’t let anyone stop you.
As for me, I’ve always loved the home accessories made by local artisans and the architectural features of our living spaces. At the moment, I seem to be on trend with the Filipino hipstoric home. But being comfortable trumps being trendy for me. I’m sure the day will come when I will be out of style again.
The secret to living intentionally is to know yourself very well, and being aware of how your actions affect the world.
4. Engage with your tribe
We are a social species and we need satisfying social relationships in order to thrive. I think during the lockdowns, some of us experienced a deterioration in physical and mental health due to the lack of social contact.
In 2019, I wrote about cohousing where people make and live in a home with friends or (multi-generational) family members.
More and more people are opting to have this type of living arrangements. It’s not only for pragmatic reasons but for emotional and spiritual reasons as well.
If you need your privacy, then carve a space for yourself in your communal home which can become your special place for rejuvenation.
5. Make your home energy resilient
Read this post by clicking on the image on how you can make your home energy resilient.
Think of how you can reduce your carbon footprint when you build your home. Even now, with an existing one, there are ways by which you can retrofit your home to be kinder to the environment.
From inverter appliances to paint that brings down the temperature in your home like Boysen Cool Shades, you don’t have to wait until such time that you will build a new home before you can be an eco warrior.
There you go, 5 ways to help you live intentionally. If a meaningful and purposeful life appeals to you, you can start now.
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