32 ways to make your home a happier place

These ways to make your home a happier place will help you make your space a brighter, cleaner and more comfortable space to be in.

Whether you value cleanliness and minimalism, a maximalist and personality-filled style or just prioritise comfort and cosiness, there are so many easy ways to make your home a happier place - and most of them are pretty easy changes to make.

From thinking about lighting to coming up with smart ways to keep your space orderly, these tweaks will help you curate your ideal living space into somewhere you won’t ever want to leave…

32 ways to make your home a happier place

1. Use candles

We all love a candle in the winter weather, but using different candles can be a great way to brighten up your home all year round - and help it smell amazing at the same time. Go for a mixture of simple branded candles and bright patterned jars - and make sure you LOVE the scents.

2. Paint walls a bright or pastel colour

Help brighten up your space with the help of your favourite colours all over the walls. Pastels can be really calming and create a really aesthetically pleasing space, but bright colours are a great way to inject personality or express a maximalist style.

3. Decorate with plants

A splash of greenery makes any space happy. Not only is it a way to inject personality into a space, but it also improves the air that you breathe, making it a very welcome addition to any room. It’s also a great solution for outdoor lovers who want to make their indoor space a bit more comfortable.

4. Always have a vase of fresh flowers

Everyone loves a vase of fresh flowers to add a pop of brightness - or even just a pretty impression - to their room. Go for something colourful if you want to evoke a spring feel, or pick a more neutral flower, like lilies, or even a vase of green eucalyptus for a more minimalist look.

5. Opt for lamps

While overhead lighting can be useful at times, lamps are a really easy solution to creating a warm and homely atmosphere, because of their warm lighting. If you’re opting to light your room with just lamps though, you’ll need to layer your lighting to make sure it’s not too dark - think a mixture of table lamps, floor lamps and even spotlights where needed.

6. Hang prints on the walls

Hanging prints is a really fun, creative and clean way to inject your own likes and personality into your space and give you something to look at every day that will make you feel happy. There are so many websites that offer quick and easy print ideas - or if you’re feeling really creative you could even design your own.

7. Clean your windows

It’s a task that can be really easy to forget, but regularly cleaning your windows can help your home to be a much happier space. Not only will you be getting rid of any unsightly marks and dirt, but it will also probably make your home that much brighter.

8. Lay bright or patterned rugs

A wooden floor is an opportunity for decoration and creativity. Laying bright or patterned rugs is a fun way to add your own design to your home, without having to deal with the hassle of carpet laying. Plus, adding fabric to wooden flooring will also keep it a bit warmer in the colder months!

9. Set up smart storage solutions

An easy task, but one that will help your days flow so much easier and help you maintain a tidier and more comfortable space, setting up smart storage solutions throughout your house will help you prevent having any unwanted clutter laying around and will be fun to use.

10. Curate interesting bookshelves

Books are such a creative and happy space for those of us who love to read, so curate shelves that mean something to you - either with books that make you feel excited to get stuck into them or ones that have always meant something to you. Mix up the alphabetical order and organise them by design instead for a fun experience that leaves a surprise on every shelf.

11. Display personal photos

Displaying personal photos is so important in any home, as it’s a way to remember some of your favourite times and most-loved people when you’re just going about your daily business. For some more personality, mix up your displays - a set of frames on a table, a wall arrangement or polaroids stuck on the fridge.

12. Keep your fridge organised

To make meal times easier and help keep your mind clear at what can be quite a stressful and fast-paced time of the day, keep your fridge organised by type of food to make it easier to navigate. It will also make it a lot nicer to look at and probably help you stay on top of expiration dates and what you have available to use.

13. Keep a diffuser in each room

We all love to have a nice, inviting scent around us, so have that throughout your whole home by using diffusers in every room. It’s also a chance to get creative with your designs - especially when you’re struggling to choose between a few options. Mix it up by using reed or electric diffusers, wax melts or incense burners so each room is unique.

14. Minimise clutter

Minimising clutter in general can be a really useful and practical way to make your home a happier place. Go into any room of your house, close your eyes and imagine what your ideal room would look like. Then when you open your eyes, get rid of anything that wasn’t in your vision (unless it’s a necessity you forgot about!).

15. Hang string lights

A fun way to play with lighting, hanging string lights around your home allows you to create an ambient space that can go from one mood to another. Layer this mode of lighting with lamps, spotlights or overhead lighting so that you can have something brighter when you need it.

16. Decorate with soft textures

It goes without saying that soft textures soften up a home. Whether it’s your living room, bedroom or even your dining area, use soft textures like cushions, throws, blankets and rugs to inject colour, personality and your own particular style and create a comfortable and inviting atmosphere.

17. Use cushions

Cushions always warm up a home, no matter whatever room they’re in. Pop some on the sofa to cosy up your sitting area or even use a few small scatter cushions in the living room just to brighten it up - or you can add a touch of luxury to your bedroom with a hotel-like look.

18. Display souvenir trinkets

Collecting souvenirs from holidays and important experiences is such a lovely way to remember some of your favourite times. Make a display of them or dot them around your home on bookshelves and the like to remind you of happy memories whenever they catch your eye.

19. Design with wooden accents

Wooden accents are known for creating a warm atmosphere in the home. Whether you go for a rustic look or something sleeker, the warming colours create comfort in the home and help the mind to feel closer to nature. Plus the patterns in the textures always create something interesting to look at.

20. Use nice shower gels & hand soaps

Treat yourself to a hotel experience when you use the bathroom by investing in a fancy hand soap or shower gel now and then. Save it for when you want to feel really indulgent or mix a small amount of expensive shower gel with something cheaper and non-scented to help it last longer.

21. Stick to a clean bedding schedule

Is there a feeling more comforting and indulgent than getting into your bed when it has freshly made sheets? Create a schedule for changing your bedding so that you don’t forget. And if it’s always done on the same day of the week, you’ll have something to look forward to during the mid-week slog.

22. Change up your door handles

Infuse some extra personality into your home by switching out the doorknobs around the house for something more to your taste. Whether it’s something bright and ceramic or a sleek brushed number, you’ll be reminded of your mark on the home whenever you walk past them.

23. Keep scent boosters in your bins

We all hate the smell of our bins, so getting rid of it as much as possible will always lead to a happier home. Use scent boosters in your bins to keep them fresh - pick a scent that you particularly like to make it an even fresher space. And make sure to give your bins a spritz in between changes.

24. Put scented liners in your drawers

Keep your space and belongings smelling bright and fresh by using scented liners in your drawers. Whether you want to give your clothes and bedroom that cotton fresh smell or freshen up your junk drawer, it’s a good way to give your home an effortless and subtle aroma.

25. Set up a wine rack

If you like to make sure your house is always stocked with wine (guilty), keep your bottles organised and out of the way with a wine rack. Whether you opt for an on-the-counter design, screw something in the wall or go for something built-in, it’s exciting to see your carefully chosen collection on display - and it makes it easier to choose from when you want to open something too.

26. Use patterned plates

Neutral plates are always aesthetic and simple to use, but opting for something can add a touch of brightness to your meal. Plus, if you choose a pattern you particularly love, find a way to keep it on display in your kitchen so you can get more enjoyment out of the design.

27. Display a cute welcome mat

A welcome mat is a cute and quirky way not only to welcome your guests to your house but to also welcome you home everytime you return. It’s also a cute and fun way to nod to a not-so-aesthetic passion you might not want hero on your walls.

28. Hang flower baskets outside

A simple touch but one that brightens up a home - both for those who use the home and those who are just passing by. Hanging baskets are of course more common in the summer, but there may be blooms that are comfortable being out in the winter too - or if not replace them with some high-quality false foliage come the colder months.

29. Use soft towels

An underrated but really luxurious touch to a home is soft towels. Make one investment that will keep for years to give yourself a little moment of happy indulgence every time you wash your hands or come out of the shower. Opt for a colour that will brighten up your day too.

30. Keep a room spray in each room

Keep your home smelling light and fresh by putting a spray in each room that can be spritzed around now and then. And have some fun with your scents by choosing different ones for each room. Something citrus might be nice for the kitchen while you might want a slightly softer, more comforting scent for the living room - and maybe a lavender spritz for your nightstand.

31. Set up cable tidies

A quick and easy fix but one that will make a world of difference - use cable tidies in any areas where you have a lot of wires set up to give your home a cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing look. Hide away cables behind your TV, kettle and any other electronic devices for a sleek, uncluttered look.

32. Keep your carpets clean

It might go without saying, but keeping your carpets is a really easy but important factor to having a happy home. Not only will it keep the bugs away and make them look a lot cleaner and tidier, but it will help the textures to stay softer and more comfortable for when you’re walking on them.