The ultimate guide to staying in

(Updated 23/7/2020)

Flashback to 2019.

Many people were either afraid of spending too much time alone (because boredom was scary), or else they were afraid to decline invites (because of what they might miss out on).

Things have changed in the last six months, as we're sure you might have noticed. The epidemic of 'yes' that we'd been struggling through for years met an abrupt roadblock in the form of Covid-19.

Let's be clear: the ongoing global pandemic is nothing to be flippant about, and it's disrupted the lives and livelihoods of so many of us all over the world.

Extended national lockdowns have forced entire countries to pause their lives and come to terms with the new normal.

Life in the new normal means making new priorities

Up until now, people everywhere were saying ‘yes’ to everything that pops up in their lives.

Some would argue that the rise of mobile devices caused this, but whatever the reason, it was leading to rising stress, overwork, burnout, and the dreaded FOMO (fear of missing out).

Now, though, with mobility curtailed and social contact restricted, a book by Danish philosopher Svend Brinkmann is helping us out more than we ever thought it could.

That book is, of course, The Joy of Missing Out: The Art of Self-Restraint in an Age of Excess.

Yes, you read that right: the joy of missing out. This is the third in a trilogy of books Brinkmann has written on the topic and we think every home needs a copy in these times.

If 2020 is the year we stay inside our homes, we might as well embrace it - Brinkmann has some very useful ideas around this and in addition to those, we have some of our own.

It might be hard to find the silver lining in being forced to stay home during the biggest global disruption in a century, but it's there, we promise.

The ultimate guide to staying home begins with making your home a place you love to be in.

Here are some suggestions.

Tip 1: Get in touch with your sense of touch

Did you know that bad moods make us more sensitive to touch? This could be why children and adults alike gravitate to softer textures when they're feeling negative - fluffy teddy bears, comfortable duvets, cosy socks.

How to translate this into your home:

• Layering textures can add depth to a room visually, but with an added tactile dimension.
• By ‘texture’, we mean faux fur rugs, lavish velvet upholstery, chunky knit fabrics and, above all, softness.
• Softer lighting can help too!

Tip 2: Explore what you seriously love about staying in

Design your interiors with a deliberate focus on you-time. It sounds like a no-brainer, but the enforced home-time is making people everywhere reckon with how they've been decorating their homes.

Let's move the focus to you, then. Ask yourself:

What do you love about your home? Look at textures, colours, lighting. Your children, your partner, your pet, your plants - all of these play a part too!

Do you prefer a creative mess or are you more a 'clean of clutter' kind of person? Bring the elements of what you love about your home to take centre stage. Ditch the rest.

How can you work with the interiors you have? Let's face it, not many of us have the time, inclination or budget to go renovating our homes right now, no matter whether we actually own them or are renting. If you want to rearrange rooms, can you?

Tip 3: Sensory relaxation is the surprise 2020 trend in home decor

How can you make staying in more calming, stimulating or even desirable?
Some people decided (even before Corona) that they never had to go outside ever again.

We're not suggesting that.

Fresh air, exercise and social connection (even via video it still counts) are really important in so many ways. Just because we're to keep physically distant doesn't mean we can't at least like it.

However, there are ways to create a ~mood~ to get you through this time and here they are in no uncertain order:

1. Diffusing your lighting is easy with fairy lights, or even just by using candles if you don’t have fairy lights. We found that candlelight is not only incredibly relaxing; it made us all 80% better-looking instantly! Bonus!
2. Smells and tastes are shortcuts to different moods. We invested in a non-expensive essential oil diffuser with a range of little bottles of oils to choose from. The power of scent is supposed to evoke different moods or states of mind, but lavender is a nice smell regardless of whether you adhere to that or not.
3. We're avid fans of tea here at FibreGuard HQ, but it's not for everyone. What tastes do you love? How can you incorporate them into your home environment? We realise that this is a bit of a fraught question, given that corona kilos are a thing, but let's just go with it.

Tip 4: Create the space you need at home to get the best out of every day

What gets you going in the morning? Coffee? Walking the dog? Happy tunes? Whatever it is, do it.

1. We recommend taking some time out in the morning while curled up on an armchair (upholstered with FibreGuard fabric, obviously) with a meditation app or podcast.
2. Opt for natural, organic colours and textures like wood and wool-feel fabrics (remember what we said about texture earlier)
3. Throw open the windows and curtains to let the natural light and air in
4. You can bring the outside indoors through plants and greenery - your mental and emotional health will thank you

Embracing the joy of staying home

You have our permission to use this blog post as a reference the next time you’re feeling frazzled or a bit overwhelmed.

Never be afraid to take a step back and say no to those invites, notifications, emails and reminders, no matter how pressing they might feel.

Follow us on Instagram for all the décor inspiration and ideas you need to enjoy missing out.