Designing A Introvert Friendly Home
I’m one of those people who loves watching HGTV, shows like Property Brothers, Fixer Upper, and the lottery dream home things. It is fun to see people who are able to DIY their dream home and have to be frugal about it, or even those who are able to find their dream home without renovating it at all. It’s part of the strange American dream of having a home. For me personally, it’s all about having your own space.
One thing I can’t relate to at all, is when people talk about renovating things for all the guests they will have over and all the entertaining they will do. That is not me at all. I don’t entertain and I don’t want people over to my house. I find it strange when parts of your house are made for people who don’t even live there. I definitely don’t want to have a master bathroom as my only oasis. I want enough space for whoever is in my house on a regular basis to be comfortable.
Part of this is being an introvert, and the other part is because I don’t want to have to do that extra cleaning for guests, as it is more than regular cleaning. I’m too lazy to do that level of cleaning very often. I have also seen how people can disrespect other people’s homes without concern for them.
I wanted to share some ideas for those of us who don’t want to entertain, and who want their own refuge and quiet at home. I want to show you how to design an environment for someone who is introverted, who wants less entertainment, or to simply make your home friendly for yourself and not always everyone else. There are two different categories for this based on different ways that people have to live in life.
The first category is when you don’t have a choice. This may be because you are too young to buy your own place, you live with your parents, or you’re in college and have roommates. This is when you have to work with what you have. Try to:
Do things that are damage-free.
Put a lock on your door if you only have one room to yourself and can do so.
Have your things in lock boxes so they are harder to go through.
Clean your space so that it smells how you want it to.
Open the windows or light a candle.
Use curtains that fit your tastes and keep the light out.
Hang things up on the wall to muffle sounds.
Have a to-go bag ready for when you need to leave for a little while.
The second category is when you are lucky enough to choose where you live and have more freedom, whether that be an apartment, a condo, a place with a friend or significant other, or a place on your own.
Check the neighborhood for what is around, foot traffic, noise level, and safety.
Think about how easy the area is to access for people who just want to “stop by” all the time.
See how much parking there is. If you want to discourage visitors, you may want a place that has limited parking.
Decorate your environment to surround yourself with things you like.
These are the different things introverts and others need to think about to make our environments work for us, and not other people. It makes things more comfortable for us when we have our own space, which then makes us better friends and family members to those around us.
