This morning I was sitting in my favourite place – my bathtub, reading about creating sacred spaces in our homes. While not every home has space for an ‘alter’ or meditative activities, I believe that every home can have a favourite place. A place for retreat or relaxation is necessary in every home as we retreat from our hectic pace.

Recently I embarked on a design project (of sorts) in the re-organizing and de-cluttering of our garage. Since moving to our new home in August our garage has become a dumping ground for all the extra bits of things we didn’t know what to do with. Being in a townhouse where the lawn is mowed and the sidewalks are shoveled, our lawn tools are just taking up space never to be used again. I was working on a Valentines gift for my sweetie when the garage idea came to mind – how nice for him to come home for his days off and not have to clean the garage.

So I set out working on his dream space, a guy’s retreat with organization, new shelves and a place for absolutely every tool and unused lawnmower. I installed a dartboard for some recreation and a shiny red radio tuned to his favourite station. A comfy bench – a place to enjoy a cigar with buddies is made more relaxing with red cushions attached to the wall. I had some extra patio furniture cushions (red, of course) that didn’t fit on any of my outdoor chairs so I decided to use them as backrests, they are so cute!

My fiancé came home and his eyes absolutely lit up when he saw the garage. The bar fridge was full of chilly beverages and he could not stop smiling as he sat on his bench with his back nestled against the bright red cushions. He grinned and grinned and said it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him. It may not have been the design to win awards but it made the space completely useable and personable to him and isn’t that what good design is all about?

Every home deserves a dream space, or a space to dream. Even adding a small side table to your favourite chair so you have someplace to put your tea can make a delightful difference in your down time. A comfortable place to journal with a great book and a pen that writes with ease will make the experience of journaling that much more fulfilling. Bright red cushions bolted to the wall as cute backrests are far better than just leaning against plain old drywall (just ask my fiancé). You can use the same technique with fabulous toss cushions used as a headboard and I think you sleep way better in a bed with a headboard.

Find that unused corner or a space that could use revamping and create a place of retreat in your home. You will be amazed at the amount of use a revitalized place will get and how refreshing that new space will be. I find myself going into the garage more often now and every time I turn on the light, I smile and throw a few darts at the board just for fun.

Kim Lewis is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre.