How to transform your spare bedroom into a wellness room

Everyday life is hectic and can become overwhelming if you don't take a break from the chaos every now and then.  

But, trying to take a break can often become an effort in itself - from the hassles of booking a spa day months in advance, to signing up to the gym. Instead, refreshing your space and creating your own at-home wellness room means you can relax in the peace of your own home.  

In this blog, our artificial plant expert, Sarah, offers her advice on the best plants for your wellness room, which for many years, have been shown to improve mental wellbeing, by appealing to our five senses. Meanwhile, Annabel, our interior design expert has some top tips on how best to decorate your wellness space to invoke peace and tranquillity. 

How to transform your spare bedroom into a wellness room

1. Types of wellness rooms

2. What are the benefits of a wellness room?

3. How to turn a room into a meditation room?

4. Our top plant picks

5. Alternative wellness spaces

Types of wellness rooms

Meditation or wellness rooms can be broken down into many categories, however, to keep things simple, we will be looking at the main four types of wellness spaces you may consider integrating into your home.  

Home gym

With fitness and physical activity trending on social media, home gyms have become increasingly popular over the years, spiking in 2020 and up 61,000 searches in January 2025 when compared to January 2019. 

Home gyms are the perfect wind-down space for those who prefer an active lifestyle, particularly if you want to steer clear of the January rush while avoiding the January blues!  

Whether you're into yoga, pilates, weight training or cardio, a home gym can be a great place to better your physical health as well as your mental health by improving focus, resilience and self-esteem. 

Garages and large sheds are popular spaces for installing at-home gyms because they're big, often unused, spaces which are separate from the rest of the home and have concrete flooring.

Sturdy flooring and noise from equipment are important factors to consider, especially if you want your home gym to facilitate weightlifting areas. Putting your home gym in a garage or larger external space means these factors are no longer a concern.  

If a larger gym space isn't for you, you can also create a small gym or yoga studio in a spare bedroom. Small gyms typically mostly comprise of open floorspace and minimal equipment, such as dumbbells, resistance bands, and a yoga mat.  

Having an at-home gym, means you can personalise your workout routine and fit the gym around your lifestyle. 

Spa room

For many, a spa day is the perfect remedy to combat stress and detox from life's worries and woes. Unfortunately, the wonders of a spa day are often short-lived due of the huge price tag attached at the end of them!  

Whether you choose to create a luxury spa experience from the comfort of your home, or simply upgrade a pre-existing bathroom, an at-home spa is sure to evaporate your stresses away.  

Simple upgrades, such as adding a towel warmer to your bathroom, can instantly create a spa-like, luxury feeling to your home.  

Spa rooms are one of the more luxury wellness rooms you can integrate into your home, but that doesn't mean a spa room is unachievable to those working on a budget!

Soundproof room

Sometimes we all wish we could just switch off from the world around us, and a soundproof room may just be the way to achieve this.  

Having a quiet space in your home can help to inspire creativity, focus, and promote a positive mindset. 

Soundproofing materials often feature a uniformed, 3D geometric pattern, which could be stylishly featured along a wall or walls in your quiet space.  

Having other soft furnishings, such as bean bag chairs, transform your quiet room into a space for relaxation and meditation. Alternatively, if you wish to create a quiet space to boost productivity, you may wish to include a desk for work or hobbies. 

This rather new phenomenon of wellness is perfect for those with a busy and noisy lifestyle. 

Chill corner

If you're looking for some meditation room ideas on a budget, then a chill corner or snug may be the wellness space for you.  

Snugs and chill corners are spaces of comfort and relaxation. A snug is typically fitted into the smallest room of the house and comprises of a long sofa or built-in bench, a small side table, and a shelf or bookcase which houses puzzles, books and board games. Snugs are also ideal for family homes, as they can act as a secondary, smaller living room if you choose to include a TV within the space.  

A chill corner is very similar to a snug, however it fits into the corner of any room - making it perfect for those who have smaller homes. Unlike a snug, a chill corner offers a wider variety of seating choices (such as built-in benches, armchairs or ottomans) depending on the placement and purpose you want the space to fulfil.  

A chill corner used for meditation may include some plants, a yoga mat or woven rug, and an ottoman, whereas a chill corner used for reading or relaxing may be fitted under the stairs and comprise of a built-in bench and bookshelves.  

Many popular snugs and chill corners adopt the Japandi interior style, which offers a calming aesthetic with lots of light and natural materials. 

What are the benefits of a wellness room?

Spaces designed for relaxation and meditation have been proven to have positive effects on your mental health, ranging from reduced anxiety and stress levels to increased productivity and self-esteem.  

Increased positivity

Whether your goal is to relax more or improve on your fitness, creating an engaging wellness room in your home can benefit your mental health by increasing positivity through focus, motivation and productivity.  

Reduced anxiety

Creating a private space for mindfulness, helps to reduce anxiety by providing a safe space to decompress and recharge.  

Sometimes public wellness spaces can feel overwhelming and anxiety-inducing, creating a negative impact on your mental health. Removing the outside distractions that come from public meditation and fitness spaces can reduce anxiety by allowing you to focus on you!  

Having your own private wellness space also means you can customise your environment to be soothing and stress-reducing by using calming colours, tones, textures and plants! 

Personalisation

Opting to create your own bespoke mindfulness room, means you can build a space to suit all your niche wants and needs.  

You have the freedom to customise the colours and layout of your wellness space to best suit your workout or productivity flow.  

How to turn a room into a meditation room?

Firstly, consider the empty space you're working with... Does the room feature good natural lighting? What colours are in the room? What tone would you like the room to have?

Bring the outdoors in 

Enhance the feeling of relaxation by introducing some leafy friends to your meditation room. It could be a couple of plants to warm up the empty corners of your space, or you could try creating a jungle-like feeling by hanging some trailing plants, adding a couple of floor plants, and styling shelves and tables with a few Feng shui approved houseplants. 

The mindfulness benefits of plants 

Adding plants (real or faux) to your meditation room, will make your space feel fresh and inviting. But plants are also proven to have positive effects on our mental health and wellbeing. 

Along with reducing stress and anxiety, keeping a few houseplants in your meditation room can enhance your state of mind and improve your health - boosting creativity, lowing blood pressure and reducing pain and physical discomfort. 

Connecting with nature 

Professor Bjorn Grinde from the University of Oslo states that “the absence of nature is a potential discord” in a 2009 study run by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.  

Meanwhile nature and the colour green is shown to calm the mind, fulfilling our natural instincts to be out in nature, which is why biophilic design has been adopted across workplaces and homes across the world. 

Introducing green elements to your space can really help to promote a sense of relaxation in your wellness room.  

What are the best plants for a meditation room? 

Consider adding a lavender plant to your meditation room. Renowned for calming anxiety and reducing stress with their relaxing scent, Lavender is also great for feng shui where it represents health and promotes wealth and prosperity. 

Jasmine and aloe vera are also said to ward off negative energy and attract good fortune!

Colour & lighting 

What is the most calming colour for a room?

Earth tones, such as beiges, greens and creams, are calming colours, commonly associated with nature and balance. Pale blues and whites are also calming tones, symbolic of purity and a fresh start. 

To understand colours and tones further, see our guide below:

Pantone colour of the year

A symbol of connection & comfort, Pantone's colour of the year is '17-1230 Mocha Mousse', a warm, rich brown. The colour itself is similar to comfort drinks, like hot chocolate or coffee, embodying a sense of security and safety - this makes it perfect colour for a mindfulness room or wellness space.  

Want to learn more about colour symbolism? Discover our 'The meaning and psychology of flower colours' blog, where we take a deep-dive into how colour and flower type combine to create unique meanings!

Types of lighting

As well as colour, it’s important to consider the lighting you have in your space and the effect it can have on your room.  

If you’re looking to create a bright and breezy meditation room, but your space doesn't have much natural lighting, you may choose to use an array of different lights to help open up your space. It’s also important to consider that certain colours, such as whites, pale colours and creams can reflect light better than others.  

Warm white vs. cool white lighting

Warm white lighting creates a soft, cosy, safe feeling and is traditionally the lighting type used in relaxation and meditation spaces, whereas cool white lighting appears much brighter and is good for more productive, energetic spaces, like home gyms or focus spaces.  

Similarly to the effects of warm and cool lighting, the type of lighting you use can impact the tone of your space.  

Bright ceiling lights create a sense of openness and high energy, making this lighting style perfect for spaces of productivity, while lamps and candles create a snug, sleepy tone.  

Lamps, such as Himalayan salt lamps, have been used in spas and wellness spaces for many years because of their ambient lighting as well as the health benefits of Himalayan salt.  

Aromatherapy candles are also a great option for meditation spaces because they offer both ambient lighting and rich scents.  

Adding furnishings

Whether you're looking for meditation room ideas on a budget or you're looking to create a home wellness space worthy of its own magazine article, no mindfulness space can be complete without some soft furnishings to tie it all together.

Posters and artwork

Posters and artwork can be a beautiful addition to your wellness space and are great for those working with a budget. Slogan posters, like 'you can do this', are ideal for home gyms and productive spaces as they’re both motivational and inspirational.  

Neutral abstract artwork, or scenic landscape posters can be a great addition to any wellness space. This style of artwork is most fitting for an at-home yoga studio, spa or quiet corner.  

Seating

If you’re designing a cosy corner, soundproof room, snug or chill-out space, then it’s important to offer a variety of different comfortable seating options.  

Barrel chairs, papasan chairs, sofas and floor pillows create a comfortable, safe and cosy feeling. 

Alternatively, if your space is designed for a more practical or purposeful use, a simple ottoman or stylish bean bag can be a great seating option, without taking up too much space. 

Space-saving solutions

Whether you're designing a small at-home gym or cosy corner, it’s important to think about storage!  

Space-saving solutions are crucial for meditation rooms that need lots of open floor space including at-home gyms, dojos or yoga studios. For these rooms, we recommend utilising wall space!  

An easy way to make the most of your wall space is to add equipment holders to your walls. These are quick and convenient for holding yoga mats, foam rollers, and other light equipment.

If you have slightly more room at your disposal, you could fit a sliding mirrored cabinet into your workout space. Similarly to a sliding mirror wardrobe, a sliding storage solution allows you to hide your equipment and enjoy the benefits of having a large mirror for your workouts.  

Our top plant picks for a home meditation room

Choosing the right houseplants can sometimes feel tricky, leaving you with more questions than answers... Will it suit my space? Will it eventually outgrow my space? Can I keep it alive?  

Whether your space lacks natural light, or you simply don't have the time to maintain a live plant, artificial plants may be the perfect solution for you, and they won’t put further stress on your plate with no watering or maintenance to keep up with. 

Here we take a deep dive into our top three houseplants for a wellness room, selected by our in-house faux plant expert, Sarah.  

Snake plant

The faux snake plant is a popular houseplant within the UK, notably characterised by its unique green patterned leaves and the fresh feeling it brings to any space. 

Snake plants are usually quite narrow, making them great for at-home gyms, dojos and yoga studios, as they take up very little floor space. They're also believed to transfer negative energy into positive energy and enhance mental clarity. 

In feng shui, snake plants encourage positive chi (movement of energy) in a space as well as protect the space from negativity and evil.

Rubber plant

Similarly to snake plants, rubber plants are narrow and full of large green leaves, making them a popular houseplant.  

Rubber plants are brilliant for promoting a calmer environment, reducing stress and adding some leafy colour, making them a great wind-down plant for cosy corners, quiet zones or zen spaces. 

Rubber plants are a symbol of abundance and have been shown to improve memory, cognitive function and evoke a sense of purpose.

Living Wall

Still want some greenery in your meditation room, but don't have much space? Our artificial living walls are here to help!  

Studies have shown that people who are in the presence of greenery have reduced blood pressure and stress levels. This is because natural elements, such as living walls, create a soothing and calming atmosphere, encouraging a positive state-of-mind. 

Living wall mats can be a stylish way to soundproof your meditation space!

Alternative wellness spaces

Whether you're working on a budget, or simply don't have a spare room to transform, it's still possible for you to make your space a happy place.  

Multi-purpose spaces

Try transforming a corner or blank wall into your wellness space!  

Living rooms are easy to transform into multifunctional wellness spaces because of the soft furnishings they already have. Simply add a few floor pillows or a chair to a corner of your room alongside some ambient lighting and voila - your chill corner is ready!  

Outdoor relaxation areas

Whatever the size of your outdoor space, we have some relaxing room ideas you can try!  

Whether you have a large garden, or a small balcony, an outdoor snug can be a great space to be mindful and reconnect with nature. Fill your space with an abundance of outdoor greenery and soft outdoor furnishings, then sit back and feel the positive vibes. 

Alternatively, create a space where you can practise yoga by transforming your outdoor space into a wellness den. Simply add a natural woven mat, some exotic faux palms and a water feature! 

Need help with creating your wellness room? 

Transforming your spare bedroom into a wellness room offers a host of benefits from reducing daily stress to encouraging creativity and overall offering a space for you to get away from it all in the comfort of your own home. 

Faux plants can play an important role in creating your wellness room, allowing you to add calming greenery that helps to reduce stress, without piling on to your to-do list with watering, fertilising and pruning. 

If you’re interested in more help with space transformations, DIY's and more, visit our our blog. Alternatively, get in touch with our team for more help.