21 Oct Jared and Lindsay Spice Up Their Love Nest! (VIDEO)
By Lifebook Members Jared and Lindsay Yellin
Your home is a direct reflection of your ability to succeed in all categories.
Okay, we know this is bold, but this is our belief and our reality.
We have always lived in wonderful places, but we never took the time to look at our home as a sanctuary that focuses on serenity, passion, love, and excitement.
We never really thought about bringing in all five senses and we never even considered spending as much time as we did going through this extremely intimate experience.
But now that we are on the other side of building our ideal sanctuary, we wanted to introduce you to the blueprint we created which will work with any size budget.
Watch the video below to see how we did it, and follow the steps outlined beneath it to create your own “Sanctuary Blueprint!”
Jared & Lindsay Spice up Their Love Nest from Lifebook on Vimeo.
10 Steps to our Home Sanctuary:
Step 1: The key is to begin the visualization process.
You know the quote, “Start with the end in mind,” but DON’T GET STUCK THERE!
Like anything in life, if we spend too much time visualizing, and too little time acting, nothing will manifest.
So whether you are in a relationship, married, or single, create the space in your life to begin thinking about what you consider to be IDEAL when it comes to the sanctuary.
Here are some questions to consider:
1.) What words would you like to associate with your sanctuary?
2.) If someone came to visit, what would be one sentence that they would use to capture their experience?
3.) What do you anticipate will happen once you finish building your sanctuary?
4.) What emotions do you want to create within your sanctuary?
We used the Internet to get some ideas and used the following keywords:
- Modern Home Design
- Zen Home Design
- Intimate Home Design
- Engage all 5 senses in your home
- Building a sanctuary
We have also been blessed with having a wonderful friendship with Jon and Missy so we had the chance to spend some time in their sanctuary which is extremely inspiring and gave us some ideas.
Step 2: Don’t just visualize, document your ideas!
Okay, now that your vision for the sanctuary is tangible (in your mind at least) begin documenting the actual pieces to the puzzle. For us, we have the following:
- Abstract art
- Plants (TONS OF PLANTS actually)
- Fountains
- Fire
- Incenses
- Sculptures
- Modern Furniture
- Amber Lights
- Nature
Remember, there is no right or wrong there is only right for you. But it is really important that you make a list and begin to determine the number of each item you need to make your sanctuary a reality.
Step 3: Try to bring in all 5 senses
We promised not to “tell you what to do,” but we are going to HIGHLY recommend this step for all…
ENGAGE ALL 5 SENSES!
Sight
We have tons of modern, abstract, and unique pieces of artwork and items throughout the entire sanctuary, plus AMBER lights which create a really romantic environment. Did we mention FIRE is always a great addition!
Taste
Everyone is greeted with a big glass of red or white wine because our goal is to break their pattern and get them to relax.
Smell
Beware of the incenses, these are game changers!
Hear
You will immediately hear running water, sounds of nature, and a big welcome!
Touch
Oh yes, we hug everyone when they walk in!
Spend some time and think about what this means to you, but when you engage all 5 senses you will create an experience that people will never forget…especially yourself.
Step 4: Set a deadline, and take yourself seriously
Have you ever started a project, did NOT set a deadline, and years later you realized that it is still left undone????
Okay, this is something that all of us have done and if you are on a quest to create a sanctuary, it is ESSENTIAL to set a deadline, preferably one that involves guests.
For us, we had about 50 people coming over for a party where we were celebrating Lindsay’s graduation from graduate school (she is officially an occupational therapist) and we HAD to finish this project before it was GO TIME.
So we set a deadline, reversed engineered the process, scheduled the necessary time to complete each task, and took this very seriously (but it was soooo much fun!).
Keep in mind, we are both extremely busy people so the only way this would get done is if we stuck to our schedule and we nailed it!
You should have seen the faces of our guests when they walked into the sanctuary.
All we can say is…SENSORY OVERLOAD…mission accomplished!
Step 5: Search, Search and Search some more!
At this point you probably have a list of items that you want for your sanctuary so it is time to initiate the hunt. Google will become your best friend and this is an important step because your vision will begin to take form as you locate items that meet your needs.
This is also the step where people might get discouraged because you are unable to find what you want OR what you find is inaccessible (budget, geographic, space constraints, etc.).
Well, you must not give up because now that you have a vision, we need to ask you an important question…
HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT IT?
And if the answer is badly, which we know it is, then get creative with your searches.
We found fountains that were thousands of dollars and then we got creative and found very similar versions for hundreds.
Access to options has never been easier…so SEARCH, SEARCH, and SEARCH some more!
Step 6: Set a budget
Yes, this is a step that you must consider so that you are not left with a half-finished sanctuary and a depleted budget. Whether you have $500, or $5,000, or $50,000, or $500,000 to spend you can achieve your goal of building a sanctuary, but you must know the budget so that this experience is FUN and there is ZERO stress.
This might seem obvious, but this is a MUST!
Step 7: Start shopping and don’t be afraid to return (so save receipts)
When we began the shopping process we ordered from many online retailers, spent a ton of time at Home Goods, Pier 1, Various Furniture Stores, Home Depot, plant nurseries, and even random stores in the mall and then we returned almost everything.
We mean it!
We would not compromise our vision and when we purchased items, placed them where we thought they would go, realized that they were not right, it was back to the drawing board.
Don’t be afraid to PURCHASE (check the return policy) even if you are not 100% certain and if the item does not fit, just get your $$ back!
Step 8: Make the experience stress free and fun
We had so much fun during this entire experience.
We mean it…there are so many stories that evolved and the number of belly laughs is impossible to count.
You do not want to compromise your love relationship to build a sanctuary and you can definitely have it all.
If you did not watch the video above, please do so, because we really focused on this step.
Step 9: Begin assembling
Okay, now you are getting close and it is time to begin assembling, moving pieces around, hanging up pictures, adding plants, filling your fountains and anything else that is needed.
The assembly is such a rewarding piece because this truly represents the manifestation of your vision.
We both will never forget looking at one another from across the room when everything started coming together and just smiling.
That is exactly the feeling you should experience!
Step 10: Enjoy, share, and celebrate!
Remember, we told you to set a deadline that involves showcasing all of your hard (and fun) work, but we want to explain why….
Your sanctuary is ALL ABOUT YOU (and your lover), but most people will not invest time and money in themselves unless there is a major motivation associated with the action.
Therefore, by having an UNVEILING this becomes your motivation AND you have the opportunity to provide people with an experience that they have probably never encountered before.
Therefore, ENJOY, SHARE, and YES…CELEBRATE!
It is an honor to share our Sanctuary Blueprint with you and we hope that you are inspired to create your own. Please feel free to comment below and we will happily answer any questions.
And remember…
Your home is a direct reflection of your ability to succeed in all categories.
Delivered with a ton of love…
Lindsay and Jared