Ever wish you could just get away from it all? From email, from deadlines, from chain emails with deadlines… Us too! In fact, it seems like we could use a mini-vacation just about every day. But those nagging responsible-adult obligations always manage to stop us from completely checking out and shipping off to a tropical isle. So we’ve decided if we can’t go to the vacation, we’ll bring the vacation to us: We’ve taken our favorite place in the house and turned part of it into a mini-oasis where we can escape and reset whenever we wish.

Now don’t laugh, but our favorite place in the house is the dining room. It’s always full of light, it’s usually very quiet, and it could definitely get a lot more use than the occasional meal eaten at the table. So we picked a corner near the window and staked our claim. We grabbed a few floor cushions from the closet – the ones that never made it to the living room after our last move – and arranged them together to form the restful focal point of our sanctuary. One day, we may upgrade and add a chaise lounge or a dark cushy chair to that corner, but for now our cushions are reasonably priced (free!) and work just as well at giving us a place to sit and unwind.

To make our oasis a one-stop destination, we made sure that everything we needed to unplug was right within reach. We took an old two-level nightstand and filled the shelves with books we’ve been meaning to read, an iPod, a soothing eye mask, and even our favorite mug and packages of tea. By the time we were done pulling our oasis together, we were calling it our “home-away-from-home-at-home”!

Inspired, but not sure the dining room is your favorite place to chill? Don’t worry. Turn any unused corner into your own private destination – all you need is a place to sit (yoga mat, papisan cushion, beanbag chair…), some things you find relaxing (candles? a plant? a book?), and enough space to arrange them. Now go relax! Not forwarding that chain email won’t ruin your life, we promise.