Decorating for Mental Well-being: A Beginner's Guide to Interior Design
With the average American spending up to 87% of their time indoors, there’s never been a more exciting time to practice wellness-focused interior design in your home. If you’re looking for some inspiration on refreshing your space for mindfulness, positivity or health, we can help to get you started. Here’s some useful tips on home aesthetics for happiness and well-being including everything from lighting and color psychology, to indoor plants and clutter free organization.
Let there be light.
The right lighting can have an uplifting effect on our psychological state and completely change the way we feel about a room.
When it comes to home design, it’s important to strike a balance between mood lighting and natural light sources – this will help your space transition throughout the day and night. While mood lights like lamps and LEDs can help us to relax and wind down, introducing more natural daylight into our home can:
Boost our mood and energy levels (especially during the winter months)
Help our internal body clock to find rhythm
Increase levels of vitamin D
Improve productivity.
If you’re lucky enough to have large windows or doors in your home, make sure that you use them to your advantage. Try drawing back (or removing) heavy drapes, fully opening the shades during the day, moving dark furniture away from windows/doors and decluttering window shelves and doorways.
Mirror, Mirror
Want to transform a small room with minimal natural light? Position a mirror (or two) to reflect the natural light coming in from a window or doorway. It will help the space to appear bigger and cast more brightness around the room.
Choosing the right colors
Color used in interior design has a powerful influence on our overall mood and wellness. As well as stimulating a space, various colors can transform our productivity, behaviour and focus for the better.
Different colors can also trigger emotional responses in us which is why it’s important to choose your palette carefully. If the thought of choosing a color scheme is overwhelming, it’s a good idea to consult an interior designer who can guide you through it while keeping to your personal preferences. Here’s some great tips when choosing color for boosting health and happiness in your space:
Neutrals
White, gray, black, brown and beige. These colors can enhance feelings of balance, stability, minimalism, formality and elegance. Ideal for home offices and bedrooms.
Active
Red, orange, yellow and pink. Active colors are stimulating and evoke excitement, passion, energy and optimism. Ideal for kitchens and kid’s bedrooms.
Passive
Green, blue and purple. Cool, grounding and calming, passive colors can help to focus and nurture the mind. Ideal for bedrooms and living rooms.
Bring nature indoors
Just like furniture, some well-placed houseplants can bring an added layer of texture and life to our homes. Not only are they proven to reduce stress but they also purify the air and reduce humidity in our spaces. Having lots of greenery indoors is an appealing and expressive way of bringing warmth and artistic expression into the home without spending a fortune. Not to be underestimated in modern interior design, plants connect us to the natural world and help a room to feel healthier and more tranquil.
Declutter
A tidy and organized home is a reflection of a happy, focused mind. Decluttering your space can have therapeutic and soothing effects on the psyche. One of the best ways to create more harmony and movement around your home is to free up floor space. Utilize shelves, storage racks and closet organizers to tidy away clothes, shoes, toys and accessories. Another important (but often cluttered) area of the home is our social spaces (dining table, living room etc). Clearing these areas can improve our relationships and help to create a more inviting space for everyone.
Organizing small spaces
Reorganizing a small home or area can spark a lot of joy and provide rewarding benefits. Consider vertical storage solutions such as ladders, floating book shelves and tall units to create a minimalistic aesthetic whilst helping to make the most of wall space. Swap out heavy or chunky furniture with compact light and movable alternatives – this will free up much-needed floor space. Don’t forget about under-bed storage and compact cubby-holes too.
Make it personal
We believe a space should nourish you as much as define you. Unique and sentimental touches such as family photographs, ornaments or artwork can promote positive well-being and most importantly, a sense of comfort. Adapt your space to nourish the life you love to lead whether that’s creating large areas for socialising, quiet corners for mindfulness or cosy, family-centered zones. When it comes to decorating for mental health and wellness, it is as much about design as it is about filling your home with things that make you feel happy and connected.
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