New or old, modern or classic – our homes are the place where we can truly be ourselves. It’s where we recharge when it’s been a long week, and it’s where we come together with those we love. It should also be an environment that makes you healthy and happy, but we don’t seem to spend enough time considering our design choices and how they might be betraying our basic needs. Today we are going to walk through 6 design tips for a healthier and happier home.
Natural light
Lighting that is too dim or too bright is not a place where you can relax, in fact, any artificial light source will have poor or no impact on your mood and health, which is a missed opportunity. Installing skylights in Melbourne introduces a natural light source to your home, and you can install a few so that your key living spaces are appropriately lit. Natural light has a number of physical and mental health benefits, so be sure to prioritize it.
A storage system
A cluttered home is a home that collects a lot of unnecessary dust. It’s also going to be a stressful sight and one that might encroach on your restful time when duty kicks in and has your cleaning yet again on a day you had assigned self-care. Establish a functional storage system in your home so that things can remain orderly and not chew into your mental health needs.
Good ventilation
Poor ventilation has been linked to a number of physical illnesses, many of which are entirely avoidable if you take action. If you are limited with the windows and doors in your home, speak to a builder about your ventilation options and rid your home of mold and any other nasties that thrive in a stuffy home and find their way into your lungs and contribute to poor health.
Indoor plants
If you close your eyes and picture a healthy and happy place, we guarantee that nature can be found in that imaginary sanctuary of yours. Indoor plants will clean the oxygen in your home which impacts your physical health, and nurturing these beautiful plants will be a restorative activity that is gentle on your mental health too. Fill your home with bright, living plants that can bring some color to your day.
Space for you
In the quest for function, we can divide up our homes into so many spaces, but none of them seems to service our passions and our mind. Carve out space in your home that you can be reflective and peaceful in, where you can escape reading a book without having to hide out in your bedroom or be in the middle of an active living room. You might also choose to make this room a place for meditation or yoga, or whichever purpose you need to tap into your inner peace.
Design balance
Our last tip for achieving a happy and healthy home is design balance. It’s hard to define in any given home, but you will know if things are out of balance. Try and make sure the flow of your home is not too complicated, and that heavier pieces of furniture are spaced appropriately throughout the room. You also want to ensure that your brighter colors are broken up between neutral tones and not too confronting. This might seem like a trivial tip when it comes to your health, but you need to start thinking of your home as a reprieve wherein you don’t want to be over-stimulated. Avoid chaos and stick to the ‘less is more’ design methodology.
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We always start out with the best intentions when designing our homes, but soon those priorities are traded with conveniences and you end up with a home that feels more reactive than the specially designed oasis you had once envisaged. Follow these tips and let us know which ones are working for you.