8 Home Design Tips to Improve Mental and Physical Health
Irish novelist Cecelia Ahern once wrote, “Home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling.” There is no doubt that the spaces we inhabit have a significant impact on how we feel. The holistic approach to interior design follows this principle, as it puts the spotlight on our health and well-being beyond a home’s aesthetics.
Studies have shown how light, spaciousness, and connecting with nature in our homes can improve mental and physical health, and this is how holistic design aids in that process. It combines biophilic design, color psychology, human biology, ergonomics, and more. When done right, it creates spaces that promote balance and a better quality of life for the people who live in them.
Why Is Holistic Design Important?
In the medical field, “holistic health” is defined as “the treatment of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the symptoms of an illness.” Holistic design considers the whole person who inhabits that space, including their mental, physical, and spiritual needs.
Holistic home design, or wellness design, goes deeper than making a space visually appealing and functional. Instead, the goal is to create a space that helps its inhabitants feel good.
How Does Home Design Impact Your Mental and Physical Health?
The holistic approach to interiors focuses on how we feel. Creating a stress-free environment that’s cozy and calming promotes feelings of relaxation and healing. On the other hand, living or working in a noisy, confined, or cluttered space will add to our stress. And it may be especially difficult for people with mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.
Home design can also be optimized to address physical health problems. Studies have shown that incorporating biophilic design into buildings can lower blood pressure, and a study on hospital design showed that patients who had views of nature from their beds—compared with patients who viewed a brick wall—had reduced medication and improved morale, and were released from the hospital earlier!
Holistic Design Tips
A holistic home design can boost your mood, improve sleep, accelerate recovery from illness, calm the nervous system, ensure you breathe cleaner air, and improve your overall health. Here are eight ways you can take the holistic interior design approach in your home and how each benefits your mind, body, and soul.
1. Less is more.
Too many items in the same space—such as artwork, furniture, and knick-knacks—creates a cluttered, chaotic environment that makes us feel stressed and overwhelmed. This is why decluttering is a critical principle of the KonMari Method and even practices like feng shui. Once you get rid of what you don’t need, it makes room for what you truly do need.
As the saying goes, “Clean your space, clear your mind.” Decluttering really does improve mental health, cognition, and positivity.
2. Create spacious living areas.
Room layout, furniture placement, and colors all factor into a room’s feeling of spaciousness. Functionally, more space is preferred over cramped quarters, but space has psychological components, too. Spacious rooms can boost your mood and creativity.
By incorporating the right design, furniture, organization, and lighting, you can achieve more space and openness in practically any room.
3. Let there be (lots of) light.
Natural light is mood-lifting, and a sun-drenched room can promote increased vitamin D levels, better sleep, and boost energy. When natural light is lacking, it can trigger negative feelings and anxiety.
To add more natural light, consider installing additional windows or skylights and replacing solid doors with those that have windows built in. Light-colored paint, finishes, and mirrors also reflect natural light and can make a room feel brighter.
4. Bring nature inside.
We know that being out in nature is good for our health and well-being, and the same can be said for incorporating nature into our interiors.
For example, plants, flowers, and water elements all help create a calming environment that reduces stress and improves concentration. Plants are natural air filters that reduce allergens and improve air quality. Wooden flooring provides a connection to nature with the feeling of being grounded in your environment.
Consider an outdoor activity that makes you happy. Whether hiking in the woods, swimming in the ocean, or climbing a mountain, incorporate those elements to create a space that elicits the same feelings at home.
5. Make your bedroom a sanctuary.
Creating a blissful bedroom starts with choosing calming colors, soothing elements, and comfortable fabrics.
Consider splurging on luxury bedding and dimmers for your lighting. Purge the television and other electronics, and instead carve out a cozy spot where you can read or relax by a window. Blocking out light is essential for sleep, so choose window treatments that support a dark and peaceful rest.
6. Determine whether open-concept feels right for you.
Open-concept floor plans are not for everyone. Even if it works for you now, it may not be ideal for the long term. It comes with higher energy costs and reduces your ability to contain sounds, smells, and messes into one area. There’s also less privacy, which can cause tension among the people living together.
Consider how well open-concept living is working for you. If you prefer the openness, then make sure there is still a place in the house where you can escape from the noise and physical activity around you.
7. Incorporate holistic furniture and design elements.
Sustainability is a cornerstone of holistic home design. So recycle, upcycle, and choose energy-efficient appliances. Meanwhile, avoid VOCs, plastic, lead, and other harmful chemicals.
When you choose holistic furniture and design elements, you make your home better for our environment and safer for the humans inside.
8. Collaborate with a holistic interior designer.
To achieve the best results for your home, work with a professional who knows what’s possible for your space and can see its hidden potential for a holistic redesign or major renovation.
At Well-Designed Home, we help our clients create the ultimate sanctuary that nurtures their mind, body, and soul. Our clients have been able to reduce stress and anxiety, spark creativity, accelerate recovery from illness, improve sleep, and more through our wellness interior design services. To learn more, book a complimentary discovery call today.