Our home is our haven from the world, and creating a space that makes us happy is essential to a contented life. The interior of our home can be designed to create a mood-boosting environment, and with only a few tweaks, you can achieve so much.
RESI, an architectural firm, undertook research that found that a third of all residents felt stressed in their home and an equal number said their home made them feel sad. Having spent so much time at home in recent months, we know that this is unacceptable. Creating a relaxing and inviting home should be at the top of our list of priorities.
Fortunately, the steps to overhauling a sad home and making it happy again are relatively straightforward. Here are our top tips.
Natural light is essential
A dark room with little natural light will make the happiest person glum. Natural light is an essential ingredient to a positive mood; as with all living things, humans thrive in the sun’s rays. Therefore, hanging mirrors on walls adjacent to windows will help those rays bounce around and fill up the room.
If lighting is necessary, especially in the winter months, invest in plenty of eye-level lighting and invest in light bulbs that mimic the light spectrum of natural light. The harsh yellow light of standard bulbs can feel quite institutional, which is not the look we want for our homes.
Yellow and pink are our friends
According to color psychologists, certain colors can impact how we feel. Of course, there is nothing more likely to make us smile than painting our homes in our favorite color. However, if you are looking for colors to hint at happiness, yellow and pink will do the trick. You do not have to make your home look like a 1980s penny sweet; instead, you can use them as accent colors in cushions, pictures, or bedding.
Scented candles
Obviously, a pleasant-smelling home is a wonderful thing – and your visitors will thank you when you welcome them in. However, a candle or three around the house can give you a cozy feel, like walking into a hug. While this candle doesn’t have to be the smelly variety, it makes a lot of sense to do two jobs in one.
If you wonder what smell is most likely to perk you up, then go for a citrus smell. However, if you are looking to wind down into the night, then jasmine and lavender scents are perfect.
Storage, Storage, Everywhere
You cannot have too much storage space. Why? Well, clutter is one way to make us feel depressed in the home. If you yearn to feel proud of where you live, then you need to believe it is ordered and tidy. Nobody expects us to live in a show home. Yet, uncluttered surfaces help our mind feel less cluttered too.
With some clever shelving and cupboards, you can make your home feel free of life’s stuff. There are people whose job is to design this storage, and they delight in surprising us with their cleverness. Not only will you feel astonished but also calm, because everything will have its place.
Plants are literally our friends
While you may worry about killing your house plants, they can offer untold benefits to your home if you can keep them with you. Not only does the splash of organic help connect you with nature, but they literally help with the air that we breathe. They deal with the dust and mites that cause us to be allergic to our homes, and they might even have calming properties too.
Grab yourself a statement piece
There should be one piece of interior decoration in your home that makes you stop – pause a moment – and go “wow” that’s in my home. We cannot all afford expensive art pieces, but we can invest in one thing that makes us proud and astonished in equal measure. It is not an extravagance if it genuinely brings you happiness each day; otherwise, why do we work so hard anyway?
On a more basic level, a statement piece gives your room a focal point and imprint your personality onto the space. When your friends come around, it will be something to start the conversation.
Embrace sentiment
We all like to appear cutting edge and crisp in our design – and in this space, there never feels any room for real-life to intrude. Yet, this is your home… give some space to sentiment and have your photos and quirky phrases on the walls about the family who live and love in the four walls with you.
