Is your home making you happy?
It’s often been said that happiness begins at home and as we continue to hunker down to help combat COVID-19, you might appreciate some mood-boosting design secrets for a happier, healthier you.
“We spend a large amount of time indoors, so it’s important that these spaces nurture us and inspire us,” says Victoria Harrison, a homes and garden writer and author of Happy by Design: How to Create a Home That Boosts Your Health and Happiness.
“By increasing natural light and fresh air, bringing in houseplants and maximizing green views from our windows, our homes can also support our health and wellbeing,” she says. “If you find yourself spending more time that usual at home, it’s even more important to make sure it’s a fresh, happy and healthy space.”
Happiness means something different to everyone, of course, but when it comes to your home, a few universal design elements can help to make you feel calm, rested and happy, the U.K. resident assures. Those design elements include adequate natural light, fresh air, tidy spaces and using what Harrison describes as “happy” scents and colours.
“If you get those right, you’ll create a happy space that feels fresh, clean and inviting,” she says. “Often, we focus on how our homes look to others, but if you think instead about how your home makes you feel and base your decisions on this, then you’ll create a happy space that’s unique to you.”
NATURAL LIGHT
Simple changes can make your rooms feel light and airy. Mirrors, for example, reflect light, while bright paint colours reflect sunshine. Keeping windows uncluttered optimizes natural lighting. Lowering light levels in your home in the evening will help prepare your body for bedtime.
FRESH AIR
Plants do double duty: they look great but also help clean the air. Fill your spaces with as many plants as you can and place them in groups of three or five for visual impact. Most plants release oxygen in the day but some – including aloe vera, dendrobium orchids and peace lilies – release oxygen at night, making them a great choice for a bedroom.
TIDY SPACES
Keeping your space clean, tidy and calm will help you to feel in control. “Try and keep on top of everyday clutter at the end of each day and if you have the time, work your way through some of the bigger decluttering jobs, emptying out messy drawers and cupboards one at a time,” Harrison says.
HAPPY SCENTS, COLOURS
To create a cosy, welcoming feel in a living room, she recommends ‘warm’ scents like amber and vanilla. To keep your kitchen smelling fresh, opt for herb and fruit scents like mint and lemon. Lavender, often used to create calm and tranquil spaces, is ideal for the bedroom and will help promote a good night’s sleep.
Of course, nothing trumps the original so when possible, Harrison recommends investing in the “living, breathing version” of your favourite scents. When it comes to happy colours, meanwhile,
a recent scientific study into the effect of colour on mood found yellow to be the ‘happiest’ colour and grey to the be the colour most often linked with a low mood, she reports.
But yellow can be a tricky colour to use in an interior so start small, Harrison warns. She suggests placing accessories like vases, cushions or flowers in a hallway or living room, so they greet you every day. A final design tip: use yellow at the window, either in the form of a blind or by painting the inside of your window frame. “This has the effect of magnifying the warmth of any natural sunlight that enters your home,” she says.