There is more to home design than picking the colors, textures, and furnishings you like during a renovation project. It can also involve making your house feel like home through features that enhance your physical and mental health. While promoting wellness in home design is not always straightforward, you might experience success when you take some of the following actions:
Create An Outdoor Sanctuary
Everyday life can be stressful and overwhelming. On more than one occasion, you’ve likely felt like isolating yourself from your loved ones to de-stress and unwind. An outdoor sanctuary can provide the perfect space to do that.
Start thinking about items and decorations that might make you feel more relaxed after a stressful day, such as hot tubs and spas, hammocks, and poolside loungers. Fairy lights, ponds, and fountains might also be worthwhile addictions. When you have an outdoor sanctuary, you can venture into a dedicated space when you’re not feeling physically or mentally at your best.
Focus On Storage to Declutter
Clutter can be connected to anxiety, depression, and chronic stress, with studies showing that women living in cluttered homes have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Small homes with minimal storage might make clutter unavoidable, which is why you might like to take two actions when the time comes to commence home renovations.
The first step can involve decluttering. Go through one room at a time and separate items into four piles: keep, donate, sell, and throw away. You can then move on to the second step: storage. Invest in storage solutions to help keep clutter out of sight, like cabinets, closets, ottomans, and narrow gap trolleys to tuck away between appliances.
Prioritize Indoor-Outdoor Flow
Studies are starting to show the importance of immersing ourselves in nature, with one study finding that nature exposure could improve attention, enhance mood, and lower stress levels. While you might be able to enjoy these benefits by going for a walk out in nature, you might also notice improvements by simply improving your home’s indoor-outdoor flow.
Look at bi-fold windows or doors you could install on the sunniest, most sheltered, and private side of your home, and partner them with a beautiful deck or patio area. You can also enjoy cohesivity between the interior and exterior of your home through plants, soft furnishings, and outdoor furniture.
Make Your Bedroom a Sanctuary for Rest
Bedrooms should be where we sleep and wake up, but they’ve become more multi-purpose in recent years. Some people use their bedrooms to watch TV, browse social media on their devices, and play video games.
Bedrooms should always be a sanctuary for rest, and somewhere you achieve quality sleep. Return them to that state with a few small changes. Paint the walls in a calming, studies like white, beige, or spring mint, and invest in blackout curtains for nighttime use. You might also like to evict all technology to prevent distractions while trying to sleep.
Wellness might not be something you consider during home renovations, but it can be important for creating a house that feels like home. Beautiful outdoor areas, natural features, and clutter-free rooms might put you on the path to feeling less stressed and more comfortable on your own property.
