Design|Health|Wellness

Mental health problems no longer carry the stigma that they once did. Numerous new research and awareness campaigns have helped us understand the brain and how the design of our interior spaces affects its health. The design industry has also learned how huge an impact physical environments have on the sustainability of inhabitants' mental health, especially when it is observed that we spend most of our time indoors.

We've moved away from focusing only on security, safety, and seclusion to designing welcoming, holistic environments that promote and sustain emotional, physical, and psychological well-being. This means by implementing biophilic practices creating a well-designed healing space that is much more than just 4 walls to live in.

We can do many things with our interiors to have a positive effect on our minds. Below is a list of a few things that we can implement in our homes to transform them into more productive and calming spaces.

 Nature and mental well-being

 Humans aren't suited to being inside for so long. Our ancestors were more connected with nature, and the longing of modern humans for plants and natural interior design taps into the primitive aspects of our DNA.  Design practices like biophilia are known for their effect on improving and sustaining our mental health. Various researches have shown that plants help minimize anxiety and stress levels. Having plants in our homes or offices can even boost our cognitive ability.

Along with improving our mental health, plants add a touch of color and texture to our spaces. Through strategic placements of plants, we can also make an area appear larger and spacious. Other natural things, such as wooden furniture and flooring, tend to produce a calming effect by making a room feel more comfortable and warmer.

 Color psychology and mental health

The basic principles of color psychology are short-wavelength colors, like greens, purples, and blues, are soothing and long-wavelength colors, like yellows, reds, and oranges, are stimulating. White can add highlights or create a sense of space. Experts often use white to make space look bigger and spacious.

Yellow and orange are used in homes to create a sense of happiness, energy, and warmth. Red is usually not recommended in interior design because it can increase anxiety and appear hostile when used as the main color. But you can use it in a smaller amount as an accent color to raise a room's energy. Usually, in bedrooms, blue hues are used because they are linked with calmness and serenity. Green represents nature, and it gives a peaceful and calming feeling. Whereas purple signifies wealth and royalty, and pink is a symbol of kindness and romance. 

We should use colors in a room that will maximize the room's purpose while sustaining mental health—like, using green in your home office promotes concentration and keeps you calm.

Self-Care for mental well-being

Self-care includes anything that you do for your well-being. It's about taking action before your resources run low or your energy completely drains out. There are numerous things that you can do in your home to promote self-care. Have a spare room in your home? Turn it into a yoga studio or a library. Don't have a room? Just turn any spare nook into a meditation or reading station. Time spent on meditation and reading practices unwind all the stresses and help us sustain our mental health.

Recently, turning bathrooms into a personal sanctuary for self-care have become a top trend in Zen or spa-inspired décor. The addition of a few things like fresh flowers, candles, essential oils, recessed lighting, and relaxing music can turn your regular bathroom into a serene place, where you'll like to spend more time while feeling relaxed.  

Space and Balance

Attaining balance is an integral part of life! Filling your space with stuff is easy without considering the balance. But it'll look unorganized, exhausted, and you will not feel fresh in it. When decorating your home, it's vital to balance the furniture and décor up to space.

 Give attention to the details and check how your surrounding is affecting your mental health. Working in a cluttered and unorganized space will drain your energy more quickly and also make you feel less productive than a managed and consciously designed space. With little adjustments, you can turn your home into a calming and comforting space.

In Japan, the concept of Zen revolves around the value of meditation and intuition. A zen bathroom is a rejuvenating and relaxing bathroom designed to give you the most calming and rewarding bathroom experience you can possibly have. If you are a fan of meditation, yoga, or anything similar, a zen bathroom will help your home incorporate a harmonious atmosphere into your daily life. The main focus of this type of bathroom is to promote the most relaxing environment possible. If you need a change not only in your bathroom but in your lifestyle, Zen can be a good first step to take in the right direction.  

Embrace Minimalism

A bathroom designed keeping Zen in mind encourages calmness and tranquility while keeping the clutter at bay. Remember, the key to a Zen design is Moderation! Use a few fixtures, either position them far apart or place them in a group leaving the rest of the space empty.

Windows and mirrors in a Zen bathroom make the space look spacious. And in-wall storage cabinets keep the accessories out of sight. Give the illusion of a higher ceiling by installing indirect ceiling lights shining onto the bathroom walls. And let a task light shine on a single calligraphy art or scroll on the wall to create a meditative focus.

Use Earthy Tones

A Zen-inspired bathroom generally includes natural colors with soft tones and shades, representing the earth. Earthy tones include beige, white, pink, and grey. Avoid using loud colors as they are counterproductive to a serene environment that a Zen design demands.

Let the Outside in

Nature is the main thing that Zen design demands. A window that looks out to a garden or natural features, such as mountains or forest, is an ideal way to bring nature into your Zen bathroom. If your sanctuary doesn't have an available view, compensate for it by bringing nature inside — bonsai and bamboo help reinforce this theme. You can also display a beautiful ikebana arrangement of seasonal flowers and shrubs to appreciate nature as it is in the moment.

Natural Lighting

There are a few ways to soften the atmosphere and enhance the comfort level in a Zen bathroom. One way to do this is by lighting. As a natural source of energy, light brings a lot of positive energy that helps you maintain harmony. So, have large windows facing south to let the appropriate light enter the bathroom. It's extremely vital! If your bathroom's layout doesn't allow it, then consider installing a skylight as a compromise. The skylight will work great for the local-oriented north, which is not getting any natural light.

Add Some Organic Elements

A Zen design's main purposes are to quiet the mind and enhance the focus by directing it towards nature. Contact with nature is a significant element in achieving harmony. That's why nature-based or organic elements are the fundamentals of the Zen culture. So the best options are wood, bamboo, stone, marble, and granite — combined with glass elements – walls and mirrors.

Embrace Novel Fragrances

Humans have been using aromatherapy as a holistic healing treatment for hundreds of years. In it, experts use natural plant extracts to promote mental and physical well-being. It is also often referred to as oil therapy because essential oils of various plants are used medicinally to enhance both physical and medical health. Using different fragrances in your Zen sanctuary will help refresh your brain in the morning or get a peaceful night's sleep. It's a fun and simple way of enjoying the spa in the comfort of your home. If you don't know much about different essential oils and their benefits, you can ask for an expert's help. Considering your physical and emotional health issues, they'll recommend a specific extract or a combination of a few to use in your Zen bathroom.

Final Words

In the present day, it should feel that there are more ways to be natural and sustainable with little to no effort. Being mindful of the use of materials, green-certified items and features are being stocked in stores all over the showrooms. living a more environmentally conscious lifestyle is not just a big step for your wellbeing but for the planet as well.

The chemicals found in many interiors and architectural elements, such as paint and flooring, are oftentimes composed of toxic harmful gases and can cause respiratory illness and can lead to cancer. For example, asbestos is a building material that is cost-effective and extremely durable. Once installed it will hold the test of time it is when buildings are being demolished for remodeling when you find the secrets between the walls.

Since spring and summer are the two main "renovation" seasons, with people rebuilding their homes and apartments for updates it would be appropriate to talk about some natural ways to decorate their living space. If you're looking for an affordable choice that can make a huge difference, home improvement can be a great start. It's amazing how a simple coat of paint or flooring creates a room from floor to floor.

Creating Beautiful Eco-Friendly Spaces

As an interior stylist, I am continually finding ways to create exciting and beautiful spaces with an eye for ecological & timeless style. Design patterns and trends are constantly changing as people’s interests change and move to update their residential homes.

I am constantly looking for a way to improve my carbon footprint, and I believe that the spaces in which we thrive that are opulent and timeless can also be sustainable to our built environment. Here are some ways to decorate your space while being mindful of our earthly resources.

There are materials that are non-toxic, have zero-VOC, and contain organic compounds that provide a vibrant color that does not emit gasses that strip away our ozone layer as it is released. When buying paint, choose a paint that is low to zero VOC.

A porous and extremely economical material known as Cork can be used as fabric. The cork shell is stripped of wood and used to make cork products, from sealing in the finest taste of wine to upholstery. Companies have used cork to make the perfect separation caps for both shock and sound-absorbing padding.

Plant Life In Your Space

One of the best ways to level up the quality of your interior aesthetic beauty as well as the air is with plants. Plants that thrive in your spaces add tranquility and purify the air of unwanted pathogens. There are many plants that are for low to high maintenance that would be suitable for your interior landscape.

The sansevieria is better known as the snake plant. This plant is low maintenance due to the watering schedule of every 2 weeks. It requires indirect light and can grow to be a tall as 5-6 feet. Most of all this plant works to purify the air in the space, it is a perfect bedroom or living area plant.

If a live plant is not an option for a particular space, then a faux plant will do just as well. They still give a beautiful allure of texture and the look of liveliness minus the upkeep for a watering schedule. However, they will need to be dusted to keep fuzz from building up on the faux leaves.

From the morning rays that enter through the curtains of our bedroom to the piercing lights found in the aisle of a local grocery store — light, no matter artificial or natural, impacts our well-being greatly!

Light works as a cue for our body to regulate its internal clock, known as the circadian rhythm. At dawn, it makes us feel energized and alert; at dusk, the dimming of lighting is recognized as a signal to sleep. We're naturally designed to stay awake in bright light and feel sleepy in dim light.

Receiving proper light at the appropriate time of the day improves productivity, mood, sleep patterns, alertness, and many aspects of human physiology. A jet lag is a perfect example of understanding why keeping our circadian rhythm in sync is important.

Modern environments and artificial lighting can play havoc with the natural responses of our bodies. This can affect us in several ways. The good news is there are many things we can do with home lighting to help ward off those blues and create a positive ambiance, whatever the weather!

Color Temperature and Mood

It's not just the amount of light that affects our mood and behavior – the 'color temperature' or tone of the light is also important.

Color temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin (K). At the higher end of the scale (above 5000 K) are 'cool' blue and white lights, which are brighter and more stimulating – so they help us accomplish tasks while feeling productive. Meanwhile, at the lower end (under around 3000 K), you'll find the 'warmer' yellow tones, which are softer and help us feel relaxed and calm.

Experts recommend that we should try to simulate levels of natural light as much as possible.  So while you'll need stronger and brighter lighting during the daytime to help you concentrate and accomplish tasks, when it's time to kick back and relax, you need to switch to a lower level, a more atmospheric form of lighting.

Layering lights for the right mood

Rooms like kitchens and living rooms are usually multifunctional spaces. You'll use a combination of lighting to create the proper mood for various tasks and at different times of the day. This is often referred to as 'layering' lighting.

There are three main types of lighting: ambient lighting, which refers to the overall level of light in a room; accent lighting, which can highlight features in a room and help to create a particular mood; task lighting, which helps you to carry out specific tasks.

By finding the correct balance of ambient, accent, and task lighting, you can create a range of different moods to affect your well-being positively.

Lighting where you need it

 It's important to have access to plenty of quality light where you need it, whether you're preparing dinner, having a house party, or working from home.

Adjustable spotlights and pendant lights will provide plenty of bright ambient light for a practical room like a kitchen. Targeted task lighting over the kitchen's countertops will help in cooking and food preparation. A row of suspended pendant lighting above the island will look fantastic and provide effective task lighting.  

The living room is another multipurpose area that you might use for a whole range of purposes, such as watching TV, reading, doing homework, or entertaining friends. In this space, you will need enough ambient light during the day.

You can maximize any natural light coming from the patio doors or windows by rightly placing mirrors in your home. Mirrors through reflection amplify the natural light in your living room. Pendant light and chandeliers are the other primary sources of ambient light in your living room. Supplement these with some table lamps or wall lights to add depth to the atmosphere.

 Lighting for coziness

Blue light is excellent in helping us be more productive and efficient, but too much exposure can make us feel overexcited and stressed; as it disturbs the wake-sleep cycle of the body and generally affects our well-being negatively.

It's essential to try to relax our body and mind; do so by turning down the lighting of your living room as the evening approaches. Using low-level yellow lighting with a combination of wall sconces and lamps can create a cozy vibe in the room that will make you calm and relax. It's well worth investing in a dimmer so that you can adjust the lighting to create exactly the right mood. You can also add some accent lighting such as wall or shelf lights to add a sense of warmth and intimacy.

Our bedrooms also need a warm, relaxing, and tranquil environment. Ceiling lights such as chandeliers or pendants usually provide ambient lighting.  For areas such as the dressing table, where you need more focus, use a low hanging pendant light or a lamp. For a more soft and warm glow, use bedside lamps. All these lighting tips and techniques will help cozy up your room for you to sleep with ease.

Light significantly impacts our mood and circadian rhythms. If you constantly feel tired and exhausted and have trouble sleeping, it could be due to lack of exposure to certain lights or overexposure to others.

Air Purifiers' market is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 8.2% during the forecast period of 2020 – 2025. Factors such as increasing airborne diseases and growing health consciousness among consumers are driving the market. Air pollution from industries is constantly emerging as a big threat to humans' health and the environment.  In recent years, the air purifier market has witnessed a rise in demand fueled by the degrading air quality and increasing concerns about health issues.

It's easy to be overwhelmed by all the various types of air purification strategies. So many emerging trends and approaches exist. We might wonder what works, which is trustworthy, and what is best suited to our needs.

The holistic design approach could be an answer to our air quality issues. A holistic design, often referred to as wellness design, is a design approach primarily concerned with space's overall well-being. Holistic designers use their skills to create an environment that works well, looks amazing, and makes the inhabitants healthier.

Indoor air purification

The quality of air that we breathe has a huge effect on our health. Outdoor air has been related to causing lung cancer, heart disease, and strokes. But one thing that we tend to ignore is the air quality of indoor spaces, which is generally much more contaminated than the air outside. We spend most of our time in indoor spaces, either living or working, which makes it necessary to put the focus on cleaning the air.

The important elements that influence indoor air quality are the architecture of the building, physical structure, mechanical structures, and equipment used in the space.

Buildings in the developing world are usually designed by only considering the architecture's visual beauty rather than the holistic approach, which deals with form and function together. This leads to problems like indoor air emissions, which cause an increase in health issues and illnesses while decreasing our efficiency due to discomfort. A holistically designed space can solve all the air-related issues and much more, along with making your home more comfortable to live in.

How to purify the indoor air

 All our everyday use products like shampoos, shaving creams, glues, insecticides, and even paint on our walls contains chemicals and toxins like formaldehyde that are harmful to us. Everything keeps collecting dust, from furniture to mattresses, which pollutes our air and causes many respiratory disorders. Through a holistic approach, experts create a consciously designed structure that, along with being beautiful, also positively affects inhabitants' wellness. The strategically placed windows, proper ventilation, and use of different products help clean our homes' air.

The trending organic products that are used in a holistic approach to purify our indoor air include:

Beeswax Candles

Beeswax candles are natural air purifiers. These candles have the ability to ionize the air and neutralize toxins by burning slowly with almost no smoke and scent.  They are especially helpful for asthmatics because they remove common allergens like dust from the air.

Salt Lamps

A salt lamp is a great natural air purifier. Products made of salt crystal in our homes reduce airborne irritants, allergens, and pathogens by absorbing water vapors from the air. Himalayan pink salt has a good name in natural ionic air purifiers. It pulls the toxins from the air we breathe and neutralizes them. Incorporating a Himalayan salt lamp near your desk at the office or in your room beautifies the place and purifies the air.

Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal is a fantastic way to purify indoor air. Simply put it somewhere in your house; this odorless and highly absorptive air purifier will magically eliminate the toxins. You can also use bamboo charcoal; it's a proven air purifier used to improve the air quality of homes.

Houseplants Houseplant protects us from toxins like formaldehyde, benzene, and ammonia by purifying and rejuvenating the air of our working and living spaces. It's suggested to have one plant per 100 sq ft for efficient air cleaning. A few examples of plants that purify our indoor air are Peace lily and Lady Palm. Peace lily prefers moderate light while Lady Palm likes bright indirect light to flourish.

Essential Oils

In the presence of essential oils like oregano, cinnamon, grapefruit, thyme, clove, tea tree, and lemon - fungi, bacteria, molds, and viruses cannot survive. Research on Thieves oil proved that it could kill 99.96% of airborne bacteria. Thieves oil is a blend of different essential oils, including cinnamon, thyme, lemon, pine needles, grapefruit, and eucalyptus, which purifies the air by killing all kinds of bacteria.

With increasing popularity in the design scene, a holistic design is one of the most effective tools a human can practice when striving toward wellness and life betterment. 

Harnessing ancient wisdom and blending it with modern interior architecture and design concepts rooted in sustainability — a holistic space, place healing right where it should be — at the very center of "one's life."

A holistic space design goes beyond designing a pretty interior and seeks to create a beautiful, energetically balanced space that resonates with a high frequency, positive vibe.

A holistic space is the next level of a traditional design. It takes into account a whole person rather than just the forms and functions of a space. In other words, the aim of a holistic design is to create a space that supports human well-being on a body, mind, and spiritual level. It considers the overall energy of a space and how you want to feel within a place. Things such as lights, aroma, color, sound, and natural elements largely affect your feelings and energy. And a holistic space uses different remedies to manipulate the energy within the space to support you on a soul level.

People are often pleasantly surprised at how quickly they begin to feel better and, overall, live happier in their mindfully designed holistic spaces. They tend to cite Biophilia and water elements as the pieces that made the most immediate difference, with furniture layout and using the science of colors next.

Places, where we live, should promote a healthy and happy lifestyle; not diminish it. A holistic space does that by providing us a home where we can heal our body, mind, and soul.

Benefits of a Holistic Space

A home provides us a place where we go to disconnect from the ever running world. It is a place where we connect with our loved ones and families. It's like a warm, comforting mother's lap where we can just relax after a long day of work. So, it should be designed with our authentic being in mind. Evaluating what is needed in one's home takes to dive into a person's likes, dislikes, habits, personality, and lifestyle. A holistic design uses the right balance of light, color, aromas, sound, and natural elements to ensure your space will support your body, mind, and soul. Feng Shui, plants, essential oils, crystals, and space decluttering techniques are a few holistic remedies used in your home to create the energy that resonates with you. The correct balance of these remedies will help enhance creativity, reduce stress levels, improve sleep, and lighten your mood while allowing you to live the true purpose of your soul. Additionally, holistic space also promotes the idea of using organic and sustainable materials in order to protect our mother nature.

Energy of Spaces

Since we spend most of our lives inside, it's essential to take notes of the experiences we have within a space. Oftentimes, we get stuck inside poorly designed environments that cause us more stress and drain our energy while leaving us to feel more depleted. What we put into space directly affects our body, mind, and soul. Have you ever walked into a room which you just didn't want to leave or a room you couldn't wait to get out of? You probably didn't realize those feelings had a direct correlation with the energy of the space. That is why having a holistic space and understanding how to work with energy can bring more balance and abundance into your home and life.

  The past year 2020 has proved to be an unpredictable year for everyone; the whole world faced lockdowns on and off throughout the year. People lost their jobs due to a shortage of wages. So many people switched their professions and preferred working from home. Similarly, many companies started managing their work online, and employees resumed their work from home.

Working from home is far easier than going to the office daily. One of the best things is that you can do your job without leaving the comfort of your home. However, with the ease of working from home, there are also some complexities. Even if you are working from home, there must be a professional environment and workspace for you to work. For this, you need to optimize your whole space for working as well as for living.

Let's discuss how we can optimize our spaces while keeping the overall wellness in mind.

So here we go!

Selection of space

The first and foremost step you need to take is to select the type of business you will operate from home. It is important to decide how big your workspace should be and wherein the house you'll have this setup. If you have a family and you manage your business from home, consider the following suggestions to maintain the perfect balance between work and family:

·   Select a suitable place for your dedicated workspace. Once it is done, you can create a separation between family and work life.

·    To minimize distractions, select a room away from the kitchen, laundries, or any other external noises.

·   Choose a workspace that is big enough to run your business. It's much less effective to work from two or three different areas of the house than to work from one area.

·   It is ideal to select a room with a separate external door so that if your clients come home, it would be easier to receive them.

These are a few tips through which you can optimize the balance between work and family, which will ultimately affect your wellness.

Layout a plan

Investing some time in designing your workspace before putting it in place can significantly increase your chances of producing the most efficient, usable, and visually attractive space. Planning your workspace helps you take all your needs into account and prevent expensive losses.

First, observe your picked place thoroughly and see if any renovations are required. These are much easier to complete before the office is laid out. After the renovation, clean the room and surfaces, including walls, ceilings, and floors, and do some re-painting.

From the color (to promote productive thinking), rightly picked and arranged furniture, fragrances (to boost inner peace), to accents (for breaking the monotony), everything in your working space would play its role in your well-being. Such improvements can make a huge impact on your productivity and decision-making abilities. Hiring a wellness interior designer will help you design this den of yours in a way that not only improves your creativity but also helps you stay calm and peaceful throughout the day. An expert by observing your personality will optimize the space according to your individual needs so that you can enjoy work and family life with a relaxed and calm mind.

Lighting is a key

Our mood and productivity improve under natural light. So, try to set your home office in a room with larger windows. If you want some privacy, use sheer curtains across the windows to let passive light penetrate. Try to position your desk as close to the natural light source as possible. Enabling natural light in your workspace reduces eye strain and headaches while increasing your work efficiency. Bad or dull lighting can cause serious problems to your wellness, disrupting your circadian cycle, and affecting eyesight. So, it is preferred to work in a place where you get enough natural sunlight. In case of no natural light source, strategically layer artificial lighting to compensate.

An environment-friendly approach

It is crucial to make your workspace look natural and environment friendly. Find out how upcycled items can be used in your home. Incorporate beautiful houseplants to add an element of living nature in your working space; it'll make the working experience far more fun. Not only do house plants look fantastic, but research has shown that they are our friends when it comes to reducing anxiety and stress.

Optimizing a holistic space for your work and family balance is of great importance for your well-being. Working from home space needs a bit more attention to create that professional aura required for your business. Make sure to set up such an environment that reflects your seriousness towards a professional career while also keeping in mind that you have a family that needs your time and attention. A perfectly balanced space will help you save your energy to use it in the right place for you to lead a peaceful life!

We will reimagine your space into a beautiful vignette for virtual workspace or carving out a place where you can recharge and adding foliage will ensure your place feels rejuvenated.

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