For as long as many people can remember, there has been a clear divide between ‘work’ and ‘home’. The past three years have changed all that.
In many cases, home has become as much a place for work as for living. It’s time to transition from survival mode to revival mode. And that means the balance needs to swing from laptops back to lounging.
So what can we do – without breaking the bank – to transform our homes?
Colour those walls
Popping a fresh coat of paint on the walls can make a huge difference to our homes, and our moods. Our homes have been everything to us recently so they’ve dealt with some pretty harsh conditions and are you’re likely dealing with some wear and tear, especially families with children who used hallways as soccer pitches and walls as tennis nets throughout the pandemic.
When repainting, consider the right colour choices to create some calm, or on the flip side, to promote a bit of happiness and joy in your home.
Brighter colours are on the up at the moment as we all attempt to bring some sparkle back into our lives. But these can still be used in more dulled hues to find the balance between fun and tranquil – think blush pink and blue.
If you want to create some fun energy in your home, yellow, orange and pink have been proven to encourage a sense of cheerfulness.
If you’re a plant person, consider bringing a bit of terracotta colour into your home as that compliments the green beautifully and can help create a feeling of serenity.
And for those whole like the darker colours, never fear, Taubmans has actually said that if you use the dark hues correctly, they can actually help create a sense of coziness, cocooning you in the space.
Let the light back in
Sunshine can hugely influence the way we feel. A study done by Monash University in late 2021 revealed that natural sunlight can impact a person’s mood and even help with sleep quality. On the flip side, a lack of daytime light exposure may be a risk factor for depressive symptoms, poor mood and even insomnia.
It’s also a well-known and well-documented fact that sunshine increases the brain’s release of serotonin, which helps boost our mood and increases our feelings of calm. Sunshine can also help keep us focused.
So what’s the moral of the story? Ensure the natural light streams in.
Take a look at your window coverings and make sure they’re the best options for that particular room. For example, in a room with a television, you may need to consider shutters so you can increase and decrease the light depending on the time of day – this can help with glare both on the television and on the viewer (depending on where the window is situated).
When considering your window coverings, always look at the purpose of the room and the direction the window is facing. West facing windows, for example, may need a dual-window covering system such as sheer blinds and then curtains over the top. This can help ensure it doesn’t get too hot inside, while still letting natural light in.
Our home is our sanctuary. And for the past couple of years, our homes have become chaotic, with work, homeschooling, recreational and living activities all happening in the same space. But there are so many ways we can change our homes now that we’re moving into hybrid work models.
