You’d be amazed at how our personal subconscious can be altered by the way our homes are designed. Think about it: how do you feel when you step into your front door – at peace? Calm? Or does the messy interior stress you out?
There’s a very good reason our homes can make us feel certain emotions and it’s all about the psychology of interior design – how does the relationship between an environment and its inhabitants affect our psyche?
Colour choices
One of the major ways a home can affect the way we feel is the colours we choose to include throughout.
Many people have admitted that colour can communicate a lot – the obvious being the difference between warm and cool colours and how those make you feel. Does a bright blue summer sky make you feel warm and fuzzy inside? The same goes for your interiors.
By choosing the right colour scheme, you can, in a way, dictate how you want people, including yourself, to feel when you enter a room. So think carefully about the colours you paint the walls, especially in places like your bedroom, which you want to be a tranquil place – neutral colours such as whites, greys or beige hues are more conducive to a restful sleep than a bright red, for example.
If you really want to add colour to a room but want to keep the walls neutral, coloured curtains can be a dramatic statement.
Nature or nurture
Natural elements have been shown to improve physical and mental health.
According to this study, patients with a view of the outdoors through hospital windows required less pain medication and recovered faster than those in windowless rooms.
Consider including some indoor plants, make the most of the natural light filtering in through windows, doors or skylights and even think about popping some nature photography prints or paintings with natural elements onto your walls.
When it comes to your furnishings, incorporating natural elements and fibres such as bamboo or linen can make a world of difference to the way you interact with your rooms.
Balance is key
Have you ever wondered why you feel so much more at peace in a room that’s well balanced? Wonder no more. It’s a known fact that symmetry is attractive to the human eye, it’s familiar to us and our brains process environments that are symmetrical much better than those that differ.
But how do you balance a space? Choose a focal point in each room and build your layout around it, ensuring there is equal weight on either side.
This doesn’t mean you need two console tables or two wall units balancing out your dining table. It just means that the visual impact on either side should be very similar.
Erase the chaos
Researchers are learning that a cluttered home can equate to a stressful home, and that’s the last thing we want to be creating.
Getting rid of the clutter in the home rids the mind of noise which is a win/win if you ask us.
One tip: each night before you go to bed, put things away. Is there anything worse than coming out of your bedroom first thing in the morning and being faced with the dishes from the night before and toys strewn all over the living room floor?
Even making your bed in the morning can have a huge positive impact on the way your day progresses.
A peaceful home
As Joanna Gaines describes in her book Homebody: “home for me is like the eye of a hurricane. There’s a certain calm I experience there no matter what is swirling about on the outside. Home is where I feel safe, it’s the place where I’m most known and most loved”.
Our homes are expected to provide security and safety, helping us relax and recharge each time we enter a room. Good luck design your home in a way that helps to improve your mood, relationships and psyche.
