How Interior Design Impacts Mental Health
Mental health has become more widely spoken about as a topic, with many of us now treating it in a similar way to physical health. Similarly to physical health, your mental health should be worked on regularly to promote a more uplifting life.
Working on your mental health will enable you to deal with stressful and difficult situations as and when they arrive. For many of us, we wait until something bad happens before addressing our mental health. But if we trained our brains in a more positive way and introduced calming practices, we could deal with difficult situations more easily.
In addition to these daily practices, the environments we spend the most time in can greatly impact our mood. Ever noticed how a bright and airy space can make you feel brighter? Or how certain colors can make you feel?
Interior design massively impacts mental health. Particularly the spaces in which we spend the most time, typically our home and workplace. Within this article we’re going to take a look at how interior design impacts mental health and explore some ideas to improve the main interiors in your life.
Let’s take a closer look!
A Sense of Comfort
Above all, our home should bring a sense of comfort to us. When we create a comfortable home that looks and feels cozy, we feel safe and happier.
This is where interior design is extremely personal – what you might find comforting, another doesn’t! So it’s important to think of times when you have felt comfortable in a space and notice what colors were used, was it a specific style of furniture, or a combination of things?
You should also think about how easy it is to use and move around a space. Do you have adequate storage that is organized? Don’t create barriers for yourself at home – your space should work for you and not against you. Circulating through a home that feels easy and effortless will improve your mental health.
Creating a home that is full of comfort will help to nurture your mental health.
Incorporating Nature
Research has shown that being in nature can greatly improve our mental health. Nature boosts serotonin (to improve mood), and decreases cortisol (reduces feelings of stress or anger. Those that spend a lot of time outdoors are known to live happier lives.
Therefore, incorporating nature in our homes and workplace should be a high priority! Adding more biophilia to our spaces will help us to do this – more plants, moss/living walls, and even water features can help us to achieve this!
Color Psychology
We have spoken about color psychology a few times in recent articles, and that’s because the colors we use in our homes can have a huge impact on how we feel internally. Each color has a meaning or emotion associated with it, and of course our personal experiences with colors should come into play here too!
Choosing colors that help to reduce anxiety and increase a sense of calm are highly recommended for improving mental health. Soft shades of blue, green, and lavender are the most calming colors to use in the home. Blue in particular is associated with the ocean and sky which can evoke feelings of peace and tranquility.
You should avoid using colors that elevate anxiety or negative feelings. These are typically red, orange, yellow, and in some cases, gray.
Pattern and Texture
In addition to the colors you use at home, the patterns of wallpaper, throw blankets and pillows, area rugs etc, can all have an impact on your emotions and mood. We like to use soft and subtle patterns in our client’s homes as these are calming and enriching. However, jarring patterns can lead to poor mental health as they can look overwhelming and intense.
Try to add different textures into your home as this will inject tactile interest and softness that helps to create a welcoming and cozy space.
Expert Design Services
If you’re looking for thoughtful interior design within your home, we’re ready to help. You can expect thoughtful design that is custom tailored to your needs. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you are contemplating a project.