How Your Living Space Can Improve Your Mental Health

The environments that we occupy play a significant role in our wellbeing. Should any area of our lives, such as those associated with our professional and personal lives, be anything less than comfortable, pleasing, or safe, chances are that the environment is actually negatively affecting our mental health.

For some, this idea might seem rather difficult to understand; beyond functionality, homes need only play a minor role in style and comfort. However, with the rise of wellness-focussed interior design, it has become clear that our living spaces need to be closely considered, especially if we want to improve our happiness and health.

Safety, Security, Stress

Before we talk about interior design, there is the fundamental consideration of safety. This element of a property plays a significant role in how comfortable residents are, with a lack of safety coinciding with stress.

Being able to lock our doors and act in private reduces an individual’s sensation of self-consciousness and stress, while being without these basic features of security has been demonstrated to negatively affect sleep and even cause anxiety.

Creating Comfort

Supporting senses with indulgence is a way for residents to feel good. This can come from the soft touch of a woollen blanket or the relaxing scent of a candle. Whatever the source is, it is important for living spaces to cater well to a resident’s senses. If they fail to do so, interior designs can leave residents feeling cold, uncomfortable, and even unable to relax, transforming a home into a place of unwelcoming.

Welcoming Nature

Despite being an interior space, the beauty and benefits of nature should be welcomed inside. This can be done in a number of ways, such as with house plants and biophilic design, but also by cultivating a garden space that allows for effective and wild design. Log cabins and outdoor dining areas are just two examples of how residents can get more experience from their gardens by creating living spaces outdoors, instead of simply waiting for the weather to be accommodating.

Colour And Expression

The colour of a living space affects a mood in the same way that the colour of an outfit can. If a room dedicated to relaxation is, for example, decorated with bright and bold colours, it can feel contrary to an intended mood, leaving residents unable to relax. By contrast, those living spaces that are painted and designed in ways that not only complement activity but also the personality of a resident are more likely to create feelings of joy.

Building Brightness

Natural light is an important foundation for individual circadian rhythm. Without access to sunlight, sleep patterns and quality of slumber can be negatively affected, leaving residents feeling tired. When designing a home, it is important that artificial lighting is designed to support natural light and not replace it.

Natural light also works well to enliven living spaces and make even small rooms feel more spacious, which is also important for helping residents to feel comfortable in a living space.