Interior design is an amazing way to improve your home on many levels, but can it go as far as actually improving your mood, wellbeing, and health? Given how much time we spend in our homes, it makes sense that the design and layout of them would influence how we feel. Let’s take a look and see if improving the design of your home can improve your stress levels!
How Interior Design Affects Mood
Many elements of interior design are able to lift your mood and make you feel more positive, just by making simple changes.
Colour – this is a big one for mood, as different colours trigger instant emotional responses in the human body! Colours like blue, green, and soft pinks are considered to be extremely calming and help our bodies to relax.
Light – another big mood changer, the lighting of your home can help you to feel more energised and happier. Ensuring that everywhere is well-lit and gets as much natural light as possible will do just that!
Organisation and storage – we can all relate to this one! Pretty much everyone hates a cluttered space that’s disorganised and untidy. Ensuring that your home has enough storage for everything, and that it looks great at the same time helps to massively calm mood and relax your mind.
Can All Of This Reduce Your Stress Levels Though?
According to mental health foundations, stress is one of the things that most affects us, so wouldn’t it be nice to find ways to reduce it? The good news is that interior design has actually been shown to reduce stress levels within people!
Many studies have been carried out, proving a strong link between certain interior design techniques and reducing stress levels. By changing colours, opening spaces up, improving storage and organisation, and creating something you truly enjoy, you can feel more relaxed and take your mind off of stressful thoughts.
For example, businesses have been able to change the design of their offices to improve staff motivation and productivity, suggesting that their mood has improved and their daily stress levels have decreased.
Similarly, a hospital in the US specifically aimed to improve the mental health of its patients and their families, and they were able to do so simply by upgrading the design of the room. They used more subtle, calming colours, improved the chairs, placed artwork along the walls, and made sure it was well-lit.
How You Can Improve Your Stress Levels At Home
So, interior design really can improve the mental wellbeing of people. It’s important to consider all aspects in your home to understand which changes could help you to unwind and feel more relaxed in your downtime. If you want to create a more calming home atmosphere that will help you to feel less stressed, less depressed or anxious, and happier, consider the following:
- Changing walls and furniture to be softer in colour, using greens and blues
- Switching out your furniture to be comfortable to the touch
- Changing the design of your storage and kitchen space to be more organised and sufficient for everything to be tidied away neatly
- Redesign the space of your home to feel more open and full of natural light