What does that mean, 8 ways to make your home happier? How is it possible for a home, an inanimate object, to have feelings? Well, it’s not so much the home that has the feelings, it’s you, right?
By changing a couple of key ingredients in your home, you can boost your happiness levels in a very short time.
As someone who is affected by the long gloomy winters in the Northeast US, I can tell you that anything that gives me an edge up on seasonal affects, I am all in.
Let’s consult Wikipedia for a second: “Biophilia (also called BET) suggests that humans possess an innate tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life. Edward O. Wilson introduced and popularized the hypothesis in his book, Biophilia (1984). He defines biophilia as "the urge to affiliate with other forms of life"
This means that we innately feel a connection with the natural world and we long to bring that feeling inside though the objects and systems we choose to live with.
Unlike “phobias” where we feel a disconnection to or fear of something, a “philia” is the opposite. It’s the reinforcement of a positive connection to something in our environment.
It sounds very scientific and grand, but the fact of the matter is it’s not complicated to introduce a biophilic approach to the way we live in our homes.
By brining in a few elements, we can increase our connection to the natural world and thus increase the likelihood of feeling happier inside our homes.
So, what do we have to do to increase the chances of making our homes happy? Well, it’s simply by embracing and incorporating the elements we find in nature. It doesn’t matter if your you consider yourself to be an outdoors type person or a homebody, there’s no escaping the fact that we need air to breathe and water to drink, that’s the absolute minimum.
But what if you went a few steps further and embraced a couple more ways to bring nature inside? How would that feel?
Think about the last time you took a walk through a beautiful park you love, or hiked a mountain trail, or strolled through a botanical garden. I’m sure you felt invigorated after, right? You may have chalked it up to the fresh air in your lungs and that is certainly a part of it but, the real reason you feel great after is because you satisfied your biological predisposition to affiliate with nature.
Let’s bring that feeling home and incorporate 8 ways to make your home happier this weekend.
Affiliate disclosure: I want to be completely transparent, if you click on a product link and you purchase through my link, I may earn a small commission at no extra expense to you.
1. House Plants:
Plants do a lot for us. They purify the air we breathe. They help us to heal faster. Park, SH; Mattson, RH (2009). "Ornamental indoor plants in hospital rooms enhanced health outcomes of patients recovering from surgery". J Altern Complement Med. 15: 975–80.”
If plants can help hospital patients heal faster, they certainly can positively influence our everyday life at home, don’t you think?
All plants play a part in taking carbon dioxide and changing it into oxygen, but my top pick has a few more amazing benefits to consider as well:
According to the Lung Institute: “Areca Palm has the ability to also purify the environment it’s placed in by removing dangerous chemicals such as formaldehyde, xylene and toluene.”
That’s amazing for any house plant to do. It’s like having your own natural air purifier working continuously, power cord free!
I love Areca Palms because they have a wonderful presence and they add a beautiful organic texture to any space.
If you want maximum benefit, place up to 4 palms in the room you spend the most time in. They should be planted in an 8” to 10” pot with proper drainage. They also do well in moderate light and should be watered at least once a week.
2.Natural lighting
Another important thing to increase the happiness in your home is to embrace natural light.
I rarely completely close my living room curtains because I love the light. Even when the sun goes down at 5, I leave them open and I feel better because of it.
When I get out of bed in the morning, I open my bedroom blinds right away. It’s part of the routine and it absolutely helps to see the sun come up and fill the room with light.
It’s so important to let the sunshine in. It’s not only beneficial for plants and animals, but a healthy dose of vitamin D in the form of sunshine will go a long way to warding off the winter blues.
Let’s face it, the long winter months and seemingly endless gray days can cause many of us to feel like hibernating until July.
There’s a reason for that. According to the Mayo Clinic, “Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that's related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. If you're like most people with SAD, your symptoms start in the fall and continue into the winter months, sapping your energy and making you feel moody.”
The reduced level of sunlight in fall and winter may cause winter-onset SAD. This decrease in sunlight may disrupt your body's internal clock and lead to feelings of depression.”
Sunlight can help but, if you feel a prolonged depression, it’s important to speak to your doctor.
If you want to get a leg up on the winter blues, try adding in a few full spectrum light bulbs to the rooms you spend the most time in. They are a bit more expensive than your typical lamp bulb, but they can make quite a difference. I have the above the sink in the kitchen and in my office where I spend a fair amount of time.
3 Ventilation/ Air Quality
Give yourself a treat and get out multiple times a day to take in a few deep breaths of fresh air. Here in the Northeast, it’s difficult to keep the windows or doors open during the winter. It’s not practical to sacrifice the heating bills in favor of fresh air. So, getting out and going for a walk around the block or even shoveling some snow can help to tick the fresh air box.
But can you make your house happier with ventilation? It depends on the heating and cooling system you have. If you have forced air systems, you can invest around $300 for a whole house ventilation system that will help to bring in fresh air remove the stale air.
Reversing the direction of ceiling fans can also help to keep the air moving if you have baseboard or radiator heating systems.
This window fan is wonderful for warmer weather months. It’s great for ventilation and it can be set up in a few minutes. Best of all it will filter out dust, pollen and smog and it will eliminate the stale inside air as well.
An option for purifying the air any time of year is to use salt lamps. They are natural air ionizers that will help to relive sinus and allergy sufferers and those of us affected by respiratory issues. There are no special installation requirements for using salt lamps, just plug them in and switch them on.
Salt lamps are available in a number of shapes and sizes to go with any décor and the light they produce is beautiful and calming.
4. Fragrance
Going back to the mountain hike for a minute, that fresh air scent is something that elicits a sense of well being and relaxation. Similarly, going outside after a rainstorm and smelling the earthy, fresh humid air is also wonderful.
If you want to bring in that natural feeling, you can use one of the many styles of essential oil diffusers on the market today. These potent beauties will bring about a lovely scent and add to a bit of moisture in the air. The humidifier and scent qualities go a long way toward making you feel happier at home.
The scents are endless and you can experiment by mixing different kinds of essential oils to get the perfect signature scent for your home.
in his blog, Matt Morely writes: “Forget synthetic fragrances though, we keep it clean with organic essential oils such as pine, cedar or lavender, preferably diffused into the air for 30-60 mins straight. This is especially beneficial first thing in the morning and last thing at night, while taking a relaxing bath or while concentrating on a writing or work task.”
Just like salt lamps, diffusers are easy to implement and simple to maintain. Once you familiarize how your specific unit works, just turn it on to experience the benefits – so easy and actionable in a few minutes.
5. Sound
Can sound affect your mood at home? You bet it can. Silence may do wonders for mediation but, a bit of background calming noise is wonderful for productivity.
Ever have trouble sleeping? Have you tried turning on a TV or radio to lull yourself back to sleep? It works well, right? That’s because your able to interrupt thought patterns and low-level background noise is perfect for soothing the senses.
On the flip side, do you ever get caught up in feeling uninspired when you work or do repetitive tasks? Turning on the radio or playing a favorite album when working can make the time go by and make the task more enjoyable. There are few things in life that can both energize and calm us like sound.
If you need to use your concentration, sometimes the sound of a water feature or nature sounds can really help you get stuff done:
“Exposure to nature sounds (among other natural stimuli) can enhance focus, reduce stress, and improve overall wellness when compared to artificial sounds or no sound at all.”
So, if you want to improve the happiness of your home, introduce some favorite sounds and watch your productivity soar.
6. Décor
Sometimes just the interpretation of nature in the home can help bring happiness to the forefront. The introduction of some new art that features a natural landscape or photography can instantly change up the feeling in a space.
If you have a full weekend and you want to try a fun project, why not try your hand at wallpapering a wall with a botanical pattern or maybe a mural nature scene. The installation might take a couple of days but, the effects will be long lasting.
I love the idea of creating a simple vertical garden where you can feature a collection of air plants or succulents are wall art and décor.
Maybe you have a garden window in the kitchen or an empty spot on the wall near a window in the kitchen to grow some herbs.
Being able to see representations of nature in your home is easy to do and can elevate the positive energy in any space.
7. Color palate
If you are tossing around the idea of repainting some of the rooms in your home, I suggest taking a few moments to sit down and list out how you want the space to feel. If you come up with adjectives that include words like: tranquil, calm, cozy, inviting, etc. then you’ll probably benefit from going to nature to get some inspiration for that new wall color.
Case in point, here’s what decorating blogger, Kate Riley, writing for Glidden Paint, has to say about it: “One of the easiest ways to learn how to incorporate vivid color into your home is to look to nature for inspiration. While the pages of magazines are always a source of color ideas, usually nature has already figured it out for you. Every color has a different psychological effect and a place in the wild. What is most important is that you ask yourself how you want to feel in your home space. Then, look to nature for the best ideas and inspiration.”
Moss greens, warm whites, clay, sand, all colors inspired by nature. And, all colors that will work well with any accent you would care to pair it with as well.
Click over to Pinterest or Instagram and you’re sure to find a plethora of inspiration for the nature inspired perfect paint color to decorate with.
Here’s a quick tip: I suggest getting a small sample can and painting it on walls opposite the largest windows in the room to really notice the true color. Look at the swatch at different times of the day to really see the characteristic of color.
If you need a bit more direction for great paints to use, check out the article over at Happy DIY Home entitled: Best Interior Paint For Your Home, 2020 Buyers Guide. It will give you solid information on everything from highly recommended paint brands to finish types and everything else you could possibly want to know.
If you have a weekend, there’s a great chance you’ll have plenty of time to change up the wall color in a small to medium sized room. You could invite people for a painting party if you have a bit more space than time. (I suggest pizza and a few bottles of wine afterwards!)
8. Home Materials
Last but certainly not least is the materials you live with in your home. This is specifically referring to building materials:
When making decorating changes, consider using sustainable materials like cork or bamboo flooring. If you have wall to wall carpets, think about taking them out and you’ll notice an immediate change in the feel of your home. This is especially true for allergy sufferers. The dust and dander in wall to wall carpets can be very bothersome.
If you have a more ambitious project on the schedule, the consider using locally sourced building materials. Products arriving by vehicle from far away will negatively add to their carbon footprint. Sourcing locally: wood, timber, concrete and even quartz or natural stone from a nearby quarry will reduce time in transit and may even increase your emotional connection to the materials as well. Knowing that your supporting a local business with your dollars will always mean more than buying from a huge company who doesn’t care how many miles their product travels.
Conclusion:
Increasing the happiness of your home can easily be started in a few spare weekend hours and doesn’t have to cost much. By embracing:
1. House Plants
2. Lighting
3. Ventilation / Air Quality
4. Fragrance
5. Sounds
6. Décor
7. Color Palate
8. Materials
You can create a happy and healthy home that you deserve.
Now it’s your turn. Is there some natural or biophilic design or decorating element that you swear by to make your home happy? Do you have a favorite natural paint color or genius hack to ventilate your home? Tell me all about it! Leave me a comment below.
Thanks so much for stopping by and reading today! I can’t tell you how much your time and attention means to me.
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What to Read Next:
How to Nail the Feeling You want For Your Home’s Décor
Never underestimate the feeling you want to achieve in your space. That is literally the secret sauce for a successful design and a room that you’ll actually want to spend time in. This week I thought it would be fun to take you along on a creative journey to show you the process I use when beginning a new project. These steps illustrated here help me to get into the mood for tackling a new design. Designers refer to this as a mood board or concept board and it follows after an initial client meeting or brief. For once, this early stage of the process doesn’t involve measuring per se. This is all the stuff that happens before physical planning. And yes, I usually do have the measurements of the space when I’m planning in this stage but it’s not necessary for this process. It’s all about feeling and the mood you want to achieve. In my opinion, getting the feeling of a room nailed down helps to keep you on track. It makes you want to get the project done. You’re excited to experience the way it will make you feel and that provides the momentum.
This is a holistic approach because our homes are not only dwelling spaces, they’re sanctuaries that help us to enjoy our whole life. Good design reflects not only our taste but our choices for how we want to live. Let’s explore how to nail the feeling you want for your home’s décor.
Write A Descriptive Sentence Or A Single Word That Describes How You Want Your Space To Feel
For many years I’ve started presentations with a mood board that was titled with the language my clients use to describe the way they want their space to feel. This would be: The Jones’ relaxing master bedroom, or Bonnie’s colorful and creative craft room… a bit of alliteration works sometimes too.. When I worked in a retail furniture store, the other designers would tease me or say that it wasn’t necessary. I couldn’t disagree more. I never had a client tell me that they wanted a design that was just okay or blah. They always had an adjective right away: cozy, comfortable, inviting, casual, formal, bright. The descriptive word or sentence always translated to a very personal feeling for the client because it was their own language, it was based on what they wanted to experience in their space. Even if they came in with their hands in the air not knowing how to get their project underway, they always had the feeling they wanted to achieve ready to go. Getting to that feeling sometimes took a bit of reverse engineering, which is what leads me to the next step:
Engage Your 5 Senses.
What do you want to see in the space. Do you want to be able to look at a collection of items that make you happy? Do you want to display family pictures that mean something to you? Is there a particular color that you want to use in the space because it’s your favorite? Maybe you just want open space and a feeling of expansiveness and color is minimized.
SMELL:
Do you have a favorite scented candle or essential oil you’d like to incorporate? Incense, room spray? What does that scent mean to you? Do you have a certain memory associated with it or a particular mood you’re in when you smell it?
TASTE:
Will you be drinking wine in the space? Can you see yourself entertaining guests where certain foods or snacks will be served? Maybe it’s as simple as movie night on your new sectional, eating popcorn with your favorite blanket on your lap.
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Michael is Principal designer and blogger at Michael Helwig Interiors in beautiful Buffalo, New York. Since 2011, he’s a space planning expert, offering online interior e-design services for folks living in small homes, or for those with awkward and tricky layouts. He’s a frequent expert contributor to many National media publications and news outlets on topics related to decorating, interior design, diy projects, and more. Michael happily shares his experience to help folks avoid expensive mistakes and decorating disappointments. You can follow him on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook @interiorsmh.
