Improve Your Mood with These Design Tricks

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Erin Davis, GoLocalPDX Contributor

Can the state of your home make you feel happy, calm, and improve your mood?

Incorporating a few design tricks such as color, lighting and plants have been scientifically proven to increase people’s happiness at home.

Let’s take a look.

Colors

Does color affect how you feel? Absolutely! It might not have a huge affect on any given day, but it can over time, if you spend a lot of time in your home.

Do you find yourself feeling bored or lethargic around the house? If so, warm, lively colors can lift your mood. If you tend to be anxious, cool, peaceful colors might bring some much needed calmness to your home life.

At the end of the day, you should choose colors that make you happy, regardless of color theory, but let’s look at a few commonly used colors and the effect they may have on your emotions.

Calming Colors

Blue

Lowers blood pressure and heart rate
Helps you sleep when it’s a bedroom color

Green

Soothing and refreshing
Helps your brain focus, making it a great office color if you work from home
Makes you feel more rested and recuperated

Energizing Colors

Red

An exciting color that raises your heart rate
Stimulates conversation
Not great for the bathroom or bedroom, but perfect in any room where you need a pick-me-up

Yellow

A sunny, cheerful color
Great to wake up to in the morning

Purple

Stimulates your brain and increases creativity

White

Brightens rooms by reflecting light
Makes rooms feel bigger and more open, helping you feel more energized and less stressed

Keep these colors in mind, but also know that it’s more about shade than the color itself. A color like green can be relaxing or invigorating depending on whether it’s warm or cool.

If it’s warm (has more yellow than blue) it can be cheerful and energizing. It’ll have a more calming effect if it’s cooler (has more blue than yellow).

Lighting

Our brains know how much sunlight we’re getting. Too much or too little can affect your mood and disrupt your natural sleep rhythms, and it’s hard to feel happy when you’re not well-rested.

Be sure to let plenty of natural light into your home. Big windows and skylights will help keep your energy levels up. Good lighting can increase your concentration during the day. If natural light isn’t an option, halogen bulbs mimic natural light and can help keep your internal clock on schedule.

Plants

Not only have plants been proven to make people happier, they can also improve your health by purifying the air. According to scientists, English Ivy is one of the best air-filtering houseplants of all time. It’s extremely easy to care for. Plus it looks great in a pot, growing up an indoor trellis, or hanging in a basket.

Studies have also shown that flowers can boost creativity and productivity. Keep fresh flowers in your home office, living room, and kitchen and see how it works for you.

Cleanliness

Some people thrive in chaos, but for most people, mess causes stress and guilt. A disorganized living space can make us feel overwhelmed, disorganized, and out of control. It’s a cycle that’s hard to get out of, but don’t give up.

Sometimes it’s not really the mess that’s stressing us out. We actually just have too much stuff and not enough space. Consider donating some of the things you don’t use if clutter is a problem for you.

Going through everything can feel like an impossible task. But it’s really not that hard! Get the entire family together and spend a weekend getting the house into shape. Save time with these 10 cleaning tips.

Then create a plan for maintaining your newly clean home — whether it’s weekly chores or a big monthly clean-up, do whatever works for you.

Remember - always listen to your instincts.

I hope these tips help make your house — and most importantly YOU — happier! Just remember that everyone’s different. The things that make your neighbor happy might not work quite as well for you.

Even a home that’s technically “perfect” won’t make you happy if it doesn’t reflect your lifestyle, personality, and the things you love.

The happiest home is one that you love spending time in!

Erin Davis is owner of Mosaik Design & Remodeling in Portland Oregon. For more information and tips visit mosaikdesign.com or contact her at [email protected].