We spend so much of our lives at home, but so many of us don’t notice how our surroundings make us feel. You might post a gorgeous Instagram photo of your newly redecorated living room - but as you sit in it, you feel distracted, uncomfortable or unable to relax for some reason. Or you simply can’t concentrate in that spare bedroom that you recently converted into a home office. The answer is to look to your environment for clues on why you feel that way. Read on to find out how paying closer attention to your surroundings can reveal simple opportunities to make everyday life feel better.
Small details to change how your rooms make you feel
Imagine trying to focus on work at a kitchen table covered with unopened post, stained mugs and a tangle of charging cables. Your physical surroundings influence behaviour and wellbeing more than you think. But you only need to make a few small changes to create a more relaxing environment. Clear off the surfaces you use most, position a desk near natural light where practical and rearrange any furniture that makes it difficult to navigate a space - even just moving an armchair a few inches away from a busy walkway can make a living room feel calmer.
Boost indoor air quality with ventilation and plants
Every time you engage in everyday activities such as cooking, showering, or drying laundry on a rack, you’re releasing moisture, dust and pollutants into the air. A few basic habits - such as using extractor fans when cooking or showering - can help immensely. It’s also important to clean regularly to keep dust under control. And don’t just paint over persistent damp or mould - identify and deal with the root case. Also, houseplants go a long way toward making room feel fresher, but they’re no substitute for adequate ventilation so open windows regularly.
Smarter ways to ventilate and improve airflow
However, opening a window isn't a complete ventilation strategy. Some areas of your house will produce moisture more regularly than you can air it out or wipe off surfaces. One option is decentralised mechanical extract ventilation (dMEV), which uses individual extract fans in moisture-producing rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens rather than relying on one central system. These run continuously at a low level to remove moisture and stale air and reduce pollutants.
Design around the way you live
Design your home around what you actually do rather than trying to turn it into a showroom. If you love reading, give yourself a cosy reading corner with a comfortable chair and small lamp. If you work from home, keep paperwork and cables contained rather than letting them creep across the dining table. And add in a bit of your personality by, for example, displaying the slightly askew ceramic ashtray you made on holiday, framing photographs of key family milestone, or choosing colours that uplift you rather than whatever the current trend happens to be.
Make wellbeing part of your home
A healthier home isn't about making it Instagrammable. You want to create surroundings that make life more comfortable and stress-free. Just pay attention to how your rooms function and how you actually feel in them, then make small changes to turn your home into a place that truly supports the way you want to live.
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