How Interior Design Can Help Your Mental Wellbeing
We’re finally getting into spring, although the dour weather in our part of the world would suggest otherwise! This time of year is seen as the perfect time for growth and new beginnings, so it’s fitting that the UK national mental health awareness week falls right in the middle of May.
From the 10th of May to the 16th of May, the Mental Health Foundation will be hosting the annual Mental Health Awareness week. Over the years this event has become one of the most popular awareness weeks in Britain and aims to spread more information about mental health and encourage all of us to look after our minds.
Here in the UK, we spend roughly 90% of our lives indoors, and with the two national lockdowns under our belts just over a year after the COVID-19 pandemic started that percentage has probably increased for most of us. So, in this week’s blog, we’ll be giving you some tips and tricks to create a calming environment that can help your mental wellbeing; from home decor trends, self-care practices and even an ancient art (stay tuned for that one) we have plenty of advice.
Try Some Minimalism
One of the most popular home decor trends of the past few years, the minimalism movement has seen a huge surge in popularity. But what is minimalism? Well, in the words of world-renowned expert Marie Kondo (author of “The Lifechanging Magic of Tidying Up)
"It's a very strange phenomenon, but when we reduce what we own and essentially 'detox' our house, it has a detox effect on our bodies as well."
Minimalism evokes a feeling of simplicity, and the idea is that by getting rid of any unnecessary clutter we can also declutter our minds at the same time. Even better for mental health, in the long run, minimalist homes are much easier to keep organised and clean.
Clear away clutter with organisational staples like TV units, and stick to neutral colours. When it comes to minimalist home decor the only rule is to just keep it nice and simple.
Bring The Outdoors Indoors
This Mental Health Awareness Week, the theme is nature and the calming effect it can have on our mental wellbeing. So why not take a leaf out of the Mental Health Foundations book (no pun intended there) and bring some of the serenity of the great outdoors home with you?
There’s tons of evidence on how looking after a plant can improve our mental health. Keeping a plant can make you feel less stressed, boost your mood, and even improve your creativity and productivity. Some of the best options (that are relatively easy to look after) are Aloe Vera plants, Japanese Peace Lilies and Snake plants.
You can also add some reminders of nature by incorporating them into your home decor. The Mindy Brownes Peace Wall Art is a stunning piece that reminds us of peaceful days at the seaside. Being outdoors is undeniably good for our mental wellbeing, so why not bring it to you?
If caring for plants isn’t really your thing, then you can also get some extra vitamin D from the comfort of your home. Getting enough sunlight has been proven to help improve mental health, although in the UK that can be hard to come by. Try arranging your furniture so that areas where you spend a lot of time are in the parts of your home that get the most light.
Keep Your Colour Scheme Neutral
Finding the right colour scheme for your home is a big part of decorating your home in a way that’s right for you. When it comes to choosing colours that inspire a calming environment, a good rule of thumb to go by is choosing more neutral colours. Our range of specialist paints have heaps of options, whether you want to go for light grey wall paint, or a warmer tone, our range of Little Greene wall paints have plenty of options.
More subdued colours from the Little Greene Paint Company are a wonderful way to make your space feel a bit more airy and open. With a warmer palette, it’s easy to keep your home feeling inviting, while keeping with the spacious feeling.
Whatever colour you go for, just make sure that the one you choose has the right connotations to make you feel at your best in your home.
Feng Shui
This ancient art has been practised in Chinese culture for thousands of years, but what does feng shui mean? Literally, it translates to “wind” and “water”, but in terms of your home decor, it’s actually a fairly simple concept. There are several schools of feng shui, but at its core it involves using your furniture to create a flowing space that’s aligned with your energy.
That all might sound a bit weird, but there’s actually some science behind it, as experts agree that by organising your furniture according to the flowing idea of feng shui people can find themselves to be calmer and less stressed.
