How do you feel in the space you live and work?
Is it positive, could improvements be made? If the answer is yes then read on!
Here at Macánta Interiors we really do believe that our health is our wealth and that what we are surrounded by really can have a positive or negative effect on our mental or physical health.
Over the last few years, our mental health has been greatly challenged and changes that need to be made have become even more apparent.
The first step in considering where to start is by doing an assessment, what is working and not working?
Does the space look great but doesn’t function well or vice versa?
With good design and planning, its possible to tick both boxes, but what really is a holistic or wellness based interior you ask.
A health conscious interior is one that is one that aims to have a positive effect of both our physical and mental health, so considering things like air quality and layout of the space, lighting levels and material toxicity are some of the many things we consider.
The building and decorative materials we use can play a huge part in the air quality in a space, some interior styles naturally use more natural materials due to the design principles relevant to that style such as a scandinivian Interior.
For a case study on an eco built home, check out this article on riba.com about an eco built home designed by Architect Jake edgely for his family.
They also recommended for further research- Eco-minimalism: the antidote to eco-bling.
Low toxicity paints, or toxic free paints play a big role in the quailty of the air we breathe in and our toxic footprint, brands such as lakeland paints, little knights, benjamin moore,Eico, coat paint, farrow and ball, and Edward Bulmer regarded as a pioneer of eco paints are just a few of the many options that are out there. Links below
So with that physical side of health covered in paint, what about how it can affect our mental health?
Well there really is so much to say, depending on what you are trying to achieve with color, its important to decide what you are trying to do, are you a business with a particular message in mind, are you trying to encourage a particular behaviour or achieve a goal?
Take Mc Donald’s for example, there is a reason that their branding color’s are red and yellow, its because this combination promotes hunger, not good for us but great for their tills. I am going to write a more in depth post on psychology of color tomorrow night, so keep an eye out.
Other considerations are simple things like the layout and organisation of a space. This is very much down to your personal circumstances, how your live or work in a space, what it is used for etc. When a space works well, this can have a really positive affect on our stress levels.
Things to consider are the likes of the ergonomic triangle when designing your kitchen and the art of xen when creating your layouts.
Considering the style of Interior that will suit your personality is also really important, once again, think about how you want to feel in the space, rather that just choosing products and color’s you like, a particular style of interior wills suit one persons personality more than another.
For example, I personally could never live in too much clutter or detail so an eclectic mix interior would not suit me, as clutter makes me feel stressed especially with a bold color palette. I will delve deeper into this in another blog post.
Considering lighting types and levels, whether is is artificial or natural light, these both have their part to play, for example, I love natural lots of natural light in the day, but in the evening the darker the better as it takes a lot for me to relax and calm down after a busy day
A spaces thermal and acoustic properties are also important considerations, let’s look further into this when we delve into materials on future blog posts.
We should also consider how we can work with materials and furniture we already have by upcycling and reworking a material we already have to suit our current need, we can also source things from thrift stores, vintage markets to name just a few, but of course this is not at the detriment of the space looking great or functioning well. It’s just all about being more considerate when the opportunity arises.
Another really interesting concept is biophilic design, “which uses natural resources to create a sense of harmony between modern architecture and the natural world”(pebble mag.com). We will also look deeper into this in a following blog post.
These are just some of the considerations when designing your space, but each of these points have days worth of information to them which is why I want to do separate blog posts to delve deeper.
For me a holistic Interior is just a well planned considered space, not a space that is just created to look great. Our interiors should have a positive effect on our daily lives for one reason or another.
I hope this is food for though for your next project and I look forward to sharing lots more on holistic interiors when we dig deeper into each of the areas mentioned above.
For an assessment of the health of your Interior, you can book a consult with me(listed on my services page) bookable by either filling out the form on my contact page of giving me a call.
Happy Monday all!
Danielle @Macánta Interior
