How our living spaces affect our health

Are you living healthily?

It’s an interesting question. You can live a simple life by furnishing your rooms as practically as possible. Or you can live consciously and design your home so that it has a positive influence on your mental health.

«Shape your rooms, because they shape you.»

This is how Mirjam Meier from Wohnglück GmbH puts it. She uses this philosophy to develop holistic living concepts with the aim of positively shaping people through their living environment. In this article, she explains how we can design our living spaces so that our homes have as positive an impact on our health as possible. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Mirjam Meier for her expertise and support on this fascinating topic.

People and space

Did you know that you can counteract issues like stress, insomnia, low spirits and lack of concentration with the perfect room design? That you can create a supportive home by following a few simple steps? In this article, we share some helpful tips to help you achieve this in your own home. But first: some interesting background information.

Just a few decades ago, people spent 90% of their waking hours outdoors. Work, and therefore most of their life, took place outside. Home had a completely different meaning than it does today when the average person spends around 90% of their time indoors. When we’re not in our workplaces or public spaces, we spend most of our time at home. Spending time in nature used to ground people. We used to be constantly surrounded by lush, green meadows, oxygen-rich trees, vast fields, protective forests, blue skies and naturally curved shapes: the perfect environment.

But what do things look like today? We spend most of our time in closed rooms that consist of angular floor plans, white walls and ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and cool, hard materials like glass, metal and ceramics. Humans are adaptable, but our environment has changed so rapidly that there is now a discrepancy between our needs and reality.

According to home and architectural psychology, which has studied the topic for decades, we are constantly interacting with our surroundings. When we are aware of this, we begin to see these spaces differently. We ask ourselves questions like: What effect does my home have on me? What effect do I want? What is able to flow? Where do I feel stuck? The answers lie in science, be it the ancient Chinese theory of feng shui or modern home psychology.

The following 8 factors contribute to conscious interior design:

A need for safety and protection
Safety and protection are a basic human need. Personal refuge has never been so important. Your own home should be a place where you can retreat and relax. In our private spaces, we want to decide for ourselves whether we have contact with the outside world. If we can’t, we feel watched and defenceless and run the risk of burn-out.

Stimulation level
The level of stimulation determines whether we feel bored, overwhelmed or balanced. Disorganisation, too many objects, a lack of structure and poor acoustics can lead to overload, but sparse rooms without personality can have the opposite effect. We feel most comfortable when the level of stimulation is in the middle. We should therefore aim to have just a few objects, colours and patterns to achieve an optimum level of stimulation.

Integrating nature
Humans are perfectly adapted to nature. Our senses work best in a natural environment, and nature has considerable relaxing effect on us. That’s why it makes sense to integrate nature into our living spaces. This means plants, natural materials like wood, stone, wool and linen, curved shapes and a view of green spaces outside.

Lighting
Optimum lighting is essential for well-being in our living spaces. We recommend two to three light sources per room: ambient lighting, task lighting and accent lighting. The ambience and effect depends on the warmth of the lighting. Cool light awakens and revitalises, like daylight, and so it is perfect for kitchens, bathrooms and offices. Warm light brings cosiness and protection and creates a pleasant atmosphere. It is like a warming open fire and should be used in living rooms and bedrooms.

Use of colour on walls
Colour has a strong effect on our subconscious. A coordinated colour palette that integrates natural colours and brings the outside in has a harmonious and coherent effect on our eyes. Depending on the purpose of the room, its orientation and light, it may make sense to choose a different colour scheme.

Qi flow
Feng shui talks about Qi, a life energy that flows through our home. If it stagnates due to clutter or congested areas, it impacts our own energy flow. If Qi accelerates due to long corridors and floor-to-ceiling windows, it can cause stress. We feel too energised and unstable. The aim is for Qi to move smoothly and leisurely through our rooms to replenish our life energy.

Yin energy
Yin and yang. Round and angular. Soft and hard. Female and male. Today’s architecture is dominated by yang, the masculine energy, and lacks feminine attributes. This makes it all the more important to integrate feminine energy into your home using shapes, materials and colours that create harmony between yin and yang.

10 practical tips for your home:

1. Create a protective and private space with curtains, pleated blinds and plants.
2. Use large objects (lights, decor, carpet, artwork) instead of lots of small ones.
3. Integrate nature with green plants, natural materials, curved shapes, aromas, etc.
4. Use two to three different light sources per room with the right warmth.
5. Add a splash of colour to your walls to create a beautiful ambience and backdrop for furniture.
6. Make sure rooms are tidy and structured by regularly throwing out rubbish and opting for closed cupboards.
7. Integrate yin elements like soft cushions, curtains, rugs and round shapes.
8. If possible, place your sofa and bed against a solid wall with a view of the door and window.
9. Create zones using carpets, shelves and lighting (e.g. a sofa area with a reading chair).
10. Surround yourself with things that make you happy, whether that’s pictures, decorations or furniture.

References:
Wohnglück GmbH, www.wohnglück.ch, Instagram @wohnglueckberatung
“Wohnpsychologie für die Praxis” by Dr Barbara Perfahl
Institute of Living and Architectural Psychology (IWAP)