Regardless of whether you are a renter or a homeowner, your home should be a place where you can relax completely. Even if you are on a tight budget, it is possible to create a home that prioritizes wellness. Here, designer bedroom specialists, Tara Neil share their essential three tips to help.
Start with functionality
The foundation of a well home is functionality. It is fine if you know there’s still room for improvement. Renters are likely to have to work around a home’s limitations. Homeowners with limited funds to spare will also have to do so, at least in the short term. There does, however, need to be a baseline level of functionality.
Generally, the best way to ensure that your home functions as you need it to be to zone it effectively. Start by thinking carefully about how you spend an average day and then an average week. Think about whether this fluctuates over a year. Figure out roughly how much time you spend on each activity. Then think about how important each activity is to you.
Use these calculations to guide you on how to make the most of your available space and budget. Feel free to get creative and expand the spaces you need most by “stealing” space from other areas. For example, if you are stuck with a tiny kitchen, then take over some of the space in the next room for storage.
Whenever possible, think about separating “work” areas from “play” areas. Similarly, try to create a mixture of open “public” spaces and more “private” spaces. Even if you live on your own, there may be times when you prefer the feeling of more open spaces and times when you prefer more intimate ones.
Think about light and air
Light and air are both functional and essential for wellness. When looking at light, your first priority should be to ensure that you have sufficient functional lighting. That means ambient and task lighting.
After this, however, you can think about how to use lighting to enhance your wellness. For example, you might want to look at colour-changing light bulbs. These can be a fantastic way to evoke a particular atmosphere without making a permanent commitment. You could also look at options such as salt lamps and candles (real or LED).
In addition to thinking about light, remember to think about darkness. This is particularly important in bedrooms. Long summer days can be wonderful, but they can also make it extremely hard to sleep. Depending on where you live, you may also have problems with light pollution in winter.
Similarly, it is vital that a home has effective ventilation otherwise people may get ill. This has to mean bringing in plenty of fresh air from outside. It is highly preferable if you can open windows. To ensure the quality of your air, you may want to consider using an air filter.
Appeal to all the senses
In the real world, the sounds, textures, smells and even tastes of a home can make a significant impact on your overall wellness. Keep this in mind as you are creating your home. In particular, be aware of the importance of soundproofing, especially in the modern world.
You can create quiet for yourself by using noise-cancelling headphones. Over the long term, however, this can be damaging to your ears. It is much healthier to block out unwanted sounds with proper soundproofing. For practical purposes, textiles are usually the most cost-effective way to do this.
If you have to live with a hard floor (or prefer them), then use as many rugs as you can. If you are concerned about caring for them, then look for ones that can go in the washing machine. In areas where excess noise is a major issue, you may want to look at sound-absorbing panels.
