12 Ways to Design Your Home for Health + Wellness

If you're unfamiliar, wellness architecture and design is a growing trend that incorporates healthy living into new and existing homes. Paul Scialla established the International WELL Building Institute in order to set wellness design standards, and defines it as such: "All the elements that surround us indoors — air quality, water quality, lighting, thermal, acoustics, biophilic elements... [have] a direct impact on our respiratory, cardiovascular, immune, cognitive, digestive, and sleep health outcomes."

This holistic approach is what differentiates this area from green building, which mainly focuses on using environmentally responsible materials.

Thanks to the pandemic, concern over air quality has seen the biggest uptick in 2020. According to Paul, "A year ago, if you asked 100 people, probably one out of 100 would have had a thought, concern, opinion, care or even awareness of indoor air quality. That number one year later is 99 out of 100," he says. One of the main ways Paul addresses wellness design is by using a state-of-the-art technology system called Darwin, which works to monitor and filter air and water pollution and control circadian lighting.

Paul says that his company sells air filter systems that can remove particles as small as .007 microns. The EPA found that air cleaners must be able to remove particles in the 0.1 range in order for them to effective against viruses, but that these units must be used along with other measures to protect against COVID.

For a more accessible alternative to installing expensive air systems, consider an air purifier. "There are stand-alone air cleaners that have technology such as air quality sensors built in to the units to help to know when the air quality is bad, and then increase their operating speed to help remove pathogens and particulate matter in the air that are bad for your health," says Jan Vitrofsky, who founded building technology company HEDsouth in 1984. His company also offers DARWIN technology to help with home automation.

Veronica Schreibeis Smith, CEO and founding principal of Vera Iconica Architecture, another pioneer in the wellness architecture movement, says just adding plants can make a difference in your home's air quality. Biophilic elements — essentially incorporating nature and natural elements into your home — are considered an integral part of wellness design.

Many older range hoods aren't properly venting cooking fumes, especially from gas stoves, creating a leading cause of home air pollution. This problem can be solved by choosing one that's properly sized for your range and directs fumes outside instead of recirculating the air in your kitchen.

Related to air, Veronica says she's noticed more customers wanting sanitizing UV lights in their home. For example, a recent Columbia University study found that far-UVC lights had the ability to kill 99.9% of seasonal coronavirus present in airborne droplets using ultraviolet light. Veronica recommends light company Healthe for its far-UVC light offerings.

Speaking of light, it can be an overlooked part of having a healthy home, yet it plays a large role. "You probably won't find too many people you ask who don't want to sleep deeper or have more energy during the day. And that's exactly what circadian lighting can deliver for you," says Paul from Delos. The company offers this energizing mirror, for example. In the morning it provides a bright white light to help you wake up, and switches to a softer setting come evening to help your body wind down.

Another way to harness circadian lighting is by using automated shades. "Having circadian rhythm lighting in a home helps the body be in tune with the sun's clock and our own circadian clock, which ties into our body's ability to produce the correct hormonal elements such as melatonin for sleep and the correct color of light to awake, and to be energized when the body needs it most," says Jan Vitrofsky.

Besides air and light, water is another top home concern. Companies such as Delos can go beyond Brita filters by customizing water filtration based on local water impurities. It achieves this by collecting a home water sample with third-party lab analysis along with reviewing up to a decade of water quality from the local utility company. Based on the results, Delos offers different types of filters for different types of contaminants, not limited to heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals such as benzene.

Instead of a trash compactor or compost buckets, counters can now include a composter that freezes food waste and minimizes bad odors, all while facilitating food breakdown without taking up extra space.

When it comes to the comfort part of wellness design, sound is a key component. This is especially true for maintaining a quiet environment, such as in the bedroom. One way to achieve that is by adding acoustic panels wherever your home needs it most — a simple solution that can vastly improve quality of life.

Mental health has become as critical as physical wellbeing in this new trend for wellness architecture. Veronica has noticed clients requesting dedicated meditation and/or yoga spaces in their homes, including new builds. Since she's all about multfunctional spaces, these areas don't need to be a separate room as long as there is an area that can easily transform from a work zone to yoga zone, for example. In order to create your own, Veronica recommends choosing a spot with a view or facing east or north, then removing any clutter. Add a few inspirational items, such as a statue, incense or artwork. Round it out with whatever you'll need for your practice, whether that's a meditation cushion, yoga mat, blocks, blankets, etc.