10 Designer Tips for Creating Mindfulness in Your Home

Mindfulness design experts share their best tips for adding more wellness aspects to your home.

By: Meredith Rosenberg

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Mindful Living

Spending more time at home has inspired many to rethink their living spaces. For example, instead of merely considering aesthetics, it's now become imperative to consider wellness issues in your home too. Doing so doesn't have to be expensive or time-consuming, but it does require being mindful of what kind of environment you'd like to create. To that end, we asked interior design experts who recently spoke on wellness-in-design at the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC) for their best tips on creating a wellness-oriented home.

Carve Out a Creative Space

Jessica Davis, owner and creative director of Nest Studio and Atelier Davis, stresses the importance of making room for creative outlets, especially during a period when everyone is spending more time at home. In Jessica's case, that means indulging her painting hobby in a way that fits in with her space. One of her solutions involved buying a beautiful easel that she can leave out for convenience that also works well with her decor.

Consider Kids' Creative Needs

Make your children's creativity into a design feature. Jessica encouraged her children's creativity by allowing them to draw on a canvas with oil pastels (the painting is seen in the previous slide). "It’s like a living, breathing piece of artwork that inspires us to be creative," Jessica says. Jessica also added unicorn wallpaper in her daughter's room that allows her daughter to fill in the color. Not only do these avenues provide creative outlets, but they also eliminate unwanted clutter.

Move Your Desk in Front of a Window

"Now that everyone’s working from home, it’s important to have a desk or workspace that’s facing a window to get natural light," Jessica recommends. It's even better if the window provides a changing view of the world, but anything is preferable to facing a wall.

Bring the Spa to Your Bathroom

Stylist and interior designer Giana Shorthouse is a big fan of taking baths. One way she elevates the experience is by keeping a jar of chamomile flowers next to her bathtub. "I also have a really pretty spoon to dip into the chamomile jar because it makes me feel good about the ritual I’ve created," she says. Giana also suggests adding other spa-inspired touches, such as candles, to increase the sensory journey. "Even just having a really nice robe or towel makes the experience feel more special." Find out how to turn your bathroom into a spa.

Learn More : 75 Dreamy, Spa-Inspired Bathrooms

Use Quality Textiles

Giana notes that is becoming more common for big-chain retailers to carry quality textiles and linens, and changing out items such as throws and bedding is an easy way to bring wellness into your home. "It’s like grocery shopping," Giana observes. "You’re looking at the ingredients to make sure you’re putting something good in your body. Why don’t we do the same with the textiles in our home?"

She recommends choosing natural fibers, not limited to 100% cotton like cotton canvas, linen or wool. "Touch fabrics while shopping and ask yourself, does this bring joy?"

Learn More : 6 Tips for Selecting Luxurious Bedding

Tap Into Color Psychology

Designer Jillian Rooker of Sacred Space Studio is a big advocate of considering color for your home, and finds that many people aren't familiar with the concept of color psychology. "Choosing the right colors benefits the person, not just the space," she explains. For example, Jillian imparts how blues and greens lend a calming and serene mood, while reds and yellows are stimulating. This is especially helpful when rethinking your bedroom. "Determining the right colors is about knowing yourself: Do I have energy or am I usually lethargic?"

But this system can be applied anywhere in your habitat. Jillian emphasizes it's a just a matter of considering, "What do I want my home to help me with?"

Learn More : 50 Inviting Main Bedroom Color Schemes

Add All the Plants

Jillian jokes that she owns about a million plants, but you don't need to go that far in order to enjoy the benefits of fresh greenery. Besides helping to purify and scent the air, Jillian shares how plants help connect us to nature. "We want that connection to Earth," she observes. "We’re so bombarded by materialism that plants are a good reminder of something to take care of."

For those who are intimidated by this prospect, Jillian advises that there are many easy starter options, from snake plants and succulents to ferns and monsteras. The one plant she doesn't recommend? "Fiddle-leaf figs are temperamental; everyone I know kills one," she laughs.

Learn More : Tour an Artsy Atlanta Home Full of Houseplants and Botanicals

Make the Most of Natural Light

Light, Jillian says, affects our moods. "As much as you can, utilize natural light to create highlights and shadow plays, adding more depth to furnishings," she advises.

Simulate Natural Light

But what if your abode doesn't get much natural light? Jillian recommends maximizing what you have, whether that involves moving furniture that may be blocking light or pruning trees outside your windows. Jillian also suggests keeping your space as light and airy as possible, hanging pictures of nature and even changing out lightbulbs. "I like a warm amber glow for artificial lights," she says, advising a 2700 Kelvin color temperature as opposed to a white-blue light that's above 3000 Kelvin. Lampshades matter too, and Jillian says to opt for transparent or lighter shades to help boost your mood.

Consider Balance and Restraint

Tish Mills of Harmonious Living by Tish Mills Interiors spent much of 2020 focusing on how to make spaces more tranquil. One of her key suggestions is to focus on balance and restraint. She likens the process to getting dressed. "You determine where you are going and how you want to look and feel. You start with the base and then add the appropriate layers," she explains. The finishing touch? Choosing the perfect accessories. "Then, follow the fashion rule of removing one," Tish adds. This method of not piling on too much extraneous detail helps to ensure balance and harmony, whatever that looks like to you.

Learn More : 19 Feng Shui Secrets to Attract Love and Money