Is Your Home Your Happy Place?

At Smith Ogden Interior Design, we believe that a beautiful, well-designed home makes you happier. Sound a little superficial? A luxury not everyone can afford? People have far bigger issues in life than what colour to paint their living room walls or whether to opt for hard floors or carpet, right? Perhaps, but these decisions really do have a significant impact on our overall sense of happiness and well-being. Bear with us and we’ll explain where we’re coming from…

Architects and psychologists have long been in-agreement that our surroundings influence our mood, feelings and behaviour. Churches have lofty, high ceilings promoting a spiritual sense of awe; fast food restaurants typically have bright colour schemes to attract our attention and stimulate our appetite; cottages have low ceilings and open fires making us feel warm and cosy. You know all of this and you get the idea!

Lighting, colours, acoustics and aesthetics play a big role on our psychology. If you are not comfortable within your environment, you are not at ease. Your home is your sanctuary, so you should feel happy and relaxed in it.

With increased demands on our time, our lives have become busier and more hectic. Coming home to an interior that makes us feel good and positive is critical, not just to our general state of happiness, but to our overall well-being. A sense of balance and harmony within our home décor scheme is not a luxury; it’s essential for the good of our health!

At Smith Ogden Interior Design, we are big fans of Biophilic Design: the main principle of this rests on humanity’s innate need to connect to nature and the natural environment. Biophilia may sound more like a disease than a cure but, trust us, it makes perfect sense! Who doesn’t feel calm and peaceful when looking out to sea; or uplifted and invigorated after a brisk walk in the fresh air! We all notice the benefits we experience when we are closer to nature. Incorporating aspects of the outdoors in our homes has a fantastic impact on our mental and physical health and there have been many

scientific studies supporting this. Simply adding plants to your home has been proven to reduce stress, help with focus and even boost immunity. As well as adding greenery, there are lots of other ways to ‘bring the outdoors in’ for instance via colour schemes and patterns, increasing natural light and incorporating natural materials.

As well as being influenced by nature and psychology, our approach to interiors is also an interplay of practical design and artistic flair. Some of this feels instinctive – light colours open up a room; a cluttered home with too many items drawing the eye is not a relaxing place to be – but we recognise that creating a stylish, clutter-free home can be easier said than done! Especially when you are pushed for time, with a demanding job and maybe a busy family too with all that it entails…not forgetting so much stuff to accommodate!

Using the expertise and experience of an interior designer can be a very cost-effective way to achieve the home you desire. We are all deserving of good health so it follows that good interior design should be accessible for everyone. We are currently offering a FREE in-home design consultation for anyone who contacts us before the end of March 2020. Please get in touch to book your consultation or if you would like any further information. Drop us a line on hello@sointeriordesign.co.uk or call 07595 155757. We’d love to help you create a ‘happy place’ that is your home.