How Interior Design Affects Our Health - Part Two
Let’s talk about Plants, Color, and Artwork!
Today we are going to finish up our Design & Health series by talking about Plants or Flowers, Color, and Artwork. These three areas of design can make a big impact on the way we feel in our spaces each and every day. If you missed part one, we talked about Sunlight or Natural Light, and Space & Organization. Click Here to read that blog post!
Plants & Flowers
Having plants and/or flowers in our homes can improve our health in several ways. Science has proven that looking at plants or being around them can decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety, boost creativity, and reduce stress. Plants also are great for the air quality! They can help filter the air in your home and reduce allergens and toxins. They can increase oxygen levels in the air, stabilize the humidity, and more!
Having flowers in your home can also help increase your mood. I love to pick up a pretty bouquet while I’m out grocery shopping. Something about fresh colorful flowers on my counter just makes me smile!
What if you have a black thumb? Well good news is that fake plants and flowers have been shown to have many of the same effects on our mental health as real ones do! You can reap almost all of the same benefits from faux plants as you can from real ones, except for the air filtering qualities.
Visiting a local nursery is a great way to see several different plant and flower options. In Tulsa, my favorite place for this is Southwood. They have a huge selection of plants, flowers, planter pots, and even some really great quality faux plants and flowers too!
Southwood Nursery & Garden Center in Tulsa, OK
Check your local farmers markets too. Those are great places to find new flower farms and florists! The Rose District Farmers Market in downtown Broken Arrow is one of the best farmers markets around Tulsa. So many great local vendors and gorgeous plants and flowers there!
A Vendor selling flowers and vegetables at the Rose District Farmers Market in Broken Arrow, OK
For fresh flower bouquets on my counter I love to just grab them when the mood strikes me at the grocery store or when I’m out shopping. There are also flower subscriptions at some local florists that will deliver fresh bouquets to you a few times a month! My favorite flower farm in the Tulsa area to get fresh flowers from is Slick Chick Blooms. She has the most beautiful bouquets and some really unique flowers you won’t find at your generic grocery store.
A bucket of fresh cut flowers from Slick Chick Blooms flower farm
Color
The way color effects our mood and wellness is probably the most scientifically studied and well-documented design elements there is. Not only do different colors effect us differently, but the brightness and saturation of a color also plays a part in the way it makes us feel.
The brightness of a color refers to how much white is in it, or how light it is. These more pale, brighter colors tend to have a calming effect on us. They make us feel more relaxed and at ease in a space. Think about the way an intense red shade can make you feel anxious and on edge. Brighten up the red with more white, making a pale pink shade, and you’ve got a color that is easier on the eyes and more calming.
More intense, saturated colors like Dark emerald green or deep navy blue tend to be more energizing and bold and make us feel less relaxed, and more alert.
On top of the way brightness and shade make us feel, colors also have strong cultural meanings that have been burned into our brains since we were little.
Colors like royal blue and purple are usually associated with royalty and wealth. Green is also usually a symbol of money, but can also be associated with nature and outdoors. Yellow is commonly seen as a happy, cheerful color, and is often associated with friendship. Red is typically used for warnings and danger signs. It is also the color of love and passion.
The temperature of color also plays a large part in design. Cool colors like blue, turquoise, and green tend to make us feel cooler. That could be why they are used in a lot of beach homes where the weather is typically very warm.
Warm colors like Red, Orange, and Yellow are usually considered “Fall” colors because of the color of the leaves on trees this time of year, but also because they make us feel warmer and are reminiscent of fire.
If you’re looking for a way to incorporate color psychology into your home, think about the way you want to feel in specific spaces. Using colors that energize and inspire like orange or yellow, may be a good idea in an office or playroom.
Calming, relaxing colors like light blue and turquoise are commonly used in bathrooms to achieve a spa like feel.
Lavender could be a nice color for a bedroom because it can help calm and relax as well.
Orange or red in the kitchen is common to brighten the space and help give you energy.
Of course, you will also want to think about the way colors make you feel personally! sometimes we love, or hate a color based on past experiences and memories. The way we think of colors personally is always going to play a bigger part in our lives than what society and tradition tell us. So if you really LOVE the color orange and want to put it in your bedroom, even though it isn’t traditionally the most calming color, go for it! At the end of the day, it is your home. Doing what makes YOU happy and comfortable in your space is what is most important.
Artwork
Having artwork in your home has been shown to have a positive impact on mental health and wellness. Similar to color theory, artwork can evoke feelings of happiness or calm, but some artwork can also make us feel sad or even angry. The way art effects our thoughts and feelings has a lot to do with social norms, but also our personal experiences that shape the way we see images and the feelings they create. This will be different for everyone! Artwork is a very personal thing.
The best way to incorporate artwork into your home is by making sure the pieces you pick have personal meaning to you. Maybe it’s a map of a significant place in your past. Maybe its a painting of the countryside in France where you hope to travel to one day. Maybe its a photograph of a lily because those were your grandmother’s favorite flowers. There are so many ways that artwork can have personal meaning for us.
Another great way to get unique artwork into your home is by commissioning a custom piece from a local artist! It will be completely unique to you, and have local ties to your community all while helping another person’s business!
a great example of displaying several different pieces of art in your home with a gallery wall
What I absolutely DON’T suggest doing is just going down to a big box store and picking something off the shelf just to simply fill a space on your wall. I believe it’s okay to leave a blank space in your home in anticipation of the right piece to put there. Don’t just grab something that has no meaning to you because you feel like you need something on your blank wall. Wait until you find something meaningful and personal! It is 100% okay to leave a blank space.
I hope this series has been helpful to you! There are so many ways that design impacts our everyday health and well-being. These definitely aren’t the only ways! Leave a comment below of how you’ve incorporated plants, color, or artwork in your space and how those things have helped your mental health!
If you need help implementing some of these ideas into your home, contact us! We would love to help you design a space that improves your health.
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