How Your Home Design Can Boost Your Well-Being and Happiness in the New Year
Design by AM Interior Design Full Service Interior Design. Lakewood, Colorado
Your home is more than just a place to sleep, it’s where your children take their first steps, learn, grow, it's where your family's story unfolds. Your home is the backdrop for your family’s milestones, and where life's every day moments become cherished forever memories.
Research shows and we spend 90% of our time indoors, and after many years designing for healthcare and education environments, I have witnessed first hand the profound impact thoughtfully designed spaces can have. A well designed space is more than just beautiful aesthetics, it has the power to elevate your well-being, deepen connection, nurture your lifestyle and bring happiness to everyday life.
Here are the insights and expertise I've gained over the years, along with the latest design ideas, to help you create a home that inspires joy, fosters connection and wellness for you and your family.
1. Encourage Spaces That Support Emotional Well-Being
A cluttered home often leads to a cluttered mind, but intentional, open and bright spaces can offer calm and clarity. Design choices that prioritize organization, flow, and comfort can significantly reduce stress and create a sense of harmony.
Full Service Interior Design by AM Interior Design. Evergreen, Colorado
Design tools for wellness with space planning:
Incorporate open layouts that allow for easy movement and reduce feelings of overcrowding.
Use smart storage solutions to keep surfaces free of clutter, making the space feel more serene.
Create designated zones for relaxation, play, and work to provide balance and purpose.
Allow for as much natural light as possible
Connection to the outdoors: allow for as much natural light as possible
2. Happiness with Color
Anybody that knows me knows that I love neutral and tranquil color pallets. However, I know first hand how colors influence our emotions in powerful ways in both commercial and residential design. This year, warm tones and optimistic pops of color are trending, giving you the opportunity to balance tranquility with brightness and bold sophisticated statements.
Architecture by Ken Listen Architects and Palmer Weiss
Full Service Interior Design by AM Interior Design. Lakewood, Colorado
Design tools for wellness with color:
Don't be afraid of color, you can start in small quantities. Choose soft, neutral tones like soft greens, warm grays, caramels, or sky blue for walls to create a calming backdrop.
Add cheerful and more strong accents like burgundy and stronger blues in decor.
Use color intentionally in different areas—soft tones in bedrooms for rest, and bright hues in kitchen and play areas for joy and energy.
Connection to the outdoors: bring colors on a nature inspired wallpaper, pillows, rugs, fresh flowers and nature scents.
Wallcovering: Schumacher
4. Designing for Connection
Did yo know that the layout of your home can foster more meaningful interactions within your family? Spaces that encourage connection and togetherness contribute to stronger relationships, meaningful bonds and a happier day to day interaction.
Design Tools to increase connection through your home design:
Create cozy gathering spaces, like a sectional sofa around a fireplace, or a large dining table for meals with personalized decor as conversation starters.
Incorporate multi-functional areas where your family can work, play, and relax together.
For larger or smaller homes, include a mix of private and public spaces, to balance connection with the need for personal and quiet time, especially with children at home.
Connection to the outdoors: as the temperatures drop, start by ensuring that outdoor heaters or fire pits are in working order. For families with young children, I always recommend ceiling-mounted or wall-mounted heaters, which offer a safer alternative to freestanding models. During the hot summer months Adding misters to an umbrella or patio cover can lower the temperature by up to 10 degrees. Placing a rug on concrete can also create a more comfortable, cooler surface, especially important if you have a children constant walking barefoot.
5. Sensory and Cozy Design:
If your home appeals to all the senses, it becomes a haven for relaxation and happiness. From the way a room smells to the textures you touch, every element can contribute to your and your family’s well-being.
Full Service Interior Design by AM Interior Design. Golden, Colorado
How to Design for Well-Being through sensory decor:
Choose soft, cozy fabrics like velvet, wool, or organic cotton for furniture and accents.
Use diffusers in lieu of scented candles to keep the littleness safe. With calming fragrances like lavender or citrus.
Acoustics: make sure to Incorporate sound-absorbing materials like carpets, acoustic panels, fabrics, rugs and curtains to reduce noise and create a peaceful atmosphere.
6. Personalization and telling YOUR STORY
Happiness doesn’t come from materiality, it comes from an emotion, a feeling, a sense of ownership and identity in your home. Personalized touches make your home uniquely yours, reflecting your family’s story, beautiful moments that you have spend together and your values and adventures.
How to Design for Well-Being through your life treasures:
Display meaningful family photos, travel adventures, your child’s artwork.
Incorporate custom-built furniture or one-of-a-kind décor pieces that tell your style and story.
Incorporate carefully design spaces that align with your hobbies, like a reading nook, a craft room, a yoga room or corner, a quiet cozy space for you and your kids.
Full Service Interior Design by AM Interior Design. Lakewood, Colorado
7. Kid-Friendly Details
Design by AM Interior Design with MOA Architecture. Littleton Colorado
Design by AM Interior Design Full Service Design. Morrison, Colorado
You don’t have to scarify design and sophistication for practicality; A home that is uniquely yours, with the perfect balance of practicality and your style, perfectly tailored to your family’s lifestyle; will help increased your happiness and day to day bonding with your kids. Playful, intentional touches in dedicated areas will transform your home into a heaven where you and your family will thrive.
How to Design for Well-Being through kid friendly spaces:
Evaluate the ages of your children and their current needs. Remember safety always first, especially with small children
Make it interesting for both parent and child.
Movement spaces are extremely important.
Provide a cozy area to encourage love of reading and self-connection
Provide A table for board-games and lots of storage solutions
No matter the age, allow your children to to have access to their toys
Opt for durable, family-friendly materials that let you focus on the fun, not the mess.
Design by AM Interior Design Full Service Design. Morrison, Colorado
Remember, design is more than just aesthetics, it’s about creating spaces that support you and your family, a home that celebrates your life, your story, your experiences and growth. It is about going beyond treads and utilizing these tools to create a home that nurtures your lifestyle, your happiness, your soul; a home that supports your mental health and encourages you and your love ones to create memories that will last a lifetime.
