SHADES OF WELLNESS

There’s a powerful link between our homes and our happiness, with interiors playing a crucial role in enhancing this connection. Read on for eight easy decorating ideas to boost wellbeing...

- JENNY OLDAKER

1 BIOPHILIC BEAUTY

From adding houseplants or maximising natural light to mimicking the natural world in our decor, introducing elements of biophilia can significantly help to improve our home environment. Using organic materials, such as wood, stone and natural fibres, in favour of synthetics, can help to further enhance this effect, grounding us and engendering a connection to nature. Chloe Bullock, founder of Materialise Interiors and author of Sustainable Interior Design, explains that the concept is far from a new fad: 'In Florence Nightingale's book, Notes on Hospitals, published in 1863, she shared her extensive knowledge of hospital design, which included biophilic design principles in which nature promotes recovery, with headboards positioned close to windows for views of nature and reading by daylight.'

2 ART FOR THE HOME

If you feel a sense of peace in art galleries, you're not alone. An increasing body of research suggests that viewing art increases dopamine and reduces stress and anxiety.

As such, living with visual art can contribute to our emotional wellbeing, so filling our homes with pictures or sculptures is important – they don't need to be expensive masterpieces, as long as they speak to your heart and aesthetic senses. 'We are lucky to be living in an age when original art has become so accessible to the average household,' enthuses Tiffany Panter, of London gallery Panter & Hall. 'Whether we own our own homes or not, it is the artwork that adds character to our surroundings, expressing our personalities and creating that sense of home that we all need in our lives.'

3 COLOUR THEORY