Living Well

Five Design Ideas To Create A Healthy Home, Happy Life

I sense a change is taking place…   People are tired,  tired of feeling exhausted and stressed.

 

It is time to slow down and enjoy life more.  Find a balance.

 

Because life is short,  embracing the good and surrounding yourself with positive, healthy ways of living are more important than ever.

 

Don’t get me wrong.   I am the first to get caught up in everyday life.  Little things, that in the big scheme, don’t mean much.

 

But if we can make healthy changes in our home that have a positive impact on our quality of life, isnt this a good thing?

 

 

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Here are five, easy, design ideas to create a healthy home, and therefore, a happy life.   Here goes:

 

1. If you don’t love something in your home or aren’t using it, get rid of it.  Clean out, pair down,  and keep only what speaks to you and brings you joy.

 

End of sentence.   Period.

 

 

 

Bunny Williams
Bunny Williams

 

 

2.  Assign a purpose for every room in your home.  Every single room, even the little “catch-all” closet.     What exactly is the closet going to store?

 

 

3.   LIVE in your home and ENJOY.   No more off-limit rooms or  saving your china just for special occasions…   Use the dishes one night for dinner, just because…..

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4.  Make your home a reflection of you.  Do you like a little edge but your home doesnt quite capture who you are or how you want to reflect your style?  Reach out to a designer and hire someone who can turn your vision into reality.   Ask around and check with their references to make sure their style, type of budget they work with,  and their personality are a good fit for you.

 

5.  Create a space somewhere in your home that makes you feel calm and relaxed.  It doesn’t have to be big space- maybe it is a corner in a room with a chair, a blanket, and a table to place your morning coffee.  Do a little self care and create a spot to call your own.

 

 

 

Dana Wolter Interiors. Photo by Jean Allsopp
Dana Wolter Interiors. Photo by Jean Allsopp

 

 

Hope these five design ideas help you create a healthy home, and therefore bring a little happiness into your life.  Let me know what you think-

 

dana

 

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Living Well

Healthy Home, Happy Life

Are you ready to leave behind the stress you find in your surroundings and create a healthy, happy life that begins before you walk out your front door?

 

 

Your environment is one of the seven top causes of stress, and your surroundings attribute to your health just as much as what you eat,  who you surround yourself with, how much you exercise, etc…

 

 

Think about it…   If you try to eat healthy, exercise, get good sleep, does it make sense to spend the majority of your time in a a space that is cluttered, dark and disorganized?

 

 

A healthy lifestyle is one that encompasses all facets of your life, not just a few areas.

 

 

Don’t get me wrong…..There are days when your house is going to be a mess.  I have had people in and out of my home quite a bit lately, and with the holidays, mine is now.   Too many children pulling things out and not putting them up.

 

 

But the difference is that when you have a mess in a healthy home, it is because things are out of their specific place versus having things randomly lying around and piling up.

 

 

 

Take a step back from your home and make an honest assessment about how your home makes you feel.   Does it bring your joy and peace?

 

 

 

If you find your house a place of uneasiness, apply these few tips to your home and see if you can figure out why :

 

  1. Organize your home so everything has a place.  Incorporate hidden storage where you can create a visual calm and store alike things together.

 

You would never know it, but the hidden door under my stairs allows for all kinds of storage for my family.

 

 

 

 

 

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Dana Wolter Interiors

 

 

 

 

2.  Find a Purpose for every room in your home as no room should serve as a “walk-through” or a room used once or twice a year.   Then take a step back and assess the items in each room.   Do they bring your joy or are they useful?  If neither, it is  time to give them away or throw them out.

 

 

This may also mean switching rooms around, or changing how the furniture is arranged in a room.

 

 

Take this room in this cottage below that we worked on a few years back.  It was a walk-through room, a catch-all, and the it was the largest room in the house.  

 

 

By changing the type of furniture placed in this room, we were able to create a place to sit and relax, play on your phone, read a good book, etc…  The chaises draw you in to sit and stay for awhile.

 

 

 

 

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BEFORE

 

 

 

 

Dana Wolter Interiors
Dana Wolter Interiors

 

 

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You can see more Before and After of this house from this previous post here.

 

 

 

We did the same thing with this home.  The biggest room in their house was the “walk-through’ room.  It was rarely used while this family of seven used a small sitting room off the kitchen to watch tv.

 

 

 

BEFORE
BEFORE

 

 

 

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What you can’t see in this picture is that we tucked a television on a side wall that can be pulled out when needed.  Our goal was to create a family-friendly space for this family to enjoy while keeping it formal enough to serve as a living room if needed.   Mission accomplished!

 

 

 

3. Find a Balance with how your home flows and functions.   Your home should work well for everyday living and be able to transition to host a party when needed. 

 

 

4.   What makes you smile and bring your joy?  Whether it is a sparse room, layered objects, bright colors, or a wall filled with books, use discernment in adding these touches to your space.   Find ways to add what makes you smile to bring you Warmth and Joy in your house.

 

 

 

Elle Decor, Photography by Alyssa Rosenheck
Chad James Interior Design, Elle Decor, Photography by Alyssa Rosenheck

 

 

If you need help into turning your house into one you love, reach out to us here.   We would love to hear from you.

 

Here’s to a healthy, happy life-

 

Dana

 

 

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