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Not quite at home?

Home decor
Last Updated 11 June 2009, 13:19 IST
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Everybody wants a beautiful home, but in the name of elegance and style, you would not want to sacrifice health and comfort. Homes to all of us are one of the most important things we will own during our lifetimes.

They not only reflect our personalities and our way of life, but also are our refuge, a sanctuary and a place to be ourselves. This place called home plays an equally important role in our health.

Have you ever come home after a long and stressful day, feeling low and lethargic, only to feel that there is something that bothers you, but you don’t know why or what maybe the trouble? All this, in a major way, is connected with the way your house is done up. By transforming your home or workplace with the right colours, you can lift your mood, improve your health and enhance you and your family’s well-being.

Careful selection of colours

The careful selection of colours can have a positive impact on the space by creating relaxing or stimulating interiors which are in harmony with the house and its inmates.
This is called “interior psychology” design approach which is ideal for the home owner wishing to be more “at home in their home”. It is important to know the power of colours on our lives, while designing homes.

By colours, it need not necessarily be painting the walls in those colours; but more of creating a balance when it comes to painting the house with the right colours in the right place.

Visual stimuli are very important to your health and mental wellness. Do you dream of being somewhere else rather than at home?

But is that always possible? Can you always be on a holiday? Definitely not so, though it is certainly important to create a pleasant sanctuary at home. Interior design is more than colour, carpet and curtains.

Understanding the nature of your house

When selecting elements of design, we gravitate firstly towards the visual appeal. You also need to transform a living space into a health haven that supports you emotionally, mentally and physically.

For that, you need to understand the nature of your house.

Ask yourself questions like what annoys you most at your home, is it clutter, not enough space, does it feel heavy or depressive or noisy? Ask yourself what feeling you would like your home to have.

Would you like it to feel lighter and airy, more secure, more comfortable, more personal, more harmonious, bigger, smaller-whatever it may be. But, there is a solution in the answers to these questions.

Do you prefer a tranquil haven, a busy fun activity house, a cozy hideaway or an arty theme home, (maybe subdued or even vibrant) or get in touch with yourself?

Get back to your last holiday - what did you like there and what you wished you could take home with you? In short, what made you feel good? It is not about a desire of new furnishings or a new house; it’s about the feeling, the impression that triggered emotion and desire that is important.

Maybe you look at a picture that paints nature and feel more relaxed or you want to listen to the sound of rainforest birds and feel more in tune with nature, or may be you feel the fresh crispness of the air after a thunderstorm and you feel clearer.

All you need to do is create an illusion for yourself at home with lighting and sound vibrations which can make the same impact in your place to an extent.

Ways to make it more of a home

Light can make or break the ambience of a space, be it indoors or out.

Sound also plays an important role for a good and relaxed ambience. Whatever sound touches you most can be played as a background in your home. You can let the breeze create the sound for you by placing wind chimes near the windows.

Good cross ventilation is important for the quality of air inside the home.

Scent is important as household smells can ruin the best décor.

You can plant a lemon tree or lavender bush near your windows. The breeze will carry their scent through the house. Alternatively, aromatherapy is an easy way to scent your home. Aromatherapy oils can be used to polish wooden furnishings, or can be placed in cupboards and draws in a satchel. You can dap a drop to hand washes, linen and drapes.

All you have to do is to consider your home rejuvenation a work in progress.
Implement these suggestions by adding colour to get the colour effects, by creating harmony between the indoors and the outdoors, clearing your environment of negativity and illness patterns.

Colour therapy is a marvelous tool that you can integrate in your home treatments. You could fake a stained glass effect on windows.

Try applying mosaic pieces on windows where the sunlight streams in. Experiment to get the right mood.

Crystals which throw a spectrum of light is said to bring increased energy and harmony to a space, can be a good option too.

Applying therapies like light therapy, colour therapy and sound therapy at home to create a balance would ensure that you don’t have to visit doctors on matters related to depression, anxiety and stress.

Also, it would mean less holiday trips out to find solace, because you have catered to the major aspects which give us peace at home.

Balance the colour, light and sound effects at home to wish to come back home after a long, stressful tiring day.

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(Published 11 June 2009, 12:31 IST)

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