Interior design for well-being

Stylish and comfortable living room harmoniously integrating a variety of furnishing pieces and unique artworks. Curved and straight shapes, matt and polished finishings, rough and silky textures are masterfully balanced. The splashes of royal blue and fuchsia in the middle of serene whites have a pleasant awakening effect. Interior design by Stéphanie Coutas. Photo credit: @stéphaniecoutas.

Feeling the support of the bookcase behind our back has a comforting mental effect of security. Interior design by Helen Green Design Studio. Photo credit: @hgdstudio.

In these two images, we see symmetrical interior compositions on grand and small scales. The strong shapes and contrast colours in this Paris Saint Sulpice property are softened through harmonious symmetrical order. Interior design by Jean-Louis Deniot. Photo credit: www.deniot.com (1st picture). A master of symmetry, William R. Eubanks never leaves himself a possibility to insert symmetry in his richly layered interiors and in this way emphasise the beauty of each and every feature (2nd picture). Photo credit: @williamreubanks.

The preference for minimalist or richly layered interiors is highly individual and depends, among other things, on cultural traditions, personal taste and experiences. Whatever style we choose, it is important that it is not influenced by fashion trends or other external factors but corresponds to our personality and is really the style in which we want to live. This is because, our interior surroundings can have a harmful, neutral or thriving effect on us.

Only an interior that is in unison with our identity,
i.e. projects our personality at that very moment
but also the personality who we want to be,
is supportive and positively stimulating.

In recent decades, two clear interior design trends have become pronounced: depersonalised, hotel-like neutral style and, in contrast, a style boasting the extreme anarchy of bold colours and patterns. It seems as though anonymity and alienation, especially in the business world, have imposed fear of colour and self-expression. With the opening of society to authenticity and diversity, which we are witnessing, people embrace their subjective way to live out their true selves, including making design choices for their homes that may not be in vogue but are personally sublimely pleasant.

It is essential for our physical and mental health to keep our circadian rhythm in sync with the solar rhythm of our geographical location on the planet, i.e. our wake & sleep cycle overlaps our exposure to light and darkness. Mismatched light can disturb our natural body clock. As a consequence, a disturbed body clock leads to stress and depression. Therefore experiencing the following natural flow of light is a vital law:

• Daylight and sunshine fill every room during the day;
• The transition from daylight to artificial evening light indoors flows seamlessly and in synchronicity with the changing the intensity of the natural light outside;
• Natural and/or artificial light, including the blue light emitted from electronic devices, are completely blocked during the night.

In our thousands of years of evolutionary development, we humans have been strongly connected to nature. Therefore the presence of nature in all its forms such as a window view, plants and flowers, green colour, artworks with images of the natural world, architecture and interior wood components has an indispensable and beneficial effect on people’s psyche. A bouquet of flowers makes us feel happy every time we see it; green leafy interior plants reduce stress; a window view of mountains, garden, trees or flowers is always pleasant; humans perceive green colour as relaxing; even scenes of nature in artworks can lift our spirit. The uniquely cosy atmosphere of a chalet is mainly due to the generous use of wood in the architecture and furnishings.