How Your Home Might Be Sabotaging Your Life — and How Our Interior Design Services Can Help

As humans, we are very much impacted by the environments around us. Environmental psychology tells us this. The ancient art of feng shui is rooted in this awareness, too. 

That’s why it’s so mission-critical that your home — the place where you can most readily control the environment where you spend a large chunk of time — is positively affecting the way you feel, rather than the inverse.

Color, texture, shape, lighting, ceiling height, and more all have the power to produce emotional responses — especially when you are a Sensitive in interior design (and you probably are, if you’re reading this blog!).

At IDH, we know just how much your home can influence your life, which is why our interior design services include a specific discovery process to develop your personalized design fingerprint. 

When it’s not ‘home sweet home’

If you are an interior design lover and are extra-attuned to your surroundings, there’s a good chance that the designed environment affects you at a greater level and that you view your home as an extension of yourself. 

A number of studies have shown that if you put this type of person in an environment that is a total aesthetic miss, they report feeling badly.

In my interior design classes, I always ask my students to describe how their least favorite room in their home makes them feel. The responses are always resoundingly negative — everything from uncomfortable, to frustrated, sad, antsy, and more. They don’t want to spend time there; they try not to look at it; they hate the way it feels.

These are all huge mood killers — even starting at the subconscious level. And none of this is doing any favors for our mental and emotional well-being. Add to that any meaningless chaos or clutter in the home, and it’s a recipe for poor mental health and a lot of unnecessary negativity swirling around in our heads. 

The home should function as a haven

The news cycle and the world is tough enough — your home shouldn’t add to even low-level stress. When you think about what your home has the power to do — to lift, buffer, and nurture you — why not stack the deck in your own favor?

There’s a concept called propinquity – the things you spend the most time with affect the way you feel. So, if you love where you live — if every single thing brings joy — the payoff is huge. 

From the moment you wake up, and every second in between — including, walking back in the door at the end of a long day — your home can be that haven of peace. It’s a game-changer.

Are your eyes bigger than your home plate?

When we’re helping to develop a dream home’s blueprint with a talented builder and architect, we sometimes watch the home getting bigger and bigger. Bigger can mean better, depending on your needs and preferences. But not always!

Something I like to always remind as a cautionary tale is this: With every extra room, there must be extra budget to design and furnish it. No one fantasizes about entering an empty room and sitting on crates!

Consider this… is it better to have a home that’s half-empty and under-designed — or are you better suited with slightly less home that’s all fully and wonderfully designed to your liking and that makes you feel your best.

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Living your best life really does start at home. At IDH, we think about everything that encompasses your unique tastes and lifestyle needs across the entirety of your home so we can make your interior design dreams come true.

Let’s turn those sabotaging spaces into impeccable success stories. Contact us today!