In Happy Inside: How to Harness the Power of Home for Health and Happiness Michelle Ogundehin explores wellness within interior design, more specifically she implores us to ask ourselves ‘is our home serving us or our social media feed?’ People are increasingly decorating and purchasing items for their homes based solely on influential images and characters from social media – but is this really how we should be building the spaces around us? Michelle combines the basics of wellness and design to describe how we can avoid the pitfalls of ‘influence’ over substance when it comes to creating a home we love and thrive within.
CALMING COLOURS
It is a fundamental rule that in order to create a calming and serene space, your colour palette should be a pale, white based shade and hue. Michelle takes this rule one step further by introducing the idea of a six colour maximum when decorating. Enough colours to create variation whilst remaining cohesive, calming and emotionally lifting.
Your home can be your secret superpower and, now more than ever, we need to be able to find solace, not stress, in the house
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE DINING TABLE
The togetherness of the dining space is crucial when it comes to a composed and relaxing environment, and Michelle asks that we prioritise the dining table when decorating. The ritual of eating and its direct correlation with mindfulness as well as the connection we make with friends, family and loved ones around the dinner table are crucial components of the dining experience at home.
QUIETEN THE NOISE
Michelle highlights how a peaceful and still space can enhance our mental well being and improve our brain function. Switching off devices and alarms to enhance the quiet calm as well as selecting specific home appliances that are hushed and stealth in their function.
The most important question to ask yourself is NOT “How do I want my home to look?” but “How do I want to feel inside my home?”
ACTIVE REST
Creating an area specifically for you to take pause and self reflect is key when enhancing our happiness and wellness in the home. A desirable corner to sit and read, listen to music or simply take an indulgent nap is all we need to undo the stress and chaos of our ‘work mode’.
Lean into what you have, not what you lack.
Michelle lists 5 easy ways to add wellness to your home:
- Hang ‘feel good’ images that promote positivity
- Clean your windows regularly
- Get rid of broken items that need fixing (but you never find the time to)
- Position your bed towards something beautiful, whether it be a window, image or photograph of loved ones
- Light a candle at night – even if you are on your own
Jalan Interior 