Did You Know that a Beautiful Home is a Healthy Home?

Seemingly mundane things, such as paint, can affect mood and ambiance, as well as beauty. And even more so, things in disrepair, or things disorganized and helter-skelter, create an inner chaos as well. Just as a smooth pond or water element creates a feeling of calmness and relaxation, so does a cohesive connected home create feelings of peace, and ultimately, of health and happiness.

The best way to begin to create the beauty in your home, and to enhance health and peace, is to look at the things around you that need repair. Have you ever sat in a waiting room filled with people coughing and sneezing, looking wan and ill? How did that make you feel? We are easily influenced, suggestible, by the world around us. So broken screens, discolored paint, missing molding, piles of clutter or the sense of disorganization will often make you feel out of sorts, disgruntled, even sick. 

Room by room, evaluate how you feel when you are there. Does your bedroom reflect the need for quiet, with subtle colors, comfortable bed and bedding, room-darkening drapes? Are there piles of paper or books, stacked around at random, which might distract you from the purpose of the room – to rest and sleep? Many decorators and designers strongly recommend you have no electronics in your bedroom, no TV, no computer, no desk even. A source of music perhaps, but otherwise, make your bedroom match it’s purpose!

How about the room(s) in which you spend most of your at-home time? Living Rooms and Family Rooms often seem rife with disorder – overflowing tables, piles of newspapers and mail, and even unfolded laundry often seems to be present. Paint and furniture are often shabby in the rooms we spend most of our time! Does that atmosphere reflect the comfort and ease you want your living or family room to reflect – to you, and to others? 

Learning to purge and pare-down can be extraordinarily liberating. The process will clear space, not only in your house, but in your life! Fresh paint, minor fix-its (non-working doorknobs, light switches that don’t work, door trim that needs replacing, missing light switch plates …) and freshly cleaned rooms will help you change your individual environment, including your interior one! Life becomes more manageable, your surroundings are now better suited to who you are, and what your goals are for your future.

As you go room-by-room to evaluate and analyze, take a good look at all the factors that make up the room. What is it’s intended purpose? What condition are the walls, closets, electrical lighting and fixtures? What “vibes” does the room give off? Do you want to be in that room? Do you avoid it? Is it cluttered? Does it need attention to bring it back into usefulness? Do things need to be re-purposed, discarded, or simply refreshed?

Check for more serious problems as well, such as mold, mildew, excessive dust and pet dander. These things can be critical to your health as well! With an unbiased viewpoint, look at things you have had for years. Ask yourself this critical question, “Why am I keeping this?” If you are to continue to keep it, what purpose can it serve? 

Recently I went through this kind of introspection about a chair. It didn’t fit in my family room any longer, so I offered it to a close friend. In the meantime, I moved the chair into my guest room, pending pickup. As I passed it each day, memories came back to me of my childhood home, and my father, now deceased. It felt good, having that chair there, beckoning with memories and comfort. It was an old-fashioned rocker, in good repair, and I decided to keep it. And you know what? That is okay! Keep treasures and memories, just be sure you have a place for them, that they are in good condition and/or preserved suitably.

The combination of keeping things fixed and useful, keeping colors in paint and fabrics renewed and fresh, and keeping excess under control will go a LONG way in creating a beautiful, healthy home for you and your family. It doesn’t have to be an overwhelming project either – simply do it room by room, including your family in your thought-processes to achieve the look and feeling you want. By doing so, you will find your inner life on the right track as well – you will have more energy, more vitality and more interest in life. Enjoying life, being creative, useful and happy is a great goal for any of us!