Can an environment change one’s stress level? Absolutely. The number one reason people craft rooms and homes in a particular way is to create a refuge, a place where they can feel safe and sheltered from the outside to recuperate and recharge for another day.
For homeowners, it’s natural to want to have a place where one can get away from it all. For some, that might be the kitchen, for others the bedroom, still others and it could be the back of the garage. Whatever the case, seeking shelter and safety is normal, human, and a shared trait. People reflect this desire in how they construct their homes as well as how they are decorated and shaped. Much of this has developed into specific disciplines over time that is practiced with interior design. Below are a handful of the styles and schools of thought that have developed.
A Natural Approach of Incorporation
A biophilic design utilizes nature as its theme. The topic is so integrated into the style of interior design, that it ends up being incorporated in everything from houseplants to colors used for the temperature to create a soothing effect. The combination has been scientifically proven to work in stress reduction as well as creating a relaxing environment. It brings the best of the external world into a home while leaving the worst outside.
Aside from the fact that plants increase the oxygen level in a home, colors can cause a tremendous cooling and soothing effect on the mind as well. Similarly, the approach intentionally applied helps people rest, brings down tension, and provides a sense of natural connection again. Natural colors such as woodlike browns, light brown fiber colors, and deep, rich greens connect us back with an Earth mindset. Blues are often associated with water, and light grays provide a foundational feeling to stone as well as to the sky. Set in neutrals and calm shades, the approach is well-practiced in the interior design world for stress reduction.
Expansion of Light
While some opinions might think that light should be avoided, the school of stress relief goes in the opposite direction. Expanding the reach of natural light into a room and home enhances the feel and vibrancy of the colors. Texture, rich colors, and hues all come alive with natural light. Of course, too much can bleach everything out, so it’s an approach of moderation. However, light is definitely part of the mix.
Incorporation of Sound
There is a reason why we use all our senses. Combined, they provide us with the knowledge of where we are at all times. However, when we isolate one of those senses, it can be used to help the body as well. Sound and the placement of it has a significant effect on relaxation, a key factor that an interior designer often takes advantage of with the placement of speaker systems as well as natural sound producers, like fountains and wind chimes. When placed with physical reference, the approach of sound combined with space, placement, colors, and natural inclusion can literally create a world of escape from the real world.
The above aspects of home creation are regularly practiced by interior designer Los Angeles-based experts. It’s one of the main reasons why Los Angeles homes continue to be featured in so many architecture and home design magazines and feature so frequently. As a hotbed of interior design creativity, the region is particularly suited to being a catalyst for new ways of thinking. However, what is often most desired and called for tends to be stress reduction and relaxation at home. Sometimes, old-fashioned ideas are still some of the best.
