renovations + mental health

May may be the best month. I’ve felt this way for at least the past 10 years. It’s usually a bit on the busier side but it’s always full of anticipation of summer break, vacations, or generally higher energy levels. I’ve recently been informed that May also houses National Renovation Month as well as National Mental Health Awareness Month. If that’s not the perfect combination for my work, I couldn’t tell you what is! If you’re unfamiliar, my background is in both interior design and psychology. I love blending these two fields together to make practical and pretty homes that support well-being. Design psychology, if you will.

Although I won’t sugar coat that living through renovations might not be the ideal thing for improving mental health, the outcomes can most certainly assist the endeavor. We’ve all been in a space that feels comforting and easeful. No running your hip into the side of something or losing your keys somewhere because you have a designated spot to put them. A space that you glide through effortlessly where thoughts and movements don’t get interrupted. I personally love being in a space that supports me being fully present with the people or activity I’m attending to. 

If you’ve been to one of my virtual events, you’ve listened to me talk about psychological principles that are happening when we interact with a space. I often talk about how we can get most of our basic human needs within our home. When looking at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, I can identify ways our homes can support each level. The most fundamental being that it's a shelter so physiologically that’s addressed. Then as we go up the pyramid, it provides us safety with a sense of security and essential resources. For the social layer, our homes are often the places that are deeply intimate with people we share them with. The fourth and fifth pillars of esteem and self-actualization easily tie into renovations. When we get to alter our space, we can feel a sense of achievement, creation, and (ideally) beauty. Not that this is exclusive to renovations, but heightened ability to manipulate the space into a certain vision. 

When looking at the National Association of Home Builders website for this National Renovation Month, I spotted an article for trends for this year. They weren’t very surprising to me. These ‘trends’ are embedded into the psychological elements that generally bolster us emotionally. So trends? Maybe not. But science backed elements that help us live more sustainability in our house? Hell yes. Let’s look at two of them from a design psychology perspective.

nature focused elements

This translates to me as biophilic design. Which is absolutely littered with boosting our psyche. It refers to the deeply rooted human instinct to connect with nature and other living things. Homes that include natural light, plants, natural materials, and connection to the outdoors are generally going to encourage calm and health. They motivate us to slow down and be intentional. Which feels quite opposite of general modern life with easy access information and screens galore. There’s a lot of science that illustrates the benefits of incorporating various elements that are connected to the outdoors. It’s not surprising that people gravitate towards natural lighting when it’s linked to having better self regulation and suppressing impulses. And before judging your one friend who hoards plants in their home, you should know that including plants into a space improves attention, focus, memory, learning, and productivity. This is great to know for your own home but studies also show how impactful biophilic design can be in schools, workplaces, and medical settings too.

flexible spaces

Because most of us spend a lot of time at home, we are demanding that our homes function in various ways. It’s not only for sleep. It’s a place to work, entertain, rejuvenate, and host others. Having a multifunctional space is crucial for a lot of folks. The room where I primarily work is a shared office with my partner a few days of the week. It’s also where all the instruments are housed to accommodate that hobby. And when guests are in town, we play tetris to make it a private space where they can sleep. It’s a small space and maybe one day I’ll have the ambition to design it as nice as I would for a client home, but it serves each of those purposes well enough. Being able to alter our spaces for our needs allows us to get more satisfaction out of occupying those spaces. It reduces barriers and tailors to our unique preferences and needs, which gives us more access to the support most of us crave day to day. This is why I advocate for renters to not get so stuck on landlord restrictions, this impacts your daily life! 

Colloquially, I think this is why we’ve seen such a focus on things like beverage stations in homes the last few years. We want to have those daily routines be a good experience! We enjoy having luxurious coffee because it’s impactful to us, even if it’s just a small ritual. Well, not me specifically, I’m more of a tea person, but I know coffee is a critical morning routine step for most. 

We all have attachment to places. Much like we can have different attachments to people, we have different attachments to our homes. When you moved last, did you grieve leaving it because of all the wonderful memories that it was holding? Or maybe you were ready to scaddadle precisely because of what you associated with it, and you were ready to shed that layer. Homes hold a lot of emotions. They’re complex ecosystems that can be really supportive. And they can be designed to hold you better. 

So if you’re looking to renovate your home or you have an inkling that your home could serve you better but you’re just not sure how, let’s chat! This is exactly what I geek out about and find satisfaction in assisting folks navigate. And if you’re curious to hear more about some of the science behind what I’ve incorporated, I think you’ll likely enjoy this book*! 

*This is an affiliate link and I get a small commission if you purchase. This is no extra cost to you. If you do not want to purchase through this link, I highly encourage utilizing your local bookstore or library as alternatives and avoiding large retailers (especially Amazon).