4 Home Design Tips for Healthier and Greener Living

4 Home Design Tips for Healthier and Greener Living

There are a lot of factors to consider when designing your home, from the aesthetic appeal of the interior components to the functionality and placement of appliances. There must be at least a hundred different facets that need to be taken into account when devising a comprehensive renovation or home improvement strategy. Here are four home design tips for healthier and greener living.

1) Bring Some Sun Inside

Numerous studies have proven that natural sunlight in moderate amounts is healthy for the human body. Sunlight aids in the production and assimilation of vitamin D, and it has also been shown to be a powerful mood enhancer. Adversely, a lack of natural sunlight has been shown to cause depression in the home environment and poor productivity in the workplace. Consider installing new windows or skylights that will let more sun in during the day, which will not only be beneficial for your health, but will also cut down on your energy expenses by reducing your dependency on electric lighting during the day.

2) Use Natural Ventilation

Natural ventilation uses air buoyancy and wind to let a breeze into the home and circulate air without the use of electronic devices. This not only reduces pollution and contamination from fans and other mechanical components, bringing nothing but fresh air in the old-fashioned way, it also conserves energy and is more environmentally-friendly because little-to-no electricity is used in these systems. If you’re in the process of choosing windows for your home design project, consider windows that fold out and utilize natural ventilation. Click here to see a range of products designed to facilitate and enhance natural ventilation in the home.

3) Liven Up the Colour Scheme

Studies have shown that the colours in your home can have a huge impact on your overall mood and wellbeing. Our brains are programmed to perceive certain colours with certain reactions; this same concept is used to set moods with special lighting effects in movie. A grey and dull room with mundane black and white colours can be a real downer for some people, and while design is always a matter of preference, in most cases inhabitants will find themselves enjoying the home more when brighter, friendlier colours are incorporated into the design scheme.

4) Replace Carpets with Hard Floors

Last but certainly not least, let’s not forget that carpets can quickly become harbourers of dust, dirt, debris, pollen, dander, and a myriad of other allergens and nasty things that should have no place in your home. Not only are carpets more difficult to clean, their cleaning also requires more energy, as vacuums and carpet cleaning machines are often necessary. Switch to hard floors like linoleum, tiles, or hardwood for an easier-to-clean, healthier home environment.

You’d be surprised to know that the design of a home can affect a person’s mood, outlook, and overall wellbeing in more than ways than one. Robert Ivy, CEO of the American Institute of Architects, pointed out in the Huffington Post that architects and designers play an important role in the health of the public, perhaps just as much as physicians.