Bring the joy<\/strong><\/p>\nDiscussions about wellbeing in design often focus on creating serene environments but Juliette Arent, co-founder of Sydney-based interior design firm Arent & Pyke, says a truly happy home needs joy.<\/p>\n
This is most ably expressed through colour.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are huge fans of colour because it has such a big impact on mood,\u201d she says. \u201cOften, there will be lots of corals, pinks and reds in our work. They are really strong heart colours to imbue happy, positive feelings.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Interior designers Juliette Arent (left) and Sarah-Jane Pyke use colour extensively to evoke a sense of home.Credit: Anson Smart<\/p>\n
It\u2019s possible, she says, to induce those feelings through small design elements.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt might be a spot in the kitchen; somewhere to stop to enjoy a lovely aspect,\u201d she says. \u201cYou want those moments of joy and humour and playfulness to break away from the mundanity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Founder of Cities for Play, Natalia Krysiak, says encouraging room for play is even more important for children.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWhen you ask kids what are their key requirements, the first thing they say is having other kids to play with but they also like being seen by adults. It gives them a sense of security and makes them feel like they want to play,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
As more families move into apartments, this means providing for good acoustics in tower blocks.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the acoustics are very poor in apartments, parents will tend to \u2018shush\u2019 their children or subdue them. The noise we might cause that the neighbours might hear can impact on parenting styles,\u201d Krysiak says.<\/p>\n
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Playfulness in design is not just for children, says Stefania Reynolds, at home with her daughter Maddison.Credit: Anson Smart<\/p>\n
But play isn\u2019t just for kids, says Reynolds: \u201cPlayfulness adds warmth, personality, and emotional resonance. It invites people to feel joy, curiosity, or even delight in a space. \u201d<\/p>\n
Refresh and recharge<\/strong><\/p>\nWhile most consider bathing a necessary daily function, the mental health benefits of water therapy range from better sleep to lower stress levels. Arent says bathrooms that comfort as well as cleanse can boost mood, while getting the job done.<\/p>\n
\u201cA bathroom is a space where you should be able to recharge and refresh,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s cleansing for the mind as well as the body. We choose materials for the bathroom so that it feels less clinical but still fresh and clean.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Kirsten Day, senior lecturer in architecture at the University of Melbourne, says our homes are more than the sum of their parts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not just you go home, do your ablutions, prepare your food and sleep. There is real consideration,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
A happy home will look different for everyone, says Clarke.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about a sense of identity, seeing it reflected back at you,\u201d she says. \u201cPeople can feel very comforted by having tokens, mementos and photos around them because they evoke positive memories.\u201d<\/p>\n
Make the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition with our<\/b> Live Well newsletter<\/b>. <\/b>Get it in your inbox<\/a> every Monday<\/b>.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"While every project is unique, some design elements are fundamental to our wellbeing. Windows, windows, windows If there…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":175585,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4317],"tags":[105,218,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-175584","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114664625159076310","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175584","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175584"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175584\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/175585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175584"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175584"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175584"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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