Holistic Interior Design: Room Design Guide
Holistic interior design means creating spaces that support your mental and physical health on a level that goes beyond décor. The goal of this approach to interior design is creating a space that makes the home’s inhabitants feel good in mind, body, and soul.
Fundamentals of Holistic Interior Design
Holistic interior design is an energy-based built environment that focuses on how people feel in the space, and not just how the space looks.
You should feel happy, healthy, and safe in your own home. If not, then incorporating a holistic interior design approach, such as color therapy, biophilic design, and more, can promote good energy flow and positively impact your health and well-being.
Interior designers who design holistically follow these three primary principles, which apply to all your home’s interior spaces:
Clear away clutter.
Maximize the amount of natural light.
Improve airflow and air quality.
Below are additional ways you can incorporate holistic interior design techniques in each room of your home. You can also download our Interior Design Wellness Blueprint for an inside look at designing your space for the five senses.
Living Room
For your living room, pick meaningful colors for the mood and experience you want to create. For instance, calming colors like blues, greens, and grays promote relaxation. Adding bright and vibrant accents like turquoise and orange can be uplifting and energizing.
Also keep textures in mind: Plush sofas and rugs can be cozy and nurturing, while minimal and modern living room styles spotlight simplicity and functionality. Introduce natural elements like plants into your living room, both for the visual aspect and to filter the air. Wood flooring is also wonderful, as it makes you feel grounded in your environment.
Create separate zones for different activities so family members don’t feel cramped. For example, set up a sofa that faces the TV, arrange seating in a corner for reading or quiet time, and have a coffee table or game table for activities.
Bedrooms
The bedroom is where you rest your mind, body, and soul, so start with your slumber needs when designing this space. Invest in a good-quality mattress, and use bedding made of natural fibers, such as cotton, silk, hemp, linen, or cashmere.
Make sure to minimize distractions in the bedroom. This includes reducing your use of technology devices that emit blue light, which impacts sleep, and having window treatments that block out light if you sleep better in total darkness.
Kitchen
Functionality and layout are the cornerstones of a holistically designed kitchen. Think about your kitchen’s layout; you might need to rethink how you organize items in cabinets and drawers versus where in the kitchen you use them.
For instance, is your food prep area clear and ready for use in addition to being close to the sink and garbage/composting? When moving dirty pans from the stove to the sink, do you have to walk across the kitchen?
Installing a water filtration system in your kitchen comes with many benefits. It removes contaminants and toxins from your water, makes your water taste better, and is more environment- and cost-friendly than buying bottled drinking water.
Laundry Room
Laundry—love it or hate it—must get done and requires a lot of time in your laundry room. This is typically a smaller room, so you want to design it for efficiency and make the best use of its space.
Install a drying rack to save energy and keep clothes looking better for longer. Additionally, having a steamer appliance on hand helps sanitize, refresh, and deodorize clothing, shoes, and hard-to-wash items.
Mudroom
The mudroom is the highest-traffic area of your home and can be hard to keep clean and tidy. As the drop-off area for shoes, backpacks, and all your miscellaneous purchases, it collects dirt and debris. And if you have a dog, the dirtiness level could be doubled.
This is why making your mudroom a decontamination zone—which was common during the COVID pandemic—can reduce the filth entering the rest of your home. To stop contamination in its tracks, consider adding a dog-wash station, and if possible installing a shower if there is not one already in the bathroom closest to the mudroom.
Bathroom
Your bathroom should have plenty of light to help you feel energized as you get ready for the day ahead or pamper yourself before an evening in. But you don’t want your bathroom to feel sterile, so also use design accents and textures that make you feel good.
Other holistic design ideas for your bathroom include having a cold storage cabinet to preserve the quality of and extend the shelf life of your makeup, medications, and skincare products. You can install a sauna or steam room if you suffer from allergies or other sensitivities.
Also consider a bidet; there’s a reason they’re so popular in Europe and Asia. They reduce the need for toilet paper, are better for the environment, limit the spread of germs, and are said to enhance the bathroom experience.
Well-Designed Home’s Approach to Holistic Interior Design
At Well-Designed Home, we take a holistic approach to interior design to achieve your desired look and feel and create a mindful space with you and your family’s best interests in mind. We are inspired by natural elements in the world around us and approach interior design in a sustainable way that is healthier for you and better for our environment.
We see your home’s hidden potential and possibilities, and our holistic design process focuses on your well-being for a better quality of life. Book a complimentary discovery call today to learn more about how we can support your vision, and the health and well being of your family, with our design services.