5 Tips for Creating Lovely Spaces That Lift Your Spirits

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Our home is often the place we escape to after a hard day’s work, but when we’re already using it as an office or a place of study, it’s easy for relaxation to get lost in the mix. There are, however, some simple ways to keep your interior spaces feeling balanced and peaceful so they can recharge, nurture and support you. Read on to discover five ways you can create a calm and uplifting home environment by maximizing natural light, creating connections to nature, using soothing colors and more.

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1. Let in the Light

Incorporating natural light can help with so much more than your home’s overall aesthetic. Not only will it give you the best lighting in which to show off your color choices, eliminate dark corners and reveal textures, but natural light helps create a tranquil atmosphere and has health-related benefits as well. For example, exposure to sunlight can help sync our circadian rhythm so we get a good night’s sleep, boost our mood and even promote a positive learning environment for working or studying from home.

But not all homes are fortunate enough to have plenty of windows and the right exposure to allow for ample interior light. If this is the case in your home, consider adding a skylight to bring sunlight into areas that need it most. For example, in the home seen here, two skylights flood the living room with natural light. The feeling of brightness is enhanced by the white paint on the walls and ceiling as well as the beige and white upholstery, resulting in a room that feels inviting and calming.

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“Natural light is important for a home for many reasons, among them being that it promotes both mental and physical well-being,” Sacramento, California-based interior designer and lifestyle blogger Shavonda Gardner of SG Style says. “Relying on natural light also saves energy, as it uses the sun to light a home rather than electricity.”

Quick-fix tip: Looking for a quick natural light makeover? Sun Tunnels can be installed in about 90 minutes and are the most economical way to add natural light to a room. In the home office pictured here, a single Sun Tunnel skylight brings natural light into a home office.

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2. Build a Connection to Nature

It’s no coincidence that when we’re looking to unwind or uplift our spirits, we often head to a park or garden. Many interior designers have embraced the restorative qualities of nature in the movement toward biophilic design — a concept that aims to connect our interior spaces to nature for a living environment that fosters well-being.

If you’re looking to bring nature into your home, Gardner recommends turning to plants first. “Plants quite literally breathe life into a space, and it’s the easiest way to bring the outside in,” she says.

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Look for ways to use both potted plants and fresh flowers throughout your home, even in rooms you wouldn’t necessarily assume would need them. For example, in this botanically inspired bathroom, the star of the show is a striking moss wall, complemented by several hanging plants that benefit from the bright natural light from the skylight above the vanity.

Another way to bring nature into your home is by using natural materials such as organic linens, wood or stone. Finally, maximize outdoor views, such as with a skylight that lets you see the tops of trees or the starry sky.

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3. Ensure Access to Fresh Air

Letting fresh air into living spaces creates a healthier home environment and can prevent issues with lingering odors or humidity. Plus, clearing stale air with a fresh breeze can have an uplifting effect on your mood. Skylights are ideal for natural ventilation, especially as the solar-powered models can be opened easily and automated to open on a regular basis. Plus, they have rain sensors that automatically close the skylights at the first sign of rain, so you can trust them to shut when needed.

“The biggest benefit the skylights bring to our kitchen is the fresh air,” says Gardner, who installed Velux skylights in both her kitchen and bathroom. “We do a lot of different kinds of cooking, so it’s really nice to be able to open them and allow fresh air to circulate and carry some of those cooking smells out.”

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In Gardner’s kitchen, pictured here, the skylights are positioned above the countertop, where they flood the workspace and kitchen table with sunlight and, when opened, help with ventilation.

Other options for letting in fresh air include opening windows and doors to create a cross breeze with an open skylight. Since warm air naturally rises, the combination of open windows and skylights can create a chimney effect. Warm, stale air is drawn up and out of the skylight, while cool, fresh air is pulled in through the window. This not only refreshes interior air, it can also keep the home cool without the need to run the air conditioner.

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4. Use Soothing Colors

Looking at colors can relax you, so it’s worth considering your palette and ensuring that it’s working to create an overall harmonious feel. That doesn’t just apply to wall color, but also to the hues in your furniture and accessories. While a single color may be too overpowering for a restful room, incorporating a few colors that work well together can be much more calming while still being interesting. Here, for example, blues and yellows are combined with cream and beige for a soothing scheme.

Neutral tones such as beige, white and brown, plus blues, greens and soft pinks, can all work well together, but the specific colors that feel calming to you will largely be a matter of preference. “Color is so subjective and what’s soothing to one person may not be so for another,” Gardner says. “I think any color can be soothing when it’s done correctly and when you consider the tone and shade. For example, muted tones tend to be a bit more soothing than shades that are quite vibrant.”

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5. Add Dedicated Spots to Unwind

Whether it’s a sitting area with a window to the garden or a bedroom with an attractive vista, make the most of the spots in your home with nice views, so you can stop, take a breath and unwind. “I’ve tried to create zones in each room that serve as places to unwind,” Gardner says. “For instance, in the living room we have a corner with a comfy lounge chair, bookcase and lamp that’s a cozy spot to read a book or sit by the fire.”

In Gardner’s bathroom, a well-placed skylight with blinds means she can soak in the tub while enjoying a view of the sunny sky during the day and the stars at night — and the skylight opens to give fresh air when needed. “The bathroom, especially, was a game changer, as it was a room we didn’t have the option to put windows in,” Gardner says of adding the skylight with blinds. “We live in a fairly small home, so any opportunity I can take to create moments where I can tuck away for some solitude is a plus.”

More: For more information about Velux skylights with blinds and ideas on how you can incorporate them in your home, visit the company’s website here.

The story was written by the Houzz Sponsored Content team.