Wellbeing by Design
What do you think of when you hear the words Interior Design? Is it the gorgeous and highly styled spaces that you see in magazines? Is it shopping for pretty things?
Or is it something deeper?
For me, Interior Design is about creating spaces that support you in your day to day life. Our homes are often our single biggest investment and for many of us where we spend the majority of our day. If the space in which we spend so much time doesn’t support us, if it doesn’t work with us and if it makes our lives harder it has a direct impact upon our wellbeing.
Our new moneypit, I mean family home
Some of you will already know that in December 2024 my family and I moved into a renovation project; a Grade 2 listed farmhouse at the foot of the Mendip Hills (you can follow our journey here @dinghurstdreams).
This is a long term renovation project; 5 - 10 years and we knew it wouldn’t be easy, we both work full time, we have a young family, a teeny budget and to add to the complications the property is in a AONB, a Conservation Area, a Bat Conservation Area, has a Resricted Covenant AND is Grade 2 listed; phew!
When I tell you there a hoops to jump through, you’d better believe it and let me tell you, working out what those hoops are is often the biggest challenge.
Don’t underestimate the power of your environment
My husband and I have experience of renovating, this is our 3rd rodeo but largest project (and ironically smallest budget).
What we totally underestimated this time around is just how hard it would be to go from a light filled, warm and fully complete new build to living in admittedly a much larger home but also one that is darker, doesn’t have heating in one half, is 250 years old and that needs total renovation.
Since we have moved into our home, we have worked hard to make tweeks that will allow our home to support us whist we renovate it. I’m not talking new furniture or decoration. I’m talking practical but powerful changes that make a difference to how we live everyday.
One of our first challenges was getting into our new home, we had a variety of options with a grand total of 4 external doors but neither the main front or back door would open. Entering and exiting our house through side doors felt wrong and was awkward. It annoyed me everytime we did it. So we worked quickly to restore the main entrances, this allows the energy to flow in and out much more easily and means we don’t enter our home frustrated!
A massively important tweek we’ve made is to ensure that there is we keep the house clean and tidy. This means keeping items we don’t currently have need or space for in storage to avoid it being cluttered, it means committing to keeping certain areas of our home tidy at all times (hallway & kitchen) to avoid overwhelm and making sure it smells nice (whilst it doesnt look it!). These commitments to our home show it we value it now and not just when the work is completed.
On a personal level, scent is really important so I turn to candles to make it feel more like our home and to relax me.
How does your home make you feel?
Living in a renovatiom, got me thinking, how often do we put up with spaces that don’t suit how we live? We strive for a beautiful home but what use is that if it daily makes your life harder, makes you feel stressed and adds to your mental overwhelm?
So, over the summer I created my very first workshop :
“Wellbeing by Design”
In it, we’ll cover:
✔️ The role of colour psychology and lighting in emotional wellbeing
✔️ How to incorporate natural elements for a calming, restorative effect
✔️ Creating nurturing spaces through layout, texture, and sensory design
✔️ Tips for designing “restorative pockets” in your home – no renovations required
I’d love to learn more about what aspects of your home enchance your wellbeing and what you feel hinders it, simply reply to this email to continue the conversation