Holistic interior design focuses on the wholeness of the experience between its inhabitants and their surroundings, whether it is residential or commercial, the aim of this approach is to implement a design process from an emotional point of view in order to create a connection with the space, taking into account, of course principles from traditional interior design like safety, functionality and aesthetics as well as how a space feels.
But, how do we connect with a space? Well, same as we do with people, we connect when we create relationships. Using design to speak to you and through you via your surroundings.
The below five principles are the key elements to the design process when creating a space with a holistic mentality.
Senses
Biophilia
Materials
Comfort
Care
Senses
We are all familiar with the five senses - sight, touch, smell, hearing and taste. When it comes to design the primary sense and sometimes the only one that comes to our mind is the sight sense as we relate to design to something pleasantly visual, however, sight is not the only way to experience the interior design world.
Every interaction is a sensory experience, and when we design for all the senses, we are creating a deeper connection with our environments. And that my friends is called Mindfulness.
It is all about creating a sensory engagement with intention, combining the five senses to create a whole experience.
Sight, a visually pleasant and organised room with beautiful elements and details will be able to create that spark. We can also think about colours with this sense, how they make you feel, energetic or tired? Happy or sad?.
Touch, think about textures, materials and the sensation that each of them might create on you, are they soft or hard? Smooth or rough? It feels hot or cold? This is a great way to experiment and interact with the space.
Smell, this is personally one of my favourite ones and you might be surprised as to how many options we could have for this one. Every element in the room has a smell, whether it is the hand soap, a wooden coffee table, the flowers in the vase, or the candles, they all create a connection with the space. So try and incorporate smells that create deeper connections with your memories and your happy emotions. Your favourite flowers, essential oils or favourite candles scents.
Another important one for this sense is air circulation/air quality, can all the windows be open? Does your space need more fresh air? Do you need a dehumidifier/air purifier?
Sound, another one of my favourites, think about how sound impacts you? What type of sounds do you like and what type of sounds support your well-being? Do you like music playing or do you enjoy peace and quiet? What is the function of the space, and whether you need to improve your internal acoustics? Sound can massively impact our mood, and it can trigger our emotions positively or negatively. And while we are sometimes unable to control the sound outside our environment, we can definitely bring in elements to helps us connect in a harmonious way with our space. Think about music, natural ambience, etc.
Taste, think about the spaces where you will experience this sense, and how the whole process can be more pleasant and inspiring. The kitchen and dining room are the most common spaces related to this sense, but we can incorporate this sensory experience in different parts of the home, perhaps, you dream of a comfortable and peaceful balcony where you will enjoy your morning coffee or that cozy reading nook where you sip your afternoon tea or that relaxing bathroom where you would like to enjoy a glass of wine while having a nourishing bath.
Biophilia
Aesthetic designs and natural views, are demonstrated to contribute in creating a more effective and positive healing process as natural views evoke positive feelings which can reduce stress, fear and depression.
Biophilia is simply that innate instinct to connect with nature, and is one of the most important elements in holistic interiors. It is about bringing the outdoors in and creating a connection with exterior environments. But don’t fall into the misconception of just placing greenery around your space, biophilia can be incorporated into the design by focusing on natural shapes, forms, patterns and colours in nature as well as incorporating the elements, water, fire, wind and earth.
Bringing the outdoors in is a simple but powerful way to not only connect to nature especially for those mainly surrounded by urban views and visually exposed to artificially-constructed environment but also to bring energy and vitality to any space.
Materials
Holistic interior design is all about being mindful and creating a deep connection with everything that surround us. Materials connect us to the physical world and connect us directly to the touch sense. To be able to choose the right materials, we need to first understand the type of materials there are in the market – natural, synthetic and composite. Natural being all those found in nature, synthetic materials are man-made and produced entirely from chemicals and composite materials are those in between, being a mix between natural and synthetic materials. The question here is, what type of materials align with your values? In holistic design, choosing meaningful materials that are organic, sustainable and that will contribute to your health is vital, however, choosing these types of materials, sometimes also means higher prices and if budget is an issue for you, try and look into sourcing recycled materials or reclaimed elements where possible, or perhaps think about what is really important to you and see where you can compromise at the time of planning your design.
Comfort
When I talk about comfort in holistic design, I am not only referring to the comfort of your chair or your sofa, although this is extremely important in the selection of your furniture, I am referring to the comfort of your space. The comfort aspect in holistic interior design is understood in a physical and mental way. it is about how your space supports your daily habits and hobbies as well as reflecting your personality and your taste. Do you feel at ease in your space and do you feel that it is appropriately arranged to support your daily tasks? For example, is your home office comfortable and do you feel productive in that space? If you do yoga at home, do you have a dedicated space to do your routine so it is easy for you to get on to it every day? Now, if we look at it from the mental perspective, does your space reflect your personality? Do you feel connected with every item on it and does it have any meaning to you?.
Our spaces should support us and uplift us instead of draining our energy, they should reflect who we are and they should speak to our soul. Focus on how it makes you feel rather than how it looks.
Care
Our surrounding environments have a big influence in our lives, our mood and our lifestyle, whether it is your home or you work, those spaces are the reflection of yourself and your inner world. They have the potential to support you in every way, physically and mentally. So, taking care of your spaces and implementing processes to maintain it, is an ongoing process that requires regular attention. Declutter regularly, keep it clean and tidy, don’t keep broken things – either fix them or throw them away, re arrange things regularly, give love and connect with it. By doing this, you have an environment that supports you, motivates you and uplifts you every day.