Designing your home to improve the well-being of your family and nurture a healthy lifestyle    

Humans have always wanted their homes to foster health and wellness in their everyday lives. For over 4,000 years, Feng Shui has been practiced in China to bring harmony and balance into homes and workspaces and connect individuals with their environment. The ancient Chinese believed feng shui was the key to good health and prosperity.

In modern times, the COVID-19 pandemic sparked renewed interest in health and wellness practices that reduce the spread of disease and improve physical and mental health. According to the American Lung Association, on average, Americans spend 90% of their time indoors, so it isn’t surprising that homeowners are seeking ways to improve their home interior to support the well-being of their families.

Let’s take a look at family-friendly home design practices that promote health and wellness along with 7 actionable tips for incorporating these decor practices into your home.

1. Design for the current (and future) dynamics of your family

Before you begin any home design projects, you must consider the current and future needs of every individual living in your home. You should ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you plan on having children?

• Is there an elderly parent who could live with you in the future? 

• Is there enough space for stepchildren to feel “at home” and comfortable when they visit?

 For families with small children, consider potential safety hazards when selecting furniture and fixtures to reduce injuries. In particular, the spaces your children play in should give them the autonomy to explore their surroundings and learn new skills while you supervise from a distance. I dive deeper into kid-friendly interior design practices in the blog post “Designing a Kid-Friendly Home: Where Style Meets Resilience”.

If you are designing a home for an intergenerational family with older parents or people with disabilities, you should consider ways to make your space accessible. This could mean widening pathways to accommodate wheelchairs and walkers, lowering countertops to make reaching commonly used items easier, or installing a curbless shower to make bathing safer.   

Ensuring that everyone in your family’s physical needs are met is important but you also need to consider their mental health. Every individual needs a space they can retreat to relax and recharge after a busy day of interacting with other family members, coworkers, and the outside world. 

If there is enough space in your home for everyone to have private rooms, let the person living in the room be involved in designing the space so it feels unique to them. If you don’t have enough space for private rooms, get creative with the placement of existing furniture or room dividers to section off smaller spaces in larger rooms.

2. Create open spaces that foster relationship-building

A key component of wellness is fostering connections with others to develop healthy relationships. The interior design of your home contributes to how your family members interact with each other.

Over the years, open floor plans have become popular because having fewer walls improves the flow of the home and makes it feel bigger. However, open floor plans also make it easier to communicate and socialize with other people. These large open spaces serve multiple functions throughout the day providing families with a designated space for eating, playing, and relaxing together.

As a mother and interior designer based in Buffalo, NY, I understand that when families come to me they not only want to create a beautiful, functional space but an environment where life is less hectic so there’s more time to build strong relationships. Working with an interior designer who understands and considers your family’s needs is important when making interior design choices for your home. Read my blog post “Five Things to Consider When Hiring an Interior Designer” to learn more criteria to consider before selecting an interior designer.

3. Promote healthy eating habits in your kitchen design

The kitchen is considered “the heart of your home” and an important space where eating habits and memories are formed. According to a StudyFinds survey, 77% of respondents said cooking with their family created some of their favorite childhood memories.

The relationship you have with food is influenced by your kitchen. Your kitchen design must be functional so it is easy to prepare healthy meals and has enough space for you to move around. If your kitchen is disorganized or difficult to maneuver, you are more likely to eat meals prepared outside the home. This can lead to unhealthy eating habits and reduce opportunities for your family to bond together in the kitchen. 

When designing your kitchen, consider designating certain drawers or pantry shelves for specific family members or types of food. For example, for smaller children, designate a lower drawer or shelf for easy access to healthy snacks. Stock higher shelves with the food you prefer children to eat less frequently so it requires your help (and permission) to access it.

4. Extend your indoor space outside

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the percentage of American adults working from home has increased dramatically. According to USA Today, by 2025, more than 1 in 5 Americans will work remotely. This workplace shift combined with the fact that Americans on average spend 90% of their time indoors means that we are spending less time outside.

There are many benefits to spending time outside including reducing stress, improving focus, and boosting vitamin D levels. It is vital that you design outdoor spaces that are aesthetically pleasing and comfortable to encourage family members to spend more time outside.

Choose patio chairs and sofas with comfortable backs and plush cushions that are weather-resistant and easy to clean. To encourage social gatherings, consider adding a grill or fire pit to your outdoor space.

Installing floor-to-ceiling sliding doors is a great way to connect interior spaces to exterior ones seamlessly. If you have little to no outdoor space, ensure your windows are operable so you can open them to let fresh air in. The circulation of fresh air and the removal of stale indoor air is important to reduce the number of air pollutants inside your home that could affect your health.

Outdoor space is highly beneficial to your family’s well-being but sometimes weather conditions prevent you from spending time outside. As an interior designer based in Buffalo, NY, I have to factor local weather patterns into my interior design plans. In Buffalo, 4-5 months out of the year temperatures drop below freezing, and heavy snowfall is common so families have to spend a lot of time indoors together. You must find an interior designer who understands local weather patterns to create spaces that can seamlessly transition between each season.    

5. Make your entryway the first line of defense against germs and viruses

The home entryway is one of the most overlooked spaces when people are planning out the interior design layout of their home. However, when searching for healthy home design ideas, it should be one of the first areas you consider because germs and viruses begin their journey into your home through the entryway.

Invest in built-in or free-standing benches, shoe racks, and coat racks that serve as a reminder to family members to remove shoes, backpacks, and clothing items at the door. This will reduce the number of pathogens that enter your house and prevent them from spreading into other areas.

6. Designate a space for exercise

It is well-known that exercising is good for your health and designing spaces for exercising should be a top priority in wellness-focused home interiors. The best option is to have a space in your home dedicated to physical activity. This could be a private room or a designed area in a larger open space.

Before designing your home gym, consider the type of equipment that will be used in the space to determine the layout. If using larger equipment like a treadmill or stationary bike, then you’ll want to install flooring that is durable and shock-absorbent. Also, you’ll need a place to properly store smaller equipment to keep your workout space organized and prevent trip hazards.

7. Be selective about the lighting you choose for every room 

Choosing lighting for your home isn’t the most exciting part of an interior design project but selecting the wrong lighting can have negative effects on your sleep, mood, and cognition. Natural light is essential to regulating your circadian rhythm which dictates your sleep patterns. If you aren’t bringing enough natural light into your home, it could lead to higher melatonin levels that cause you to be less productive and alert during the day.

It is important to consider the activities you’ll be doing in the space before selecting the lighting. The color of the lighting in your home also impacts your mood. For example, bright, white light promotes alertness and energy but can be overwhelming if used for prolonged periods. Cool, blue light can help with concentration during the daytime but at night it can disrupt your sleep cycle.

If your home doesn’t receive enough natural light, artificial lighting is the next best thing. Install ceiling lights to illuminate an entire room or task lighting to illuminate areas during specific activities (i.e. reading, cooking).

Are you ready to make your home a sanctuary to wellness?

As we spend more time at home, creating spaces that build connections and encourage healthy behaviors (i.e. exercising and healthy eating) is becoming crucial for homeowners. The interior and exterior design of your home has a direct impact on your family’s well-being.

Wellness home design offers a multitude of benefits for your entire family. However, it requires a lot of time and planning to ensure the physical and mental needs of every member of your family are being considered. Don’t only design around the current needs of your family but consider ways that your family dynamics could change and incorporate that into your interior design plans.  

Working with an interior designer is a great option to ensure that your home interior is designed with health and wellness top of mind. Contact me to schedule an in-home interior design consultation, if you’re located in Buffalo, NY, to explore how I can help you design a wellness-centered home.