How to Design a Healthy Home

In the past few years, we have all succumbed to the ongoing trend of ‘insta healthy’ living. Whether it be your morning acai bowl, sunset walks on the beach (cheesy, I know) or even that organic brownie that you paid an absolutely unnecessary amount for, we’ve all been there. But one thing none of us really take into account is our own homes! In all seriousness, our homes should be spaces that not only make us feel better, but benefit both our health and lifestyle! Here are some interesting statistics that came from Harvard which show the significance of living in a ‘green’ home;

• A 48% increase in focusing on work
• 26% increase in study/work performance and
• A 6.4% improvement on the quality of sleep (which we all desperately need!)

Now let’s put these stats into play and discuss some options into transforming your home into a place where even Buddha himself would stay!

You might be a bit shocked when I tell you that the air inside your home can be significantly more polluted than the air outside! Unfortunately, certain building materials, furnishings, finishes and household items are all contributing factors to the build of dust and pollution within our ‘wannabee’ clean spaces. Not to stress, there are small but effective steps anyone can take to improve air quality.

1. Add some greenery! Sorry insta mums, I’m not talking about kale here, but air purifying plants! These can range from succulents, spider plants, bamboo palm and so on. Although they may seem small in size, these little babies can transform the air from muggy to magnificent!
2. Secondly, and probably most importantly, OPEN YOUR WINDOWS! Your golden gates to the ‘real’ world are an awesome solution to air conditioning which can often hoard dust and other nasties. If you are renovating a new or current home, the positioning for cross ventilation is super important as it invites sun paths and encourages fresh air flow.
3. This next comes hand in hand with what we just discussed and that is investing in high quality air filters. Not everyone has access to windows, or even so, windows that just bring in city or polluted air! So, if your next option is air conditioning, a high quality air filter is paramount as it cleans and flushes dirty filters which in turn provide better airflow and quality for you.
4. Finally, tying this all together, we arrive at the idea of a ‘clean green’ home. I’m sure you know that cleaning your house is a never ending task, but have you ever really considered all the toxic chemicals you’re using to clean your space? Yep, I can see a few guilty faces here. Eco-friendly products are just as, and if not more effective than your traditional products as they clean your home naturally without the overpowering and artificial chemical residue that most home brands leave behind. Even better, they’re not nearly as harmful to both your family and beloved pets. It’s a win for you and mother earth!

All this talk about air, windows and filters may bring something else into mind. That’s right, light! Believe it or not, lighting has an extremely significant influence on our health and bodies. Take this simple fact for example. In the morning, our bodies crave light to suppress the production of melatonin, the ‘sleepy’ hormone. On the other hand, at night time our bodies want little to no exposure to light in order to start producing melatonin ‘Mr. Sleepy’ hormone again. It’s an endless cycle!
By keeping these two simple, yet important facts in mind, you can begin to cater to your body’s needs by simply adjusting the brightness of your lighting!

During the day, try and keep natural light flowing throughout your home as a motivation to your natural body clock. But, if you don’t have access to ample amounts of natural light, there’s no need to fret. Today’s lighting market offers an amazing variety of artificial light sources that can actually align with nature’s clock! So, we mentioned daytime lighting, now let’s move onto night lighting.
Nighttime lighting should comprise of very dim, soft and warm lights that aid in the previously mentioned production of melatonin. These sultry and sexy lights don’t only set the mood, but are a great help to your natural body clock.

By considering both these patterns, we can begin to assign different sources of lights to the needs of each room! Every space is bound to have some form of artificial lighting, but it’s just a matter of finding which one suits which room. There are three simple and easy sources of light to keep in mind when correctly evolving a space to the benefit of you.

1. General lighting. These usually refer to the background levels of light which can range from overhead lights to pendant lights.
2. Next, specific lighting. No one wants a bright, cold light next to their bedside table. So, we opt out for one that offers warmth and the ability to dim when you are winding down. Conversely, no one wants a dim, sleepy light on their desk, but rather a brighter source that encourages you to keep working.
3. Finally, ambient lighting. These lights are used to set the mood, provide comfort at bedtime or even just create a warmer, more friendly atmosphere within your space!

Finally, we’ve arrived at thermal control. We’re ditching sweater weather and replacing it with correct heating.
An obvious, but often disregarded tip with thermal control is simply improving insulation within your home! I know what you’re probably thinking. First, I told you to open all your windows and now I’m telling you to close them? Well yes, but not really. Thermal control means improved insulation, windows and air tightness. You know that annoying draught that follows you around the house? Let’s kick it in the tush.
Another helpful tip to keep in mind whilst ensuring thermal control within your home is to remember the healthiest and most ideal temperature for you and your family, which sits around the 21-22°C mark. I know what some readers are probably thinking, ‘but my grandmother is always cold’ or ‘my husband is always sweating’, that one we know to be true.
Just think about these few things;

• If you’re that someone who might melt like an ice cream the moment the sun hits their skin, keep some light layers for bedding, or throw overs
• OR, if you’re that Queenslander who complains every time there is a slight windchill, make sure there are accessible winter woolies around the home to keep Elsa away

One last thing to remember, you can’t control the seasons but you can control the comfort of your own home!

By implementing these few improvements and additions to your home, you will consequently create a healthier home that in turn, will result in a better life for you and your family, reduced stress and an improvement of mood and wellbeing!