Finding Happiness At Home
The sage Greek philosopher Epicurus said, “when happiness is present, we have everything; but when it is absent, we do everything to possess it.” With many of us busily engaging with day-to-day activities such as the big shop, working and cleaning, we can all too often lose focus and forget about the pursuit of happiness. The good news is you can take some easy steps to make your home a happy one. By considering shape, colour, material, and pattern, you can boost your happiness at home while affording yourself the extra energy to tackle the challenges of daily life.
Colours for happiness at home
To put it bluntly, colour is amazing. It helps us to express ourselves and it’s well known that certain colours can alter our outlook on the world.
The symbiotic relationship between colour and emotion can help us increase our happiness. To that end, if you’re looking to boost the happiness factor of your space, look to bright, warming colours. Yellow, orange, red and pink help us energise and feel optimistic.
The brighter and more vibrant the tone, the happier you will feel. That said, dustier shades will also help you in your quest for contentment. Additionally, you can also benefit from mixing primary and secondary colours together which will make a room feel youthful and filled with potential.
For further inspiration and information on how else colours can add to the happiness of your mood at home, check out our Psychology of Colour: Positive Colours blog!
The shape of happiness
Rounds shapes have a very positive effect on our emotions. Sharpe shapes can be aggressive and violent making us think about hazards and danger, but rounder alternatives help us feel at ease. Round coffee tables and large mirrors let us balance our emotions and more accurately reflect on the day.
Likewise, a striking cylindrical lamp shade will bring the energy of round to your home. You could even consider pairing this calming shape with one of the colours suggested earlier for a doubly positive piece.
The roundness formed by a beautiful curtain also celebrates this happiness enhancing phenomenon. The smooth glide of a curtain opening, or closing is also remarkably satisfying and as we all know, satisfaction and happiness go hand in hand.
The feel of happiness
Thus far our top tips to improve your happiness at home have been heavily biased to the visual side of the stimulation spectrum. While yes, a belting rock n roll record can bring happiness via the ears, there is literally happiness to be had at your fingertips!
In a world dominated by keyboards and touchscreens, its nice to get back to basics with something soft and silky. At this point it would be remis to not mention velvet. A heavy, soft velvet, whether it’s used in a velvet cushion or an elegant velvet Roman blind will only bring happiness into your life.
Likewise, silks and even courser wools (particularly in winter), can help us feel rooted in the real world and overcome the digital distractions and web-based worries of 21st century living. The result of such steps – greater happiness.
As happy as a flower
Well, that might not actually be a saying, but it should be! Flowers and other plants have for centuries been used to make us happy. Giving roses to a lover, putting gifts under a tree or that succulent your mother gave you years ago all make us feel happy.
Therefore, make sure you add greenery to your home to enjoy the healing power of nature every day. With many of us working from home at the moment, a home office-based plant will help cast off the pressures we experience every day.
For something more permanent, you can use florals and other environmental visuals around your space to make you happier. Whether it’s your wallpaper, curtain, cushions or lampshades, there are great results to be had from a splash of flower power. For more ideas, you can enjoy our Trend Focus: Fabulous Floral Interior Design blog.