Making Your Home Your Castle; Why Interior Design Matters
Your home is more than a place where you sleep and store your clothes; it is your sanctuary and a space where you can be truly yourself.
Everybody has their own style, personality and preferences, and it is important to ensure your home reflects that and is a place where you can switch off and relax.
Italians call it dolce far niente - the joy of doing nothing - and when we consider our wellbeing, work/life balance and mood, having the right space to do nothing in is crucial.
Home Interiors and Mental Health
In our manic modern lives, redecorating the living room or putting up that set of shelves might easily be dismissed as unimportant.
However, the reality is that it does matter, because how we perceive our homes dictates much of our mood.
Happiness and wellbeing are critical to everything; your relationships, your career, and your health. Having a space that feels YOU, that envelops you with warmth, comfort, joy, and satisfaction can have a profound impact on your overall wellbeing.
Think about how many hours of your day you spend a week at home - working, resting, entertaining, spending time with family, sleeping, doing chores, gardening. It adds up.
Simple changes like adding pleasing colours, joyful patterns and comfy furniture make those hours well spent.
Philosopher Alain de Botton explains that "We need to get home to remember who we are" - and who you are is reflected in the interiors that surround you.
Whether you love bold colour, modern art, delicate lines, animal print, geometrics, or minimalist design, if your living space doesn't echo that passion, it can be a drain on your energy, and leave you feeling disconnected.
Functional Interior Design
The other crucial aspect to your interiors is functionality, and even small changes can dramatically change how you use your living space.
Interior decor doesn't just have to be about mood and happiness; it can be just as practical!
Smart storage solutions help us to declutter, make the best use of smaller spaces, and complement furniture and design schemes.
Clutter is well-known to be draining, and getting your living spaces organised can help you think much clearer - we all know that it feels incredibly cathartic to shed excess baggage, both physically and metaphorically!
Rugs and carpets make us feel at home, encourage us to take off our shoes and centre ourselves, and can transform a harsh, cold floor into a space that is inviting.
Simple changes can have a significant impact:
- Mirrors enhance natural light, illuminate empty spaces and bring a sense of freshness to a room.
- Patterns delight and excite our gaze, making spaces feel more alive.
- Soft fabrics such as cushions, throws, curtains and blankets evoke feelings of comfort, of safety and help us to relax and wind down.
- Candles are romantic, sensual and change a regular bath or meal into an experience where you can genuinely engage with your loved ones.
- Artwork and canvases connect with our emotions, remind us of what things we love in the world, and can be a great way to spend time reflecting and looking up from our ever-present screens.
Breaking The Rules of Home Decor
The joy of interior design is that there are no rights or wrongs; your space is yours to live in, to enjoy, and to love.
Here at Andrew Lee, we thrive on exciting pattern, innovative design, and outstanding craftsmanship that makes us step away from the norm and appreciate the beauty of everyday objects.
We don't believe in style 'rules'; or perhaps, think that rules are made to be broken!
Unique interiors might be significantly different and yet mean as much to their owners, and evoke the same sense of calm and safety, regardless of how starkly contrasting they might seem.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so whether you feel your vitality stems from clashing prints and oversized artworks or embrace the calmness of natural textures and reclaimed wood, your home is yours to make it what you wish.
Great design is also a solid investment, and handcrafted furniture and one-of-a-kind pieces create a personal space that will last for years to come.
Getting Started With a Home Redecoration
With all this said, we can see that the ambience and feel of our homes is vital - interior design helps us stay grounded, makes our living spaces personal, uses space wisely, and facilitates functional living.
However, if you're living in a bland and uninspiring space, how do you get started with transforming it into a place you are proud to call home?
The best way to begin is to consider what you want your home to feel like, and what purpose each room needs to serve.
Remember that your taste is individual, so take as much time as you like to browse online, review our collections for design inspiration, and check out other interior design projects for ideas that speak to you.
- What do you use the space for - what is its primary purpose? Is it a utility space, do you want to entertain guests, is it for kids to play in, or primarily for you to relax in?
- How do you want your space to feel - relaxed, energetic, calm, vibrant?
- Which design aesthetics fit with your personal style; or do you love a combination of themes - in which case, which types fit in best with the functionality and feel that you have identified?
- How much budget do you have? This is as important as anything else, as it can help decide whether to go for a full-blown renovation or to add gentle touches and flourishes to impact the flow and feel of your home.
- What problems in your living space would you like to solve? Are you lacking storage, does your living room feel bare, are your bedrooms too bright to sleep in, or do you find your floors hard and cold? Identifying what you don't like can be as powerful as knowing what you do - and pinpoint those areas that would best benefit from your attention!
If you feel that you aren't getting the best from your home, there is never a better time to start making small changes than now.
Whether adding a few plants, embracing the natural light, using colour and texture, or completely revamping your design schemes, making positive changes to your interiors can have a surprisingly powerful impact on the rest of your time.
Make your home your castle, and everything else starts to slot into place.
