How Your Home Décor Affects Your Mood (Especially in Winter)

It’s well known that a beautifully designed home can make you feel good — especially if it’s your home and it’s decorated exactly as you want it. Your home’s décor can also considerably affect your overall mood over time, and this is especially important to realize in winter, when a lack of sunlight and warmth can make you feel seriously down or depressed.

Updating your home’s décor can give you a pick-me-up in the winter (or anytime), making you forget the frigid temperatures and early sunsets. So what’s the secret to mood-lifting décor?

Pick Mood-Lifting Colors

Color is extremely important when it comes to creating a certain kind of mood in your design space. Psychologists have known for years that some colors can trigger certain feelings and brain states in people. Here are some general rules:

• Red can convey a feeling of warmth, but it can also be overpowering, so use it judiciously.
• Orange can shock you into action, providing energy. Again, you don’t want to go overboard.
• Yellow works well with natural light and is associated with happiness and creativity.
• Green and blue are both soothing colors.
• Purple is associated with luxury, brown with nature and relaxation, black with power and white with purity.

It’s important to use a mix of colors. A monotone room can be overwhelming or dizzying. It’s a good idea to save the dramatic colors, like red and orange for accent pieces, and more neutral colors for the walls with soothing colors for the furniture itself.

Create the Illusion of Space

Many people find a feeling of space to have a calming, mood-lifting effect. Notice it’s the feeling of space that’s important. You don’t have to have a mansion with ceilings so high you can barely see them. Just creating the perception of space can do the trick.

You can do this by strategically placing smaller, slimmer furniture items in with a few larger ones, placing a mirror on the back wall or employing wall hangings. Additional lighting in your space will also combat the wintry blues and help lift your mood. Lamps that imitate sunlight, tend to have the greatest effect.

Clean the Air with Plants

If you know someone who gets depressed in the winter, get a few of the right plants for their apartment. You’ll usually want hearty plants that will last through the winter and don’t require too much care, but it will vary from person to person.

Plants can do wonders for a person’s home décor and their mood. They literally bring life to a space, in addition to cleaning the air, giving you something to care for and helping you get in touch with nature. Studies show that having plants in the home improves happiness, health, creativity and productivity.

If you’re moving into a new, unfurnished space in Central PA and are looking for some instant décor that will look terrific and has the potential to make you feel great, look into renting furniture from Interior Furniture Resources. You’ll find great pieces and furniture sets at a great value that you can have delivered and set up in your home in no time flat.

Anytime you feel like you need new décor or a pick-me-up in the wintertime, just contact Interior Furniture Resources. It’s an easy, low-pressure way to enjoy great furnishings in your living space.