It feels jarring to talk about joy when our fellow humans are suffering, but if anything we need to celebrate and nurture this feeling more when times are tough. Finding joy in small, everyday pleasures is essential for good mental health. And our homes can indeed help us to reconnect with fun, lightness and pleasure.
Here are some tips to help you make a room feel joyful:
- Begin by asking yourself what you associate with joy: what colours, patterns and objects?
- Yellow is a particularly happy and sunny colour, but any bright, saturated colour can give you an intense, energetic hit of happiness. Think about the colours of spring – the season that’s most associated with this feeling.
- Using complementary colours (which are opposite each other on the colour wheel) will create vibrant, energising combinations.
- Choose artworks that make you laugh and smile: something cheeky or irreverent if that’s your style, or perhaps just a photo or painting of a spring-like natural scene.
- Try using oils such as bergamot, lemon and orange in your diffuser, cleaning products and bath. They are zesty and uplifting.
- Take inspiration from grown-up versions of some of the things that might have made you feel joyful as a child. This could include dancing mobiles and tinkling wind chimes; large orb-like lampshades that look like balloons; and squishy, enveloping chairs that feel like beanbags.
- Choose flowering plants that will inject a burst of colour into your room at certain times of the year.
- Introduce pattern through wallpaper, artworks and soft furnishings – flowing, undulating or curving lines will create a sense of freedom and possibility.
- Create a playlist of music that fills your heart with joy and stream it through your speakers.
- Hook up some string lights to make dark evenings twinkle and delight.
If you’d like help with making your home feel joyful, do get in touch.