10 tips from architects and designers to help you live better in your home with the space you have
"We need to first feel safe where we live and also have a connection with nature."
Alejandra Martins
Author's title,BBC News World
August 30, 2024
It may be small. It may not fit your ideal.
But it is the place where you live. And that makes that space a world full of possibilities.
For many people, their home is their refuge. For others, it is a place of transition. Or maybe it is a place they want to change because it does not generate the best energy for them.
The good news is that, when it comes to design, there is always something we can do to give that place a positive touch, which will hopefully help us create a space of greater peace and creativity.
Home has a huge emotional impact on us , Salvadoran architect Alessandra García, founder of the interior design studio Orsetto Interiors in southwest London, tells BBC Mundo.
“It is extremely important because we are human, we came from caves and we need to feel safe where we live and also have a connection with nature ,” García tells BBC Mundo.
“If you are in a very small space that has no light, no access to vegetation for example, it is likely that this will not make you feel happy.”
The home we live in has a great emotional impact.
A study in the United States estimated that people in that country spend an average of 90% of their lives between walls, whether at home, at work or in schools. In other countries the percentage may be lower, but surely the space in which we live will impact, even subconsciously, our emotions.
At BBC Mundo we invite you to consider 10 tips from architects and designers to make our homes a greater source of well-being.
1. Know yourself
“It's not about following trends, but about being in harmony with your being and knowing what makes you feel good and what doesn't.”
“Light colors enlarge spaces, yellow energizes, etc.”
Many suggestions of this type can be found on the Internet or in architecture or decoration magazines.
But something crucial, according to García, is that you ask yourself this question: What do I like? What makes me feel good?
“I like to tell my clients that theory and text are one thing; for example, that white makes a space look bigger. But ultimately we are individuals and we have our own experiences.”
“For example, in El Salvador, there are processions during Holy Week. And in the procession of the Holy Burial, everyone dresses in purple. For me, since I was little, purple has had a very strong impact and it is something I associate with the death of Jesus. But there are people who love purple and it makes them happy,” she explains.
“ It’s not about following trends, but about being in harmony with your being and knowing what makes you feel good and what doesn’t.”
Even though we live in the same house with other people, we all have different experiences, he adds.
“For me, the most important job as a designer is to understand what my client likes and what they don’t like. Even if they tell me one thing, because sometimes they tell you something just because it sounds like what they should say, but in reality it’s not what they really like.”
2. Maximize natural light
Natural light supports the body's circadian rhythms.
“Personally, light is the number one factor, because it is the origin of life ,” says García.
Natural light supports the body's circadian rhythms, which regulate our sleep-wake cycle as well as hormones.
If there are several small spaces in a home, García often considers knocking down walls .
But if it is not possible to do so, or change windows , “you can allow more light in in other ways, for example by using mirrors or elements that reflect light .”
“There are also paint finishes, since the same color can be opaque or it can be satin or glossy. And that also helps you to reflect the light from one object to another and be in your environment.”
Another option, adds the architect and designer, is to simply accept that a space is darker and give it another use.
"If you are a very active person who needs light to do things, but at night you want to feel protected and wrapped up, you can retreat to a slightly darker space that gives you that feeling of protection," she says.
"A dark space doesn't necessarily have to be negative. It can also be a positive thing depending on its use."
3. Bring nature home
"We are evolutionarily programmed to respond to nature."
The term “biophilia” literally means love of life, and is used to describe our innate connection with nature.
Recognizing this ancestral tendency in our homes is so important that it has given rise to what is known as biophilic design .
"It's about incorporating nature in all its forms (including patterns, materials, shapes, spaces, smells, images and sounds) into urban design at different scales," Australian urban planning researcher Jana Söderlund, author of the book "The emergence of Biophilic Design", explained to the BBC's Worklife website .
“A lot of this is common sense, because we are evolutionarily programmed to respond to nature . Sometimes we just need a reminder,” he adds.
It's not just about having a plant in your living room.
An “indirect experience with nature” can also be added through earth tones that can have positive psychological and physiological effects.
The Australian author recommends trying forest greens, sky blues or earthy browns. "Look out the window and think about how you can bring those colours inside," she adds.
García believes that even if we live in countries with extreme climates, or we are not “good at plants,” “it is preferable to have one, even if it is artificial, than to have nothing at all.”
4. Choose natural materials
"Natural fibers can be used for cushions, armchairs, or as a quilt if it's cold. These natural materials are different to the touch."
“Natural materials are those with which we generally identify the most, because we also have a historical memory of them , from when humans hunted and lived in simple buildings,” says García.
“So that contact with adobe, with wood, with straw, with all those types of materials that connect you with nature is something that is intrinsically in the human subconscious.”
In the 1980s, there was a tendency to reject the natural and prefer the modern and metallic, says the architect.
“But now we are going back to nature. If you grab a natural material like wood instead of a metal material, your heart rate changes.”
A study by the University of British Columbia in Canada and a clinical trial by Brown University in the United States showed that the visual presence of wooden elements can reduce stress more effectively than plants, while rooms with around 45% wooden surfaces increase the perception of comfort and reduce blood pressure.
"If you grab a natural material like wood instead of a metal material your heart rate changes."
In another study, participants were asked to touch stainless steel surfaces, tile, marble, and an oak panel.
The results showed that touching the wooden panel had a calming effect on the nervous system.
García reminds us that “there are natural fabrics such as wool or linen . Natural fibers can be used for your cushions, armchairs, or to have a quilt if it is cold. These natural materials are different to the touch.”
“Technology has improved now and it is sometimes difficult to distinguish with the naked eye whether a material is natural or an artificial imitation. But subconsciously, humans know this. You may not realize it, but sitting on something natural or touching natural things changes your mood.”
5. Facilitate air circulation
"Energy has to be renewed and circulated, to then bring new positive energy."
When García transforms very small spaces by knocking down walls, this creates “the illusion that the space visually ends further away. Even though you have the same area, it feels different.”
This will also allow for what Garcia calls “ cross ventilation .”
“In small spaces, it is normal for a room to only have one window. Even if you have it open and a little breeze comes in, the wind is not channeled, it has nowhere to go out.”
“But if you open doors to another room that has another window, there can be an exchange of air. You have access not only to lighting from both sides, but you can also ventilate the air, which is why it is called cross ventilation.”
“We are made of water, but also of energy. Energy has to be renewed and circulated, in order to bring new positive energy . Otherwise, it remains stagnant.”
6. Do not overload
“Energy, light, everything moves through a space and if there are too many things and it is overloaded, then the energy does not flow.”
It is important not to overfill a space, especially a small one, with furniture and objects.
“Energy, light, everything moves through a space and if it is overloaded, then the energy does not flow or things do not look good because there are too many .”
Leaving some spaces unfilled gives us a visual respite, a mental relief.
Although she insists again on the idea of focusing on what we like, such as having many photos of loved ones, and the need to seek balance.
"It's about a balance between what makes you happy and a heavy environment, where you no longer feel comfortable because there's nowhere to put a glass or you can't see the other side of the room," he explains.
If you don't seek that balance, you risk going to the other extreme and ending up feeling just as uncomfortable or stressed.
"You can end up going for something very clinical or sterile, where everything is very white and minimalist, and feel like, 'I'd rather not touch anything' or 'if I move something, it's going to look out of place,'" she says.
“All trends are useful, but they should not be taken to extremes,” he concludes.
7. Maintain order
"Try not to have too many things on the counter. If you are always seeing clutter, it will unconsciously cause you anxiety."
García points out that order is essential, especially in the kitchen.
“Try not to have too many things on the counter, because even if you are not a meticulously tidy person, if you are always seeing that mess, it will unconsciously generate anxiety,” she says.
According to the expert, this small gesture - keeping the minimum amount on the counter - can even improve your mood .
"If you have things that you haven't used in a year, chances are you're not going to use them. So it's better to get rid of them and give them a new life, helping people who don't have them."
8. Consider verticality
One way to use the sense of verticality is to hang pictures at different levels.
In very small spaces you can put high shelves, but it is also possible to use the sense of verticality in other ways.
For those with high ceilings, we suggest hanging lamps or placing pieces of art in the upper space or at different heights , so that not all objects are at the same level.
"This way you get your gaze to rise and not just move in a plane ."
If you have a small bathroom, García especially recommends painting the ceiling a different color.
"It's not such a threatening action to your daily life and it brings a bit of humor," he says.
"It can be a bright shade if you want to look at it while you're taking a shower in the morning, or a calm shade to calm you down before you go to bed," she says. "That depends on each personality."
In small bathrooms, García recommends painting the ceiling a different color.
9. Use multifunctional furniture
“Especially in small spaces, flexibility is the most important thing.”
In small spaces it helps to have furniture that serves more than one function, says García.
“Flexibility is the most important thing. The same chair can be used for someone to sit on, to hold your books, as a bedside table or as a stool to reach something ,” he explains.
“If you live in a small space and your living room is also your dining room, your office and your children's playroom, make sure that at the end of the day they have a place to put their toys,” such as decorative baskets, recommends the expert.
"That way, when you sit down at the end of the day, there won't be any clutter to cause you stress."
She also recommends that if you have a desk in the living room, you should put your laptop away at the end of the day and, if guests come over, use that piece of furniture to serve food.
“The important thing is that while you are occupying a space for a certain activity, everything is useful for that, but then you can use it for another.”
10. Go little by little...
Alessandra García: "Start small...and don't be afraid to make mistakes."
If after reading these suggestions you would like to follow them but don't know where to start, take a deep breath... and smile.
Garcia reminds us that her advice is a way to empower us, not overwhelm us .
“Start with something small, with a cushion you saw in a store that you loved, and then gradually work your way up. It doesn’t have to be an overnight change. It can be a long-term process,” she says.
"And don't be afraid of making mistakes. If one day you feel like painting the wall green, then paint it green. The worst that can happen is that tomorrow you'll have to paint it another colour again," the architect and designer told BBC Mundo.
“First of all, think of a color palette that makes you feel happy. And remember that what you like today doesn’t necessarily have to be what you like tomorrow.”