REFLECTIONS ON HOW TO DECORATE FOR WELL-BEING
We live in a world of sensory overload, turbulence, and stress. This means that we are looking for a home where we can recover and have peace and quiet. A home we are comfortable in. The more turbulent the world seems, the more important it is to have a safe home base. This is evident in current interior trends, where the key words are soft, round and embracing shapes, warm earthy hues, and reliable blue tones.
Our home is also a mirror of ourselves. If you take care of your home, you also take care of yourself. The personal home of well-being focuses on taking care of and respecting the things that surround us. It is about sustainability from a circular perspective. We are not quite there yet, since we still see often see throwaway mentalities. But I believe this mentality will change, consequently affecting our storage – where flexible storage and sustainable storage are ultimately the same thing. I believe in a hidden storage solution that calms the mind and the senses, so that you can display the things you like and the things that give you energy. We should also showcase things that are style-bearers and that enhance our interior style while also enhancing our well-being.
Today, we know a lot about how health and nutrition affect us. However, there is far less knowledge about how environmental psychology and interactions between individuals and their physical surroundings affect our well-being. That is also true regarding the psychology of sound and colour. Research shows that we can reduce stress and anxiety by 20 per cent by being organized and tidy at home and at work. This can be achieved with good, flexible storage, which also reduces irritation and conflicts.
I think the hallway is one of the most important rooms to keep tidy, since it is the first thing you see when you come home and the last you see when you leave.
The bedroom is equally important. This is the room where we find peace and recover. Hence the continuous search for look and feel of a hotel. The “show off” rooms, however, are still the living room and the kitchen. These rooms are the heart of the home. Needs, personality, and the seasons should guide you in your furnishing choices in all of these rooms. This is a knowledge that has been lost, but which I believe is on its way back.
Jannice Wistrand,
certified interior designer and Feng Shui consultant
Award-winning architect, active in both Sweden and Denmark. Runs ALoCo architectural firm.
Journalist, author and presenter. She is one of Sweden's largest fashion bloggers with experience from magazines, Swedish Television and has her own podcast.
Real estate agent and partner at one of Sweden's largest real estate firms, Bjurfors. With extensive experience of selling both villas and condominiums in south of Sweden.
Trend scout and works at the external analysis and trend agency Docere, which carries out analysis assignments, training and runs the trend site Buzzter.
Feng Shui consultant and certified interior designer. She is the founder of the consulting company Add Simplicity and her blog addsimplicity is one of the Nordic region's largest in interior design.
Professor of European Ethnology at the Department of Cultural Anthropology and Ethnology at Uppsala University. Previous positions include Humboldt University, Berlin and the Swedish College of Advanced Studies in Uppsala.
Elfa’s Senior PR Specialist and Storage Expert for the past 30 years.
