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They Say “There is a crack in everything…. That’s how the light gets in”Leonard Cohen

“Without black, no color has any depth”Amy Grant

Sound will be the medicine of the future.” Edgar Cayce

How often do we wonder about the intangible qualities your home has that make you love being there.Interior spaces should indulge as many of our senses as possible: in terms of vision, sounds, touch and smell. Only when a space is envisioned, designed, and created with the intent of intriguing as many senses as possible, it truly reaches its full potential.

Sometimes tangible features make it beautiful and in some scenarios something intangible makes it memorable. And a good design is the balance of Both. Creating a healthy home can enrich so many other areas of your life, allowing you to reach your full potential, keep you focused and – most importantly – make you feel happier.The aim of this articleis to determine the impact of different colours and lighting conditions on people. Close correlations between cardiac activity, our emotions and health are well reported in literature and hence it is expected to be a good measure of environmental conditions on people. There are a number of factors in a spatial environment that influence the psychological and emotional state of the users.

LIGHT:

Light creates more than just visual effects (image, shape, intensity, perception, contrast, etc.). It also has biological and psychological effects that can impact the health and wellbeing of humans. When light biologically impacts us, it can improve or disrupt our sleep, cognition, hormone secretion and overall wellbeing.Intensity and colour are two important factors with an enormous impact on the users performance in the space. While people are known to adapt to different environments, it is believed that there is a loss of productivity and general well being if they are not in certain conditions.With a few clever lighting choices, you can get a year-round feel good factor in your home, helping you to feel organised, focused and happy. So if your home is feeling a bit drab and dull, here are some helpful hints to help you change this.

And before you even begin to think about artificial lighting, it is so important to use what nature gave us first. Natural light has many health benefits and often through badly designed homes, the natural light is blocked or restricted. Exposure to natural light increases our intake of vitamin B and D, both of which are important in the regulation of many of our body’s functions. Also if you suffer from headaches and eyestrain, then natural light actually makes it easier to see. Natural light is also great for the environment, your well-being, looks great from an Interior Design aspect and will save you money!

Unless you are planning to remodel your home, you are a little restricted to the amount of sunlight coming into your home, though there are a handful of techniques that you can still apply to make sure you are taking full advantage of it. Also you can use mirrors, reflective surfaces, light colours in spaces on floor, wall, ceiling, keep your space clean.As already mentioned, we humans respond to natural light well, so if you have lack of natural light in your home, the use of daylight bulbs might be for you. They’re designed to provide a similar level of brightness to natural light and will ultimately give you most of the same benefits. These bulbs however will never replace the real thing though, so only use them then use them wisely like as follows Don’tuse harsh lighting, use dimmer switches to control brightness of light, use layers of lights like accent, ambient, task light in spaces, use clear, glass, light lampshades etc. to balance multi-dimensional feelingsin your space.

SOUND:

Let’s look at sound as intangible instrument of space.Sound is as important and valuable part of everyday life as light. And when sound becomes noise, it can negatively affect our mental and physical health. The realities of modern lifestyleimplies that noises created in our world are not going to suddenly fall silent. Instead, we need to recognize that noise pollution is a serious health concernwell worthy of our attention, and find realistic and sustainable ways to manage and reduce it .

Consider the emotional impact of a structure like the Hagia Sophia, Istanbul’s famous former cathedral and mosque, which now houses a museum. Built nearly 1,500 years ago, its domed interior and marble floors and walls can elevate human chants into ethereal sounds that seem to emanate from the depths of the ocean and create a feeling of exaltation in the listener.

· “It has a sonic aesthetic that is capable of conjuring up the divine,” says BisseraPentcheva, an expert in Medieval art at Stanford University, who investigates the spiritual aspects of Medieval structures.

· “It takes human speech and chant beyond the register of human language.”- The way sound interacts with a building’s physical structure can also significantly alter our moods and emotions.

SMELL:

Thirdly Smell, being the most powerful link to emotions and feelings, is often overlooked and has only recently been strategically incorporated into interior designs.However, when we think about it, a scented room has the power to create a certain ambiance and mood; it implies that selecting a scent that best matches your space is just as important as hand picking furniture or art.Smelling a delightful aroma can be a very pleasurable experience, but can it be measured scientifically? They highlight the importance of the sense of smell, an often forgotten human attribute which, like sight and sound, adds a priceless vibrance to the tapestry of life. The use and enjoyment of fragrances have endured throughout the centuries, from the rituals of ancient cultures to the diversity of today’s lifestyles. In fact, as we celebrate the second millennium milestone, fragrances continue to play a surprisingly beneficial and purposeful role in adding to the quality of life— a tradition as old as mankind.

Strategical arrangement of aromas throughout the whole house can be a challenging task as there are various components one must remember during this strategy. There are also few fragrances that are believed to intrigue our minds and feelings in certain ways. Fragrances containing thyme, pine, and sweet marjoram are believed to have the ability to stimulate conversation; this is why they are often found in living rooms, where people are most likely to socialize. The fragrance of a fiery lemon is thought of as the best neutralizer for a kitchen, as kitchens are well on the way to be the home of a blend of scents.Lavender’s scent is known for causing relaxation, therefore, a perfect match for the bedroom.And finally, if you want to match your aroma to the season, fresh citrus scents, like mandarin or bergamot, are a mainstream decision, during blistering, summer months, when fresher aromas are needed.

As they say “protecting a healthy brain will always be easier than repairing the brain once it’s damaged.” So flex your brain muscles and lets live in a designed space for a healthy future.