Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsInterior Design and Architecture Impact How We Feel 24/7—SeriouslyGetting Cozy With the Elements of Interior DesignIf You Want to Feel More Relaxed—Go With BlueAdd Some Green to Your Home to Increase ProductivityLet the Light InClutter Has No Home Here
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Interior Design and Architecture Impact How We Feel 24/7—Seriously
Getting Cozy With the Elements of Interior Design
If You Want to Feel More Relaxed—Go With Blue
Add Some Green to Your Home to Increase Productivity
Let the Light In
Clutter Has No Home Here
Close
Every Friday onThe Verywell Mind Podcast, host Minaa B., a licensed social worker, mental health educator, and author of “Owning Our Struggles,” interviews experts, wellness advocates, and individuals with lived experiences about community care and its impact on mental health.
Cue Jeopardy! theme song
Welcome back! Now that you’regroundedand present—how do you feel? Are youstressed? Do you feel like a caged animal or feel pretty chill?
This exercise was meant to help you see how your environment influences your mood. We may not think about this often, but trust us—our physical space definitely has an impact on how we feel.
Still not convinced? Well, here’s what therapist-turned-interior designerAnita Yokota, aka “Your Go-To Home Therapist,” told The Verywell Mind podcast’s hostMinaa B.
“As a psychology intern, I did a lot of home visits. One of the first things that I learned to do…is observe the emotional climate of the home,” Yokota says. She adds that visiting clients' homes from Compton and all the way to Malibu “taught me so much of how our home environment can really affect our mood, [and] it can affect our relationships that live [in the home].”
Because of her experiences as a therapist, Yokota fell in love with interior design and now works to help people design their homes in ways that foster good emotional health and well-being.
She’s adamant that interior design can be used as a therapy tool, and she was kind enough to share some quick tips we can use to make our homes mental health-friendly.
At a Glance
To get a bit more granular, people living in the United States spend approximately 90% of their time inside man-made spaces.That’s…a lot.
Our inside spaces are super important, and architects regard interior design as one of the most crucial parts of architectural design.And since we can’t see the outside of our homes from our bedrooms, we shouldreallydirect our attention to our indoor spaces.
People living in the United States spend approximately 90% of their time inside man-made spaces.
Studies even show that our physical environment can trigger or reduce symptoms of various mental health conditions.
To understand the relationship between environment and mood, let’s familiarize ourselves with the important facets of interior design.
Our home environment can really affect our mood, [and] it can affect our relationships that live [in the home]."—ANITA YOKOTA, THERAPIST-TURNED-INTERIOR DESIGNER
Our home environment can really affect our mood, [and] it can affect our relationships that live [in the home]."
—ANITA YOKOTA, THERAPIST-TURNED-INTERIOR DESIGNER
Three important components of interior design include:
How Does Your Environment Affect Your Mental Health?
Think back to a time when you were younger and choosing a paint color for a room. Or maybe you can recall a home interior of a friend’s house or a T.V. character you liked. Maybe the color you found yourself drawn to then was a brightpink.
For instance, if you’re at a spa, it’s not likely that you’ll find a pink wall. Instead, you’ll see shades of zen-inducing blues and greys.
Most People Are Drawn to Cooler-Toned Rooms
Remember that spa from a sentence ago? There’s a reason why people feel at ease at spas. Aside from the luxurious pampering, the whole environment of a spa feels so chill, and the cool colors assist in creating that feeling.
To back this up, a study that had participants look at two digitally created living room imagesfound warmer interior colors to feel more exciting and stimulating. Cooler-toned interiors were shown to provoke feelings ofrestfulnessand convey a more spacious vibe.
Another study mentions that people generally prefer cool colors like cyan,green, and blue over warm colors likered,yellow, andorange.
Whites and Beiges Are Great For Smaller SpacesIt’s clear that color has a huge impact on how we feel. Yokota says, that paint colors including “whitepaint, creams, and beiges, are wonderful ways to absorb light and bounce it back into a small room.”
Whites and Beiges Are Great For Smaller Spaces
It’s clear that color has a huge impact on how we feel. Yokota says, that paint colors including “whitepaint, creams, and beiges, are wonderful ways to absorb light and bounce it back into a small room.”
7 Tips for Staying Motivated to Clean Your House When You Are Depressed
The color green is often associated with positive feelings. We think of trees and grass both of which act as symbols of life.
Anita Yokota, Therapist-Turned-Interior Designer
The great thing is that there are so many shades of green to choose from. You can put a jade couch, emerald accent pillows, and sea foam-colored throw blankets all in the same room!
Yokota also says that adding green plants to your living space works too.
How Nature Therapy Helps Your Mental Health
Think of how you feel on abright, sunny dayversus how you feel on a cold, dreary, and rainy day. Pretty big difference, right?
Direct sunlight feels amazing because the light from that big yellow star in the sky can actually decrease anxiety. Even indirect sunlight shining through a window can reduce feelings of depression.
Natural light and brighter spaces can instantly lift our mood. So, lighting in homes is really important.
To make our home spaces more work-friendly, Yokota recommends “ample lighting.” And, if you lack a window in your workspace, you can add a “happy light or some kind ofmood-boosting light.”
What Is Light Therapy and Is It Right For You?
Clutter and messiness can make a room feel smaller than it really is. And too much stuff lying around can increase stress and make us feel unhappy about life.So, get cleaning!
Yokota emphasizes the importance of organization and says that tidiness can set us up for success. She says, “Research has shown [that]organizationdecreases that cortisol stress level that we’re constantly on a high from. We want to be high from serotonin anddopamine[and]…lower thatcortisollevel as much as possible.
Organization Tips & Tricks
Here are some simple ways to organize your home:
What This Means For YouOne of the best things about interior design is that we can personalize our space—it’s the perfect time to be selfish. If you want to feel good, your home should look just the way you like it.
What This Means For You
One of the best things about interior design is that we can personalize our space—it’s the perfect time to be selfish. If you want to feel good, your home should look just the way you like it.
How to Use Your Senses to Liven Up Your Home
9 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Tawil N, Sztuka IM, Pohlmann K, Sudimac S, Kühn S.The Living Space: Psychological Well-Being and Mental Health in Response to Interiors Presented in Virtual Reality.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(23):12510. doi:10.3390/ijerph182312510Environmental Protection Agency.Indoor air quality.Aljunaidy MM, Adi MN.Architecture and Mental Disorders: A Systematic Study of Peer-Reviewed Literature.HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal. 2021;14(3):320-330. doi:10.1177/1937586720973767Kim J, Heo W.Importance of Interior Design: An Environmental Mediator for Perceiving Life Satisfaction and Financial Stress.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(19):10195. doi:10.3390/ijerph181910195Yildirim K, Hidayetoglu ML, Capanoglu A.Effects of interior colors on mood and preference: comparisons of two living rooms.Percept Mot Skills. 2011;112(2):509-524. doi:10.2466/24.27.PMS.112.2.509-524Costa M, Frumento S, Nese M, Predieri I.Interior Color and Psychological Functioning in a University Residence Hall.Front Psychol. 2018;9:1580. Published 2018 Aug 28. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01580Briki W, Majed L.Adaptive Effects of Seeing Green Environment on Psychophysiological Parameters When Walking or Running.Front Psychol. 2019;10:252. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00252Bertani DE, De Novellis AMP, Farina R, et al.“Shedding Light on Light”: A Review on the Effects on Mental Health of Exposure to Optical Radiation.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(4):1670. doi:10.3390/ijerph18041670Sorrell JM.Tidying Up: Good for the Aging Brain.J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2020;58(4):16-18. doi:10.3928/02793695-20200316-02
9 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Tawil N, Sztuka IM, Pohlmann K, Sudimac S, Kühn S.The Living Space: Psychological Well-Being and Mental Health in Response to Interiors Presented in Virtual Reality.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(23):12510. doi:10.3390/ijerph182312510Environmental Protection Agency.Indoor air quality.Aljunaidy MM, Adi MN.Architecture and Mental Disorders: A Systematic Study of Peer-Reviewed Literature.HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal. 2021;14(3):320-330. doi:10.1177/1937586720973767Kim J, Heo W.Importance of Interior Design: An Environmental Mediator for Perceiving Life Satisfaction and Financial Stress.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(19):10195. doi:10.3390/ijerph181910195Yildirim K, Hidayetoglu ML, Capanoglu A.Effects of interior colors on mood and preference: comparisons of two living rooms.Percept Mot Skills. 2011;112(2):509-524. doi:10.2466/24.27.PMS.112.2.509-524Costa M, Frumento S, Nese M, Predieri I.Interior Color and Psychological Functioning in a University Residence Hall.Front Psychol. 2018;9:1580. Published 2018 Aug 28. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01580Briki W, Majed L.Adaptive Effects of Seeing Green Environment on Psychophysiological Parameters When Walking or Running.Front Psychol. 2019;10:252. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00252Bertani DE, De Novellis AMP, Farina R, et al.“Shedding Light on Light”: A Review on the Effects on Mental Health of Exposure to Optical Radiation.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(4):1670. doi:10.3390/ijerph18041670Sorrell JM.Tidying Up: Good for the Aging Brain.J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2020;58(4):16-18. doi:10.3928/02793695-20200316-02
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Tawil N, Sztuka IM, Pohlmann K, Sudimac S, Kühn S.The Living Space: Psychological Well-Being and Mental Health in Response to Interiors Presented in Virtual Reality.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(23):12510. doi:10.3390/ijerph182312510Environmental Protection Agency.Indoor air quality.Aljunaidy MM, Adi MN.Architecture and Mental Disorders: A Systematic Study of Peer-Reviewed Literature.HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal. 2021;14(3):320-330. doi:10.1177/1937586720973767Kim J, Heo W.Importance of Interior Design: An Environmental Mediator for Perceiving Life Satisfaction and Financial Stress.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(19):10195. doi:10.3390/ijerph181910195Yildirim K, Hidayetoglu ML, Capanoglu A.Effects of interior colors on mood and preference: comparisons of two living rooms.Percept Mot Skills. 2011;112(2):509-524. doi:10.2466/24.27.PMS.112.2.509-524Costa M, Frumento S, Nese M, Predieri I.Interior Color and Psychological Functioning in a University Residence Hall.Front Psychol. 2018;9:1580. Published 2018 Aug 28. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01580Briki W, Majed L.Adaptive Effects of Seeing Green Environment on Psychophysiological Parameters When Walking or Running.Front Psychol. 2019;10:252. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00252Bertani DE, De Novellis AMP, Farina R, et al.“Shedding Light on Light”: A Review on the Effects on Mental Health of Exposure to Optical Radiation.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(4):1670. doi:10.3390/ijerph18041670Sorrell JM.Tidying Up: Good for the Aging Brain.J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2020;58(4):16-18. doi:10.3928/02793695-20200316-02
Tawil N, Sztuka IM, Pohlmann K, Sudimac S, Kühn S.The Living Space: Psychological Well-Being and Mental Health in Response to Interiors Presented in Virtual Reality.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(23):12510. doi:10.3390/ijerph182312510
Environmental Protection Agency.Indoor air quality.
Aljunaidy MM, Adi MN.Architecture and Mental Disorders: A Systematic Study of Peer-Reviewed Literature.HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal. 2021;14(3):320-330. doi:10.1177/1937586720973767
Kim J, Heo W.Importance of Interior Design: An Environmental Mediator for Perceiving Life Satisfaction and Financial Stress.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(19):10195. doi:10.3390/ijerph181910195
Yildirim K, Hidayetoglu ML, Capanoglu A.Effects of interior colors on mood and preference: comparisons of two living rooms.Percept Mot Skills. 2011;112(2):509-524. doi:10.2466/24.27.PMS.112.2.509-524
Costa M, Frumento S, Nese M, Predieri I.Interior Color and Psychological Functioning in a University Residence Hall.Front Psychol. 2018;9:1580. Published 2018 Aug 28. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01580
Briki W, Majed L.Adaptive Effects of Seeing Green Environment on Psychophysiological Parameters When Walking or Running.Front Psychol. 2019;10:252. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00252
Bertani DE, De Novellis AMP, Farina R, et al.“Shedding Light on Light”: A Review on the Effects on Mental Health of Exposure to Optical Radiation.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(4):1670. doi:10.3390/ijerph18041670
Sorrell JM.Tidying Up: Good for the Aging Brain.J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv. 2020;58(4):16-18. doi:10.3928/02793695-20200316-02
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