Light up your life with these home décor tricks. What makes a happy house? That’s a question that we at Chameleon Designs based in Norwich and London are constantly being asked. A Happy home creates better mental health and wellbeing, particularly appropriate at this time of year, when bad weather, dark evenings can combine to give you the blues. If you are renovating this spring, here are the things you need to consider for better peace of mind.

Lighting 

Bad lighting can be linked to depression. However, replacing lamps and chandeliers with spotlights is not always the solution. Studies have shown you experience emotions more intensely under bright lighting. In hospitals and laboratories this is important, but you do not always need this in your home.

There is a level of lighting that everyone needs in the daytime, but too many people sit in cold, bright lighting during the evening too, and this can affect your body clock. All making it harder to go to sleep, which has a negative impact on mental health.

Choosing lighting or layers of light and creating ambience is what is required and one of the elements we at Chameleon Designs can bring to your project. This starts with designing in different circuits that offer clients the opportunity for more control over the different elements of their lighting. Other elements are to start with a “daylight” first approach, meaning you are relying more on natural light as opposed to artificial lighting, this would include looking to incorporate floor to ceiling glazing where possible, or using glass paneled doors and windows to borrow light from other spaces.

Nature 

Experts say that living with (or near) nature is important for mental health. There is a lot of talk of biophilia- pioneered by a biologist Edward O Wilson, which makes the correlation between being close to nature and positive mood. This can in modern spaces include living walls, or designing in courtyards or terraces.

The easiest and cheapest way to lift your home is on houseplants, choose things like moth orchids, succulents and Swiss cheese plants which are all easy to maintain. Don’t be afraid to use plants especially to hide the gadgets.

Colour 

A low cost and simple way to make an impact on how your space feels is through colour. Yellow, for example, is proven to stimulate serotonin release, which makes you happy, while greens and blues can make you feel calm.

However, be careful. Different colours are appropriate for different people – and the tone of colour of colour you choose matters too. We at Chameleon Designs can help you incorporate colour in your scheme and work with colours that are appropriate to you. For more information see www.chameleondesignsinteriors.co.uk