My readers can find themes across all of my pieces of writing. Beyond themes of color and design, I also enjoy writing about themes of emotions, wellbeing, and mindfulness. I’m always telling my clients to be aware of the emotional intention of spaces in their homes and how colors can affect mood in completely unconscious ways.
I have found that many clients end up designing and creating a “mindful space” without even knowing it during the discovery process. So, what exactly is a mindful space? The term can mean different things, depending on who you are asking. But as a color expert, interior designer, and someone who enjoys spaces built for the collection of mind and spirit, I define a mindful space as an area within the home dedicated to the homeowner’s wellbeing without necessarily serving any specific function or utility.
In this article, I will explore some examples of what a mindful space can be and provide some of my suggestions to help you start designing a mindful space of your own!
The Significance of Mindful Spaces
We all experience stress and anxieties in our daily lives. Some lives are more hectic than others, but everyone can relate to feeling overwhelmed. The concept behind a mindful space is to create a dedicated area that serves to improve health and wellbeing; this can be accomplished by surrounding oneself with pleasures, passions, and hobbies. Or, it can be accomplished by creating a space that is dedicated to reflection and practices of meditation. The point is the same in either case, create a space that helps people compartmentalize their stresses for a while and engage in spiritual and emotional healing.
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Characteristics of Mindful Spaces
While some will suggest that a mindful space must incorporate meditation or yoga-based practices in its design, my definition is more fluid. All that is required for a mindful space is a design effort to support wellbeing. Wellbeing may be different for each individual. For some, an area supporting wellbeing would be vintage hi-fi gear and a dedicated 2-channel stereo system; for others, it may be vintage film posters and a collection of cigars. And yes, for many, a mindful space in support of wellbeing will be focused on yoga, meditation, and physical health. My point is that it will not be the same for each homeowner, so it’s best not to try a “one size fits all” strategy but to try a more personal approach.
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Design Suggestions for Mindful Spaces
When creating a mindful space, it’s important to curate the items, design, and colors to fit your tastes and support awareness within the area. While I believe that no two people would choose the same mindful space design, some elements help support the relaxation and wellbeing goals for which a mindful space is designed.
What do I mean by that?
- Colors that promote relaxation
You would most likely want to work with relaxing neutrals and earth tones in a mindful space to support emotional ease – not a heightened sense of agitation that can come with loud, electric colors. Soothing blues, pale greens, and even soft rose tones can be as relaxing as the day is long. I have chosen colors for doctors’ offices a few times, and color plays a very important role in helping people feel calmer and more relaxed. Imagine creating that sense of peacefulness in your own home!
- Decluttering the space
Aside from the items that help you achieve mindful wellbeing, there’s no point in keeping distractions in the space. Too much clutter can create feelings of confusion, anxiety, and lack of control; your mindful space should be clear of all distracting items that don’t support the emotional intention of the space. Decluttering takes some effort, but it’s well worth the time once you see the result.
- Invoke your senses
During the midst of a busy day, our senses take a backseat, and we rarely take time to be present in the moment and use our senses to appreciate our environment. A mindful space should be an area where we can slow down and have a heightened sense of everything around us. Incorporate smells, textures, and tastes in your mindful space that helps slow things down and promote relaxation and reflection.
Are you sensitive to the lighting in a room? Try adding lower lighting or even scented candles to make your space feel more subdued and easier on the eyes. What about the sense of smell? There are several ways of adding a fragrant element to a room – aromatherapy diffusers with essential oils will let you choose the scent you find most relaxing. Incense sticks are another option; I enjoy lavender and rosemary scents and find them very relaxing.
Finally, don’t be afraid to bring the outdoors in. Open the windows and enjoy the fresh air in your mindful space. Especially this time of year, It can be the breezy feeling in a room we wait for all year long!
Do You Have a Mindful Space in Your Home?
What do you do to be more mindful? Do you meditate? Do you go to a special place in your home or elsewhere to help you relax, reflect, and become more aware of energy? Please share your thoughts on mindful spaces with me; I’d love to hear from you.
If you’re looking for some help discovering color palettes that will promote mindfulness and relaxation, see the Color911 app! You can see in two of the images I included in this post how the colors provided design inspiration for a very relaxing ambiance. There are many curated color palettes – discover what inspires! Create a space you fall in love with every time you enter the room 🙂
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gosh, the colours are so soothing. Just that decision goes a long way to creating a restful space. Thank you for all your suggestions.
You’re very welcome Judith, I’m so glad you enjoyed this weeks blog post!
Beautiful suggestions, Amy! Color and decluttering go a long way toward promoting calm!
Absolutely, and it is certainly something we try to do regularly to maintain that calmness in our own home!
Yes that is certainly true Tiffany, thanks so much for stopping by and commenting.