Holistic design is the hottest new interior design trend, but it goes far beyond a specific color palette or decor aesthetic. Many home design styles involve choosing certain furniture and adhering to formulaic layouts, and even place emphasis on function and formality.
A holistic design, however, has spirituality and health at its core, as every design element boosts the resident’s well-being. Consider taking the holistic approach if your home doesn’t offer you peace, relief, and safety.
Incorporating these holistic elements, from natural materials to energy flow to soothing colors, can make your home more centering and healthy.
1. Optimized Function
Homes designed with a holistic mindset are often attractive, but they’re also incredibly functional. Holistic decor, furniture, and layouts deliver top-notch functionality, incorporating dual-function objects and logical layouts without sacrificing beauty. Plus, items made with meaningful materials are environmentally friendly, better for your health, and often higher quality.
2. Japanese Zen Mindset
Although holistic design does not strictly follow Japanese Zen guidelines, the two share many elements. Like Japanese Zen and feng shui layouts, holistic layouts can improve energy flow to make the home more comfortable and positive. A sense of tranquility and balance is essential in both approaches.
3. Spaces Made For You
Many people design their homes to impress guests. While this is understandable, holistic design does away with this idea. Rather than design spaces that appeal to visitors, a holistic composition only considers how the home will suit you, the occupant.
4. Air Circulation
Curating a positive and consistent energy flow can start with a healthy airflow. Holistic home design requires excellent air circulation that moves freely through the space. Old, stagnant air can lead to a negative atmosphere, so open windows, air purifiers, and fans are all common elements of this design style.
5. Peace and Happiness
We know this sounds cheesy, but peace and happiness should be central to every design decision if you want a holistic home. If the space does not create an inner feeling of peace, it does not meet the criteria for a holistic design. Frustrated feelings aimed at your space can be eliminated with this thoughtful design style.
6. Biophilic Designs
Biophilic design creates a seamless connection between the indoors and outdoors. It brings nature into your home and your home out into nature. This can be achieved with indoor plants, plenty of natural light, natural materials, and large openings (windows, doors, etc.) that lead outside. The indoor space should feel deeply intertwined with the nature surrounding the structure.
7. Artistic Auras
While some holistic design criteria may feel rigid, holistic homes should be inherently artistic but not over-designed. It’s important to avoid industrial aesthetics, as these can create tension. The home itself should feel like a balanced work of art.
8. Curating Energy Flow
A healthy energy flow is essential in holistic designs. Every room should feel connected to one another as well as the nature outside. Ideally, you should be able to take any item from one room and seamlessly put it in another room. Walking from room to room should feel fluid, and the vibe should be consistent throughout the interior and exterior.
9. A Safe Space
Of course, your home should always feel like a safe space to be yourself and find peace. This seems like a no-brainer, but creating a space conducive to healing is harder than it sounds. Everything you might need should be easily accessible, which could mean a permanent meditation corner, soundproof walls, light dimmers, and other healing elements.
10. Clutter-Free
Visually, clutter is very unappealing. Clutter can also weigh on your brain, decreasing productivity, distracting you, adding stress, and even causing depression. A well-executed holistic layout will make it easy to prevent and manage clutter. Convenient and logical storage is one way holistic design reduces clutter.
11. All Natural Elements
Natural elements like wood, stone, live plants, sand, soil, and water help create a grounding, centering atmosphere. A trickling outdoor fountain, a wood fireplace, a sandy courtyard, a pothos in the kitchen, and a natural stone pathway are just a few examples of how natural elements appear in holistic homes.
12. Resident-Focused
When you walk into your holistically designed home, it should feel uniquely yours. People should feel your energy and spirit in the space, whether you’re a peppy person or a calm individual. While personal touches help achieve this, colors, art, and functional pieces can also capture your inner self.
13. Purpose-Driven Layouts
When adhering to a holistic mentality, you should ask yourself in each room: what is the purpose of this space? Design every room around its distinct purpose while adhering to the overall purpose of your home, which is peace and happiness.
14. Self-Expression
When we think about self-expression, we think about creating art or wearing clothes that fit our taste. In holistic interior designs, self-expression is more about letting your inner spirit shine and curating a place where you can be unapologetic and uninhibited. It should be a space that offers complete and pure freedom.