By Wellness Architect, Kate Hamblet
If buying a new home is on your to-do list this year, you may be wondering how you can turn a typical house into a healthy retreat. Since most homes aren’t designed for the health and well-being of the occupants, it’s hard to find a house that has health and wellness features already built in. Luckily, with some small home upgrades, you can turn a typical home into a place that nourishes your body, your mind, and the planet.
Here are five ways you can upgrade your home so that it promotes good health, happiness and planetary health.
Air Seal The House
There is no such thing as a house that's too air tight. Work with an energy auditor to determine how leaky the house is, then get the cracks and gaps sealed up. This is a pretty easy upgrade to do. And the best part is that most states have rebates and incentives to keep the cost low for the homeowner. You will be much more comfortable in an air-tight house!
Create a Healthy Entryway
This is the first room you enter when you arrive home, so make sure it promotes health and happiness! Use exterior and interior entrance mats to stop toxic dirt before it enters the home. Provide a bench or other seating to easily remove shoes after entering. Include smart storage solutions to organize cluttered belongings. Add special items unique to you and your family that will make you smile every time you come home.
Use Light Colors When Repainting
Choose light-colored wall paint and furniture like white, cream, and pastels in living areas to let sunlight reflect off the surfaces and brighten up the space. Mix in color with accent walls and furnishings if this is sounding too white for you. I love color, especially dark, moody natural colors, so I like to incorporate those in small nooks, accent walls or on cabinets while also having plenty of light-colored surfaces to allow the sunlight to bounce around the space.
Bring Nature Inside
House plants are great, but it's even better when you diversify your natural elements. Add water features and use natural materials. You can even incorporate patterns that mimic nature to create a calmer environment. Feeling connected to nature brings you happiness and reduces stress.
Get Rid of Chemicals
Poisoning is the #1 household accident yet so easy to prevent. Chemicals should be stored out of reach of children. It’s best to store them outside of the home. Remove the old paint cans that the previous owner left behind. Once opened, fumes from paint and other chemical storage will seep out and travel through the house.
These home upgrades are relatively easy to incorporate into any home and provide a ‘quick win’ for turning a typical home into a healthy haven. There is so much you can do to upgrade a home to meet your health and wellness goals, so don’t get frustrated if you aren’t finding a home that already has wellness features.
If you’d like more tips and strategies for upgrading your new home to a healthy home, grab myfree checklist here. This guide and checklist includes 20 healthy home upgrade strategies and pointers on what to avoid when house-hunting.
By Kate Hamblet, The Wellness Architect Balanced Architecture
Kate helps health-conscious families create homes that support and promote health, happiness, and longevity. You’ll find her at www.balancedarchitecture.com
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