5 Simple Decorating Tips for a Happier Home

When we were actively searching for a house, I dreamed of a magazine-worthy home. You remember those beautiful houses you’d see on HGTV (Home and Garden TV) or Better Homes magazines? That’s how I envisioned our house to be. I created Pinterest boards of how every room would look like. But because hiring an interior designer is out of the budget, I had to settle with what was realistic and practical. At the end of the day, our goal was to have a home we could call our own, where family and friends would gather and share food, stories, and love.

Here are some simple tips to make a happier home. 

Choose happy colors

Colors impact us in many ways, not just in terms of aesthetics. It can also impact the way we feel. Ever noticed that our local favorite fastfood chains are in the shades of red or orange? Color has something to do with it. Here are some happy colors that interior designers recommend. Make sure not to overdo it and combine it with base or neutral colors.

• Yellow is the color of optimism, brightness, cheery attitude, and mental clarity. 
• Orange is a warm, inviting, and joyful color. It invokes feelings of sociability, enjoyable connection, and happiness.
• Green is pleasing to the eyes and invokes renewal, balance, refreshment, and peace. It has many positive qualities — invoking renewal, balance.
• Blue promotes rest and calm. Some say it can be very effective to help ward off insomnia and promote a night of deep relaxing sleep.
• Red is a color associated with high energy, power, courage, and strength. A little of this goes a long way.

Go Green

One way to bring in the color green into your home is to have plants indoor or outdoors. Plants remind us of nature and give us a different sense of calm and peace. According to Treehugger, having indoor houseplants not only adds beauty to the home, but also helps clean the air, boost healing, and helps us work better. Whether you’re living in a house or a condominium building, you’ll find plants that are suitable for your needs. Or, have a regular bunch of fresh flowers to brighten up your living or dining room.

Accent with Paintings and Photos

Hanging paintings is a nice way to decorate our homes. You need not break the bank to buy yourself an expensive piece from the gallery. Children’s artworks are great and add a personal touch too. Also, consider hanging photos of your family and your kids at varying ages. Seeing these lovely photos (especially the candid ones!) will never fail to put a smile on your face.

Balance Style, Safety and Comfort

A happy home is a safe and comfortable home. Other than aesthetics, we should also consider both safety and comfort. Especially with babies or young kids around who see the world as their playground, it is very important to “child proof” our homes, protecting corners, locking cabinet doors or drawers. Other than safety, we also want comfort. I’m sure we all want to rest on a comfortable couch or bed after a long day of work, right? 

Keep it clean and organized

No matter the size of the home, the price tag of the furniture or the appropriateness of the color combination, a home that is not well-maintained and organized can cause feelings of frustration or even stress. According to Psychology Today, clutter overstimulates us, makes us anxious, inhibits creativity and productivity. So if you haven’t joined the KonMari bandwagon yet of keeping pieces that spark joy, then it’s never too late! Or better yet, try to come up with your own decluttering and organizing system that works for you.

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