Home is where the heart is, as well as ground zero for our health. While we're investing in non-toxic cleaning products and cute kettlebells, tossing our Teflon cookware and shopping for sustainable stuff, there's also design to consider. Wandra Cain of Wandra Cain Interiors shares how wellness impacts her work.
Showroom or Sanctuary?
When Cain started out, she was all about designing beautiful interiors. A switch flipped when her husband, who was traveling for work, came in the door and said, “My home is my sanctuary.” From his perspective, the four walls of his house represented a place to lay down his work, relax and be himself.
Now, although many of our houses are doubling as both home and workplace, setting up a place of good health and safety is something we can take into our own hands for greater comfort.
Less Is More
The war on clutter continues! Cain was helping a client shop for bedroom furniture when the number of pieces started to climb to conspicuous heights. Dresser, nightstand and chest, on top of a big, roomy closet? Cain asked why all this furniture, and her client said, “This is what I'm used to having.”
Cain reminds us that one reason we feel so restful at hotel getaways is the sparse furnishing and décor. Start with what you really need in any given room and provide those things with the mounted shelves (preserving floorspace) or desk drawers they need. “The bigger the desk,” Cain warns, “the more stuff people put on it.”
Populate with Plants
The natural world is an ally to our physical and mental health, so emphasize the outdoors with as much sunlight as you can. Bringing the outdoors inside with living plants is a great way to boost energy and oxygen. Not only are they beautiful, our relationships with the plants we tend are therapeutic.
“I try to put a real plant in every room,” Cain says. “It grows with you.” A lot of houseplants don't want much sun, so they can bring a spot of nature to areas without a lot of natural light.
Don't Compromise on Comfort
Working from home can mean a major atmosphere upgrade if you've been used to dry, recirculated air and fluorescent lighting. It's now in your power to have an office tailored to your needs!
Even if you're not working professionally from home, chances are you spend time on a hobby there. Take time to set the temperature and lighting to your liking where you work, and don't settle for just any old chair. Cain is a fan of adjustable standing desks and chairs that have been vetted for their effect on your posture.
Create a Zen Zone
The whole house is ostensibly your castle, but designing a nook just for you is a great way to be able to tap into calm and comfort at will. Cain calls setting this space aside “one of the best things you can do for yourself.”
It doesn't necessarily take much. A chair, a yoga mat, a bar cart—whatever provides you that liminal space away from it all. It's not selfish to let your family know to leave you in peace in that place.
A Well-Lit Life
“A lot of new home builders are not adding lights, not even lights in the ceiling,” Cain laments. That leaves it up to residents to light their lives, and Cain recommends three sources of light in each room.
If you're working or kids are studying at home, identify the areas where that attention is taking place and prevent eyestrain with adequate light. For many it's an afterthought, but being able to see easily, with under cabinet lighting in the kitchen, for example, can feel game changing.
Technology offers options to dim or brighten lights with the tweak of an app. Create cozy or constructive moods with appropriate lighting.
You-Hue!
Color is powerful, one of the first things we notice in any given space and an enduring influence on our state of mind. Yellow, Cain says, “is like the color of sun. It uplifts, illuminates.
It's the color of success and confidence, stimulating the left side of the brain.” But for some people, bright yellow can trigger fear and anxiousness!
When choosing colors to boost the functionality of a space, you'll have to vibe your own personal response to the shade. Paint experimental swatches in the room to feel out how the colors work throughout the day and various qualities of light.
Cain's client decorating a library in black walls and white trim knows what works for her, even if it's not everyone's cup of tea! Notice your needs as well as your taste and your home will be designed to do you good!
The Expert:
Wandra Cain
CEO & Founder, Wandra Cain Interiors
