How Your Living Space Affects Your Mood
June 16, 2024
Ever walked into a room and instantly felt calmer, happier, or more inspired? Or have you ever noticed how different environments affect your mood? If you haven’t, pay attention next time you’re at different places (a coffee shop, friend’s home, parent’s home, hotel room, etc).
Our living spaces are more than just places to eat and sleep; they are sanctuaries that can majorly influence our mood and well-being. From the colors, to the texture, to the light in the room, and the clutter, or lack thereof… It can have a huge impact on your mood.
The design and decor of our living spaces play a significant role in our daily emotional well-being!
I wanted to talk about 3 home style topics that I’m majorly into & how I put them into practice:
1. Dopamine Decor
2. Feng Shui
3. Positive Experience Decor
Dopamine Decorating
Have you heard of “Dopamine decor” as the phrase has been making its rounds on instagram?! It’s a pretty FUN idea.
It refers to the use of vibrant colors, intriguing patterns, or elements that reflect personal joys and passions, and it’s the kind of feel good home decor trend that is here to stay.
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Essentially, it is decorating your home with items that make you feel happy. But not just an “oh that’s nice” kind of feeling, and more of a full-bodied “Holy $#!+ I LOVE this and I LOVE seeing this in my home every day!” kind of feeling.
Is that making sense?
Some people interchange “maximalist” decor with “dopamine” decor, and while I think they can be the same, it’s not mutually exclusive. Maximalist is about going all out and “more is more”, while I believe dopamine decor can be maximalist or minimalist. Dopamine decorating is using items that you love, in vibrant colors that you love, and items that evoke great memories and positive thoughts – it doesn’t have to translate to “tons of stuff”.
In a world where Agreeable Gray (paint color by Sherwin Williams) has been the top paint color for 5 years and counting, and the past years of home trends have been neutral and minimal AF, dopamine decor couldn’t have come to the scene at a better time.
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It’s no surprise I am a huge fan of dopamine decor; in fact, as long as I’ve had my own home, I’ve always decorated in this style, as I am hugely affected by my environment. I didn’t know my style of decorating had a proper name until recently!
Some of my favorite items to decorate with are my Wear The House Gem Rugs & Cushions. I wrote about my rugs HERE, and lemme tell ya… They are still my #1 favorite home decor item. OBSESSED.
If you are into colorful decor, the gem rugs HAVE TO BE in your home. Every day I smile when I see them. They instantly uplift the mood of any room.
I also like to use Jonathan Adler pieces, colorful crystals, Judith Leiber bags, colorful scarves, colorful coffee table books, and even Barbies as a part of my dopamine decor design.
These pieces are perfect examples of how decor can energize and inspire simply through visual appeal.
Feng Shui
Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art of arrangement, teaches that the placement and orientation of objects in your living space can affect the flow of energy (chi) in your home. But integrating Feng Shui into your home decor isn’t just about energy spirituality. It actually is, and can be, much more tangible than that.
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Have you ever rearranged furniture and afterwards the whole room felt better? That’s the best way to describe feng shui. It’s about harmonizing your environment to optimize energy flow and balance. You don’t have to be a “believer” of feng shui to notice its effects.
A few easy feng shui techniques can instantly make your room or your home feel amazing.
A really fun, and easy to apply, Feng Shui book is by Amanda Gibby Peters: Simple Shui Every Day 365 Ways to Feng Shui Your Life. I like it because you can just open to the day and find a simple, actionable step to elevate your life and your home. It’s not overwhelming, and simple tweaks make a huge difference!
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Easy & instantly effective Feng Shui tips:
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- Love Your Entryway: Keep the entrance of your home clear of clutter and have something beautiful placed in the entryway. The idea is to see beauty upon entering and instantly evoke feelings of love for your space. This sets the stage for your home to be your sanctuary.
- A chic gem rug in your color of choice sets the tone when you step into your entryway. Pair it with a small water fountain & an aesthetic reed diffuser to step into tranquility the moment you step foot inside.
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- Incorporate Elements of Nature: Bring LIFE into your home. Adding live plants and water features can help balance the home’s energy and bring in tranquility. These elements literally bring LIFE into your home.
- I like to use the brand Easy Plant (self-watering plants) in my home because we travel a lot and I can’t water them every week. Plus I’m not great at purchasing plants and finding the correct pot size. Easy Plant made it easy, hence the name, I assume!
- Snake Plants, Money Trees, Anthuriums, Orchids, and ZZ plants all do great indoors!
- Check out these hotel-style planters to lift your plants off the floor in a chic way. I LOVE the way these look in our home.
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- Use color to enhance the mood: If you often feel tired or exhausted at home, try incorporating a fire element color into your space (red, oranges, yellows). If you feel anxious or overwhelmed often at home, try incorporating a water element color (blue tones).
- I am obsessed with this rug to invite calm, feminine energy into your space. (tap here for a 20% off offer)
- And this one to energize your room. (tap here for your 20% off offer)
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- Command Position: Place your bed or desk in a position where you can see the door, to instill a sense of security and control. Imagine sitting at your desk and your back is to the door; wouldn’t it feel more natural for your back to face the wall giving you the ability to look toward the door? That is feng shui in action. Simple!
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- Clear Clutter: Clutter can trap and stagnate energy, so keep your spaces clean and orderly to promote a flow of positive energy. Let’s be honest, a clear home = a clear mind. If you don’t believe me, try it!
- I have a “counter box” that hides all my necessary stuff that would typically end up on the counter like keys, scissors, box cutters, lip balm, an essential oil, etc. I love a glam box to keep the clutter away while still being useful and chic.
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Positive Experiencing Through Decor
Surrounding yourself with positive words and objects that have sentimental value and/or evoke happy memories is a game-changer for maintaining high vibes at home. As equally important is to REMOVE anything in your home that is a negative reminder, or has a negative connotation.
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One thing I feel very strongly about as The Affirmation Babe herself (lol), is to purposefully put positive words and phrases throughout your house. Even though a sassy, snarky saying may be fun to display, I would recommend only surrounding yourself with words that inspire you. For example, I used to have this cool print out that said “basic bitches not welcome”, and after months of looking at it, I decided that was not the kind of wording and high vibes that I needed to be staring at daily. So I swapped it for a jazzy print that gives high vibe energy instead. If you want to feel better, and do better, it starts with you and what you surround yourself with daily!
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Whether it’s photos from your favorite vacation, a cherished gift from a loved one, or a keepsake from a special event, have them OUT to see daily. These items serve as daily reminders of joyful moments. Integrating these personal items is a way to hardwire happiness. What you see daily has a huge impact on your mood.
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Simple ways to incorporate:
- positive affirmations printed art
- make a chic photo wall of your fave memories
- a personalized, custom Wear The House Gem Rug (like Paris Hilton has!)
- frame a chic puzzle that you and someone you love put together
- A glam shelf to showcase your meaningful momentos
Ashley may earn a commission when you shop these links. As an Amazon Associate, Ashley earns from qualifying purchases.
Your living space is a powerful tool for influencing your mood.
By embracing dopamine decor, applying Feng Shui principles, and surrounding yourself with meaningful items, you can transform your home into a source of daily joy and pleasure.
Let your home be a place where every corner and every item brings joy and gives you a reason to pause, be grateful for your life, and to see beauty in all.
Hope you loved this topic. I live for home decor!! 💜u, Ashley.
PS – Check out this snazzy, retro home decor DIY, and my review of Wear The House Gem Rugs.
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