7 Interior Design Trends That

Promote WellnessEugene Chrinian

7 Interior Design Trends That Promote Wellness As function and form continue to meld in interior design, homes are

becoming havens of wellness that reflect their occupants’ desire to lead healthy lifestyles. Interior design can affect everything from mental fatigue to cardiovascular health, whether it’s the amount of natural light that enters a home or an efficient and streamlined space that encourages a simple, focused lifestyle. Features such as neutral palettes that reflect the soothing colors of nature or a bathroom that previously only would have been found in a spa are transforming homes into retreats designed for mental and physical well-being. Design experts across the spectrum expect to see wellness explode in interior design in 2017.

Here are trends that integrate wellness into home design—while most are now cropping up in high-end homes, it’s possible to integrate these trends into any home, no matter your price point.

Minimalism

With cues from Japanese design, the stark, clean lines of minimalism are finding a place in American homes. Minimalism calls for few accessories and symmetrical spaces that create a natural sense of balance. Careful attention is paid to lighting and statement-making furniture that mimic the simplicity of the room’s design. The resulting impact is a comfortable, welcoming space that exudes calm and tranquility.

Recent minimalistic design focuses on optimizing space and downsizing. Designers favor multiuse furniture, such as beds or desks that can stealthily be moved out of the way to create larger living spaces when needed, as well as hidden closets and other storage areas. The result is a marriage of purposeful design and clever storage solutions that make for a functional, yet architecturally beautiful space.

Spa bathrooms

Today’s bathrooms often mirror the luxury of a spa, with everything from custom showers to recessed lights. Trending neutral colors, including grays and creams, are similar to the relaxing hues found in spas. Other trends include heated floors, teak shower seats, and the use of wood and other natural materials, such as river rock, that create a room that feels like a sanctuary.

Designers report that homeowners are looking for functional bathrooms with simple designs where they can feel invigorated in the morning and relaxed in the evening. Design elements can include soaking tubs, steam showers, and piped-in music to recreate the tranquil atmosphere of a spa.

Water and air filters

In the aftermath of stories of contaminated water in Flint, Michigan, homeowners are installing all varieties of water and air filtrations systems into homes to ensure that their families are drinking and using clean water. One of the most innovative new systems draws humidity from the air and sends it through a seven-step filtration system to create several gallons of drinking water a day. Other, more traditional systems provide filtration for all household water or for selected faucets.

Homeowners also are focusing on indoor air quality and reducing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can seep from furniture, flooring, and fabrics. Some builders now are installing whole-house ventilation systems, and homeowners can choose paints, finishes, and carpets with low VOC levels.

Home saunas

While saunas have long been a staple of gyms and spas, they now are finding a place in people’s homes. Home improvement retailers sell small saunas, which typically seat one or two people, for as little as $1,500.

Health experts extoll the benefits of infrared saunas, claiming that they can promote everything from fat loss to increased metabolism to detoxification. Do-it-yourselfers can easily construct one in an outbuilding, or use a sauna kit to install one indoors. The smallest recommended sauna footprint is about 24 square feet.

Outdoor living

The relationship between wellness and nature is well documented, and now homeowners and builders are using floorplans that encourage this connection. Some floorplans focus on natural light, flooding homes with sunlight to give them a bright, open atmosphere, while others focus on elaborate outdoor living spaces that can include full kitchens, couches and televisions, bocce courts, and fire pits.

Circadian lighting

The first smart light bulbs have hit the market, and these LED bulbs connect to a homeowners’ smart phone and can be regulated throughout the day. The bulbs’ light can change color to correspond to the body’s circadian rhythms, including the sleep cycle. Color settings range from white light to energize during daylight hours, and an orange glow to encourage relaxation in the evenings.

A clean environment

A home’s interior is its own ecosystem, and consumers are becoming savvier about the environmental and health impacts of cleaners and other home products. Many also are looking for features in their homes that promote cleanliness.

That means homeowners are looking for shorter-pile carpets and upholstery that doesn’t hold dust, low-maintenance countertops that have anti-bacterial qualities, and mudrooms where shoes can be left to avoid tracking toxins and germs into the house.