20 Jan Does Your Home Help You Heal?

In an age where we can turn the lights on and off and control the temperature of our home from basically anywhere in the world, we have come to expect efficiency and convenience in our spaces.  But I’ll argue that we’ve been so focused on hard working homes that we’ve lost some of the basic aspects that make a home a safe space to recharge and heal.

As our lives become more and more fast-paced and as we expect immediate results (same day Amazon Prime, anyone?), we are more in need of elements that bring us back to the present moment and get us to stop and just “be” more than ever.

The beauty of interior design wakes us up to the present moment

We’ve gotten rid of bathtubs in favor of larger and more efficient showers.  We have replaced dining rooms with larger kitchens equipped with islands that encourage perching and standing rather than settling in for a longer and more leisurely meal.  Because who has the time for that?  We’ve got to get the kids to gymnastics and swim lessons and then it’s time for homework while said kids scarf down a reheated dinner at 8pm.  I’m not judging at a distance.  I know.  I’ve been there and am there most days too, living my life as a full-time mom to a toddler, part-time career woman.  But I have experienced glimpses of what it’s like to think of my home as a healing space rather than just a place to plug in my phone charger in between running from one commitment to the next.

Don’t you just want to sit here and stay a while? Design: Margaret Winter Interiors

In the dead of winter here in Michigan, healing has meant having my own bathtub to soak away the muscle tension from holding a clingy toddler basically all day.  It has also facilitated my inner healing: the simple act of exfoliating and taking care with my body has provided the opportunity for me to love my postpartum self.  It took being sick for a month to get me back in the bathtub for the first time in probably three years.  And I surprised myself to realize how much I had been living in a state of self-hate and judgment of my own body.  It was only until I took the time to care for myself in an unhurried and meditative way that I could give myself permission to love my body again.  I have never been so grateful for my (by no means fancy or high-end) bathtub.  My bathroom won’t be featured in a design magazine anytime soon, but it has provided me with the space to heal.

Do I wish I could upgrade my bathroom?  Sure!  But for now, I’m content with its purpose.

And I also crave those unhurried meals.  I want to get out my wedding china (why did I opt for hand-wash only?!), cook up a complicated meal, and sit around the dining table with loved ones – talking and laughing and lingering.  (Check out my previous journal entries on creating fabulous table settings here and here, or even some DIY ideas here).

Good interior design isn’t mutually exclusive with fancy home integration technology, open concept floor plans, and white kitchens.  Good interior design doesn’t only exist in between the pages of glossy home magazines.  Be unapologetically passionate about how your home helps you heal and recharge.  Good interior design should be support what is best for a fulfilled and healthy life.