With shortened daylight hours and gloomy weather outside, it is easy to see why so many people are stricken with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), the new medical term for what we used to just call “the Winter Blues.” How ever you go about dealing with your winter woes, whether it be an increase in Vitamin D or a new hobby, one thing is for sure: your house is home base, and until it is lifted out of the gray funk of winter, you may have a hard time doing so yourself.
We found some perfect design tips from Freshome taken straight from Scandinavian interiors, where they experience lengthy blasts of frozen weather and darkness, that will help you alleviate the winter blues in your home.
Maximize your natural light by opening up curtains, placing mirrors directly opposite from windows, and add glossy, polished surfaces to help reflect and bounce light around. See a lot of winter cabins with floor to ceiling windows and white interiors? The reason is that white or pale surfaces make the whole home look brighter, and the more sunlight you let in, the brighter your home actually becomes. This can stave off that dark, cave feeling you may get once the sun starts setting before you can even get home from work.
Adding wood to your interiors creates a cozy, rustic feel, which also happens to be in style right now. Wood works well with white interiors and upholstery, and if you buy quality, handcrafted wood pieces, they will last you and your family a lifetime. The more natural wood you add from floors, to exposed beams and accent walls, the cozier and warm your house will feel.
Light candles and bring some of nature inside. Nothing is better than the smell of cookies baking or warmed cinnamon, except delicious candles that replicate those smells with zero work! Go grab fresh seasonal flowers, or small plants and bring a bit of nature inside to cozy up and accent white interiors, then light the candles and bring the winter smells and nature inside, without all of the cold.
Try out some of these great design ideas if you find yourself getting into that all too familiar winter slump soon, and you’ll find your home to help lift you out of it in no time! Let us know what you use to help break the blues in the comments below.
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