6 QUALITIES OF A HAPPY HOME:
1- Adaptable
Those unhappy at home are 14x more likely to say their home doesn’t meet all their needs than those who are happy at home.
Amongst home workers, having an office is less of a predictor of home happiness than having a flexible layout.
Get the right setup
We want our homes to work with the rhythms of our days and weeks, and to be able to respond to our changing lives. Here are some questions you and your household should consider, particularly if you work from home:
- Beyond work, what do you do together at home? And alone?
- Which spaces in your home can serve multiple purposes?
- Are there spaces that you could adapt so that they’re more flexible to your changing needs?
- When drawing up your list of options, consider deeply what’s essential and what’s nice to have?
- How long do you see yourself living in your home? Does this impact your decisions?
2- Connected
Design with connection in mind.
Think deeply about what you like to do with others in your home. What activities do you enjoy, and is hosting important to you?
Before embarking on a project, speak with a professional about your needs and then clarify and understand project scope. Being clear upfront will help you manage your budget and avoid surprises down the line.
Ask yourself:
- How do you and other members of your household like to spend time together?
- Do you like to host? How often? What spaces do you host others in?
- Think about other homes you’ve visited, what has made you feel at home there?
- How might who you live with change – will your household get bigger or smaller?
- How long do you see yourself living in your home? Does this impact your decisions?
3- Reflective
Those unhappy at home are 11x more likely to say their home doesn’t reflect who they are than those who are happy at home.
Designing spaces that reflect us contributes to pride – a key indicator of home happiness. Those most happy at home say they feel proud of their homes 90% of the time.
Focus on your routines and rituals:
- How can you integrate a typical day in your life – your routines, rituals and hobbies – into your home design (e.g. dedicated space for yoga, walking boot store room)?
- How can you weave design elements you love into your home in a way that feels fresh and genuinely unique to you?
- Once you’ve got some ideas, think about how you can reflect what’s most important to you in your home.
4- Nourishing
Given the option, after kitchens, we’d invest approximate €10,000 in our gardens. But don’t rush to invest in a garden studio. People dissatisfied with views from their home are 4x as likely to say their homes make them sad than those satisfied with views.
Design with connection in mind: Not all homes will have ideal outdoor setups or brilliant views from every window. It’s about working with what you’ve got.
Start by asking yourself:
- If you’re viewing a potential new home, make efforts to see it in daylight to take in the full scope. It’s also worth considering how it’ll appear as the seasons change.
- We use some spaces in our home more than others. Think about which spaces have the best vantage points within your home? Can you maximize the time you spend in these spaces?
5- Relaxed
Of those who say their home makes them stressed, 50% cite not having enough storage, not having an area to call their own and experiencing conflicts about how spaces are used. This was a statistically significant finding versus those who did not feel stressed by their home. What does this tell us? To have a home that helps us avoid conflict and supports us in times of stress, we need to create tidy, private spaces within our households to retreat to.
Questions you might want to consider:
- What are your top three concerns when it comes to your home?
- What have you tried already, if anything, to address these concerns?
- When and where have you felt most relaxed at home?
6- Secure
The current economic climate has made us more cautious spenders, prompting us to reassess our financial priorities. Across all demographic groups, reducing energy bills has emerged as our top priority.
Keep in mind:
- Houses with good insulation
- Good natural sun orientation
- Good extraction
- Avoid carbon heating
- Understand the finishings and the rates of the energy efficiency
By: Resi | The Science of a Happy Home | Report 2020; 51 references ONS/Gosling/understanding society, BBC Report