Elan Design is going to be concentrating a lot on how we can help you craft your environment to achieve success this year. Let’s kick things off by starting with your New Year’s resolutions. We shared our expert advice with Vogue for their recent article "How to Make New Years Resolutions That Stick".
"Your home should not only trigger feelings of happiness and strength, but also serve you in completing your daily routines." To that end, she advises getting real with yourself about how your space contributes to a sense of ease.
Ultimately, the way you decorate your home will not only trigger feelings of happiness and strength, but each room can also serve you in completing your daily routines, and even adding in new habits.
I talk about neuroaesthetics a lot. The intricacies of how our brain and body respond to our environment and art lies at the heart of my mission as an interior designer and artist. A thoughtfully designed home creates a harmonious environment that allows you to focus on what truly matters - your family, business, travel, and personal aspirations.
A certain scent, the feeling of a particular fabric, the colors and patterns we see all elicit a positive or negative response. When a person sees what they think to be beautiful, safe, or comforting, their brain releases dopamine and endorphins resulting a feeling of well being.
Alternatively, when what we see is chaotic, messy, or reminds us of something not ideal, our brain has to “deal with that first”, we feel overwhelmed, or decide to avoid that area altogether. Our blood pressure rises, stress level spikes, and we find ourselves distracted and unable to focus.
It’s subconscious. 95% of our response to our environment happens instinctually. So knowing that our nervous system responds to our environment, we know that we can formulate our spaces to elicit the responses we want. Need to focus? Look at your lighting. Create a sitting area to spend time with your people. And many more little things like this will make a giant difference in achieving your goals throughout the day.
At the core of our human being, our two primary instincts are survival and reward. Beauty has been proven to be the reward - and regulator.
To help you create more success in your life, pay attention to how each room you spend your time affects your mood and motivation. The good news is that you have the ability to create these spaces to what you want them to look like, how they make you feel, and how they help you accomplish small and large tasks alike.
GET STARTED WITH THESE TWO TIPS:
Map out your home in terms of what happens in what location. When you identify a specific place that you or someone else in your home may feel stressed, put something there that leads to a feeling of support. Catch the fragrance from a beautiful scented candle that’s sitting on the console in the foyer. Add a small bench that will help you put your shoes on. Maybe adjust the lightbulbs in your desk lamp to help you concentrate. Something little can make the shift that can put everything on track.
Set a timer for 20 minutes. Say we start with Saturday morning. Take it from getting out of bed to drinking your coffee / tea. How do you enjoy this time? What do you see? How easy is it to accomplish making that morning coffee and sitting down to welcome the day? Do you have a favorite chair? Do you have a place to put your glasses, phone, notepad and pen? Take notice of what will make that 20 minutes easier and more pleasant for you. Write down every thought you have - good and bad.
Maybe all you need is a small table next to the chair. You might find that you’d like to have a pillow that supports your back more comfortably. Perhaps feeling the support of the pillow will allow you to enjoy a few minutes of clarity about the day ahead. Or maybe having a place to sit with your people will bring out a new, exciting menu to try that evening, or tickets to a show you want to see together. Anything small moves the needle forward.
Then pick another 20 minutes, say Thursday evening.
My husband and I have a glass of wine, couple apps, and make dinner. It seems like more of a date when we set out a few cool looking plates of snacks instead of munching from the packages. Somehow, this seems to lead to more enjoyable dinners. One little plate leads to a more delicious family dinner, and more fun making it.
The point is to be deliberate in identifying how you want to think and feel. Making thoughtful decisions about how to set up your room, even one little part of that room at a time, so that it supports your mind and nervous system. Goals are easier to achieve without distraction, obstacles, or added steps. The feeling of flow, comfort, support and strength are attainable in whatever beautiful environment you create.
The possibilities are endless after that.
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