People who do this are calmer, healthier and more creative

 

In a world full of stimuli, rushing, and ever-growing demands, it’s increasingly difficult to find a space that truly allows us to unwind. We look for ways to improve our health, reduce stress, and boost creativity — often without realising that one of the key factors is right in front of us. Our surroundings, especially our home, affect us constantly: they calm or stimulate us, support or distract us, inspire or drain us.

In this article, we’ll explain why space matters so much, which elements have the strongest impact on our wellbeing, and how to easily transform your home into a place that genuinely supports balance and creativity.

Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Why does our environment matter?
3. The home as an extension of our wellbeing
4. Natural materials – the secret to calm and creativity
5. How does poorly designed space affect everyday life?
6. Summary
7. FAQ

 

Why does our environment matter?

Our surroundings are not just a backdrop to daily life. They are an active participant that can influence our emotions, health, stress levels, and ability to concentrate. The interiors we spend time in affect us both consciously and subconsciously, and their impact is often stronger than we might think.

A brief look at how space affects emotions and health

Space can soothe or unsettle us, give us energy or drain it. When we bring visual chaos, overly intense colours, or non-ergonomic solutions into our homes, we raise our stress levels — even if we can’t immediately put it into words. The same goes for an overload of stimuli and objects — the brain has to process them continuously, which leads to overload and fatigue.

The science of how we relate to interiors

Environmental psychology, neuroarchitecture, and biophilic design are three fields that closely examine the relationship between people and space. Their shared conclusion is clear: our environment shapes how we function.

Neuroarchitecture shows that the brain reacts to specific stimuli in its surroundings. Lines, proportions, light, colours, and textures all influence the activity of the nervous system. Even small changes can translate into a noticeable sense of calm, greater clarity of thought, and an easier time making decisions.

Environmental psychology emphasises that interiors affect us on many levels. What we see, touch, and hear, and how we move through a space, all build up our overall experience of a place. When a home is designed to support our needs — rest, focus, creativity — we start to function more efficiently and with greater ease.

 

The home as an extension of our wellbeing

Home is not just a place where we sleep, work, or relax. It’s a space that reflects our inner state and, at the same time, can either reinforce or weaken it. The interiors we live in often become an extension of our emotions, needs, and lifestyle.

How do we feel in well-designed interiors?

A well-designed interior is one that supports our daily activities as well as our emotional state. It’s a space where we feel at ease because everything has its place and the layout follows the natural rhythm of life. Smooth circulation, a logical division into zones, ergonomic solutions, and the right amount of light turn a home into a place of regeneration.

Such spaces:

• lower stress levels thanks to harmony and clarity,

• make it easier to concentrate because they don’t bombard us with excess stimuli,

• promote rest, as body and mind can more easily shift into a calm state,

• spark creativity thanks to coherent aesthetics and sensory balance.

A well-designed interior doesn’t have to be luxurious or perfectly on trend. What really matters is that it’s created with the person in mind — their comfort and natural needs.

Subtle signals sent by a space

Every space is constantly communicating with us through details. Sometimes these are very simple signals:

• clutter in our field of vision increases tension and distracts us,

• a build-up of small objects creates a sense of mental overload,

• sharp, cold colour schemes can overstimulate us and make it harder to relax,

• poor acoustics are tiring and reduce our ability to focus,

• materials with unpleasant textures make us subconsciously avoid certain spots.

 

Natural materials – the secret to calm and creativity

In spaces where natural materials dominate, people tend to feel more calm, balanced, and at ease. It’s not just about aesthetics — it’s a biological response of our bodies to an environment that echoes nature, the setting we are evolutionarily adapted to.

Wood: warmth and grounding

Wood is one of the materials we respond to most instinctively. Its texture, scent, and natural irregularities make interiors feel more organic, welcoming, and full of life. Contact with wood lowers stress levels, and its presence at home:

• creates a sense of warmth and safety,

• introduces a natural rhythm through visible grain patterns,

• softens the feel of cool, contemporary surfaces,

• adds cosiness and character to a room.

In rooms where wood is present, people more often report feeling relaxed and better able to concentrate.

Plants: living energy and micro-relaxation

Plants are one of the easiest ways to bring nature indoors. Their presence acts as a natural emotional regulator: they introduce calm, help purify the air, create a microclimate, and add vitality. Greenery affects us in a similar way to time spent in nature outdoors — even a brief glance at a plant can lower tension and ease the burden on the nervous system.

Plants in interiors:

• improve air quality,

• reduce stress,

• boost creativity,

• add visual softness and a natural sense of rhythm.

These are small micro-breaks throughout the day — calming, yet at the same time creatively stimulating.

Natural cork: acoustics, comfort, and sustainable style

Natural cork is a material that is playing an increasingly important role in contemporary interiors. Its natural texture, flexibility, and acoustic properties make a space more comfortable — both physically and mentally. Natural cork absorbs sound extremely well, helping to reduce noise and create a sense of calm.

Its other advantages include:

• a warm, pleasant feel to the touch,

• resistance to damage,

• a uniquely light visual effect,

• its eco-friendly nature and the renewability of the raw material,

• the ability to use it on floors, walls, in accessories, or as a decorative element.

Thanks to natural cork, an interior becomes more gentle on the senses and better suited to everyday activities that require focus.

Why does bringing nature indoors improve focus?

Contact with natural materials works like a reset for an overloaded brain. According to attention restoration theory, we rest and regain our ability to concentrate best in environments that refer to the natural world. This means that nature:

• does not overload the brain with excessive stimuli,

• introduces rhythm and harmony that support concentration,

• reduces stress, which is a major source of distraction,

• helps us return more quickly to a state of creative focus.

Interiors built around natural materials act like a gentle regulator — they calm us, stabilise our emotions, and fill the space with an energy that supports creativity. Thanks to them, the home stops being just a place to live and becomes an environment that nurtures health and personal growth.

 

How does poorly designed space affect our everyday life?

A poorly designed interior acts like an invisible opponent: day after day, it quietly drains your energy, distracts you, increases tension, and lowers the quality of your rest. Although we often blame a stressful job, tiredness, or a lack of time, it is very often the home environment that stops us from truly recharging. Non-functional, chaotic space creates constant micro-frustrations that build up and shape how we feel overall.

Visual chaos: too many colours and textures

Visual clutter is one of the biggest sources of unconscious stress. When a single room is filled with too many colours, contrasts, decorations, or mismatched textures, the brain has to analyse them all the time. This leads to overload and cognitive fatigue.

The effects of visual chaos:

• difficulty concentrating,

• faster eye strain,

• a subtle but constant sense of unease,

• feeling out of control in your own space,

• poorer quality of rest.

Often, simply reducing the number of elements or unifying the colour palette is enough for a room to visibly “breathe” — and for its inhabitants to feel the same.

Non-ergonomic solutions and their link to stress and frustration

A home that doesn’t follow the natural rhythm of your day creates constant friction — not directly, but through small, repetitive inconveniences. When items aren’t where they should be, furniture is awkward, and the layout makes even simple activities harder, frustration appears. And it appears every single day.

Examples of non-ergonomic solutions:

• no dedicated place to put keys, bags, or documents,

• furniture with impractical dimensions,

• too little work surface,

• randomly placed zones that make it difficult to move around,

• poor lighting that strains the eyes or limits visibility.

These small obstacles accumulate and can lead to greater fatigue, irritability, and even a reluctance to spend time at home.

An interior that exhausts you – when home doesn’t let you rest

Home should be a place of regeneration, but not every interior fulfils this role. Rooms packed with decorations, sharp colours, or objects accumulated over the years may stimulate and tire us instead of calming us down.

Factors that drain your energy:

• no clearly defined rest zones,

• too much artificial, cold lighting,

• poor acoustics, echo, or noise bouncing off hard surfaces,

• a lack of natural elements to balance out the stimuli.

In such spaces, the body stays in a state of heightened alertness, which makes it harder to regenerate and worsens sleep quality as well as creativity.

Which design mistakes do we make most often?

The most common mistakes stem from a lack of cohesion, excess, and rushing the design process. The biggest culprits include:

• buying furniture and decorations randomly, without an overall vision,

• skipping a functional plan before shopping,

• ignoring natural light and acoustics,

• overloading the space with objects,

• using overly intense colours in areas meant for rest,

• too few natural materials and too many synthetic surfaces,

• overlooking the importance of order and storage systems.

All of these mistakes have one thing in common: they create an environment that burdens rather than supports us. A good space is one that works smoothly, harmoniously, and intuitively — and a poorly designed one quickly reveals just how strongly it affects our day-to-day wellbeing.

 

Summary

Our surroundings influence our emotions, health, and behaviour every single day — often without us noticing. Interiors can support us or weigh us down, encourage creativity or suppress it. Natural materials, a harmonious layout, good lighting, and carefully chosen details have real power: they calm the nervous system, improve concentration, and help us recover more quickly.

In contrast, poorly designed space — chaotic, uncomfortable, overly stimulating — leads to distraction, frustration, and fatigue, which we often mistake for a lack of motivation or external stress.

The key is to be mindful of the environment we live in. Our home becomes an extension of our wellbeing: when it is coherent, ordered, and infused with nature, we feel better too. Designing your space consciously is not a luxury — it’s an investment in health, peace of mind, and creative energy that pays off every single day.

 

FAQ

1. Why do natural materials have such a strong impact on wellbeing?
Because our brain responds to them instinctively. The grain of wood, the scent of plants, or the softness of natural cork all echo the natural environment in which humans evolved. They lower stress levels, bring our senses into balance, and make it easier to focus.

2. Do changes at home have to be expensive to make a difference?
No. Often, micro-changes have the biggest impact: decluttering, adding plants, changing the lighting, reducing decorations, or introducing a single natural material. What matters most is cohesion, not the size of the investment.

3. How can I avoid visual chaos?
Stick to a limited colour palette, choose recurring materials and textures, and use decorations sparingly. The best approach is to minimise “noise” — anything that doesn’t serve a practical purpose or genuinely enhance the space.

4. What can I do if my apartment is small?
In small spaces, functionality comes first: good storage, light colours, natural light, visually light furniture, and avoiding excess items. Even a compact home can feel soothing and support creativity.