Happy Chic: Things And Interiors That Make Us Happy

The environment can work wonders with our state. The main thing is to surround yourself with the right things.

Regular contributor to Dorfuel, interior journalist. I closely follow the design world. I am writing about how to live in beauty and harmony, along the way comprehending this difficult knowledge. 

Interior design is moving towards…. humanity. Fashion, purity of style, practicality – all this is now secondary. The main task of a decorator today is to create interiors that will bring joy, happiness and peace of mind.

And although everyone needs something different to be happy, there are a number of universal techniques in the arsenal of professionals. Let’s talk about them

What ordinary people say

Survey data suggests that the greatest contributors to happiness are:

  • large windows and an abundance of light;
  • pleasant view from the window;
  • pleasant smells;
  • comfortable furniture;
  • big TV;
  • purity;
  • live fire.

What decorator Jonathan Adler (USA) advises

The main connoisseur of “happy” interiors is Jonathan Adler, a famous American decorator and author of a number of works on how to use decorative techniques to make your home and the people living in it as happy as possible. In each of his books (My Prescription for Anti-Depressive Living, 100 Ways to Happy Chic Your Life, etc.), none of which, however, has been translated into  “happy chic” – like this he defines his style and the main working principle.

A luxurious chic home in his understanding is a place where things that you love are collected and surrounded by which you feel comfortable and easy. Here are Jonathan Adler’s tips:

►Use vibrant colors

Pink, orange, purple, lemon and other colors of happiness are the most powerful antidepressants available without a prescription. Beige has the opposite effect. According to Jonathan Adler, people who are afraid of color are afraid of life.

►Tactilely pleasant things

There is nothing more depressing than a dusty crowd of things that you supposedly love but prefer not to touch. You should want to sit down in every chair and experience everything in your home and in your life.

► Irony

Use fun decor items. Put a dog in the hallway – at least a plush or ceramic one.

► “Upside Down”

Paint your floors white – they add lightness and make you feel slimmer and tidier. The ceiling, on the other hand, can be colored.

What decorator Anna Muraya advises

The main expert in matters of happiness is decorator Anna  Muraya. In the book “Recipes for a Happy Interior” she gives her advice: “learn not only to look, but also to see. Train your eye so that it unmistakably distinguishes the beautiful from the ordinary. “

The easiest way to do this is when traveling. Unknown cities and countries, unusual way of life, new colors of life – a person perceives all this differently than what he sees at home every day. In an unfamiliar place, the look is always fresh. Therefore, try to capture the picture you like with your eyes and keep it in your head – it will stay with you and appear if necessary.

Treat interiors like clothes

Why is it so important to us what we wear? Clothes are a kind of language that we use to tell the world about ourselves. Therefore, to hear from friends about your new coat enthusiastic “your thing!” – especially pleasant. This means that the coat is one hundred percent reflection of your unique taste, style, character — in a word, you. Even if no one says anything, just a sense of kinship with a thing is worth all the money spent on it. Such things should be not only in the wardrobe, but also in the interior.

Things with memory

In our country, there are big problems with family values. There are no hereditary estates and old family nests. But what is there – even a great-grandmother’s gramophone is rarely anyone can brag about. Meanwhile, any evidence of family history gives its owners a very special joy and a sense of support in a rapidly changing life. Even if you do not have anything from the family belongings, it would be nice to have something significant in your house – even a couple of Dulevo porcelain tea, even a glass salad bowl Gus Khrustalny. Look for your relics!

Handmade

Hobbies, especially handicrafts, have powerful therapeutic benefits. Macrame, decoupage, scrapbooking, cross-stitching, painting on fabrics – it doesn’t matter what to do. The main thing is for love. And the process itself, as you know, is even more important than the result. Any handicraft is a kind of meditation that heals the soul and calms the nerves.

Brain twister

Things that make you smile

Over the past decade, a sea of ​​funny, ironic and hooligan things has appeared in the world of object design, the main mission of which is only to amaze and entertain us with one of their views. Animal faces on the walls, funny ornaments with flamingos, pineapples, owls, hanging chairs, hammocks and swings for city apartments, all kinds of mind games and optical illusions …

Since the designers are trying so hard to amuse us, it’s a sin not to take advantage of their suggestions. Suddenly life will really become more fun!

Good memories

Looking at photographs (including your own) improves mood more than alcohol and chocolate. It makes sense to print good pictures at least occasionally. Get out from the mezzanine and revise children’s drawings, diaries with the first marks, newspaper clippings about some old achievements. Surround yourself with nice artifacts.