Visual artists Karen Starr (left) and Sarah Kabot (right) encourage the use of natural materials and plant life in living spaces.

When it comes to optimizing health, most of us tend focus on the established heavy hitters: eating right, exercising, getting enough sleep and controlling stress.

The role that our living environments play in the wellness equation, however, is gaining momentum.

Under monikers like “wellness-focused design” and “design harmony,” creatives are embracing the idea that furnishings, décor and even architecture inside homes can have a powerful impact on our wellbeing.

It’s something the medical community already understands. Studies have shown that art displayed in clinical settings, especially images of landscapes and nature, can have positive effects on health outcomes, including shortening the length of hospital stays, increased pain tolerance and decreased anxiety. That’s why the Cleveland Clinic and many other health systems have curated substantial art collections.

But you don’t have to own an expensive exhibition. Visual artists Sarah Kabot, an associate professor at the Cleveland Institute of Art and chair of its drawing department, and Karen Starr, an interior decorator and owner of Akron-based Hazel Tree Interiors, said integrating natural elements and sentimental keepsakes into living spaces is a great way to interrupt anxiety-inducing rumination and support relaxation and meditation.

“Items in our physical environment do absolutely have the ability to pull us out of whatever sort of loop of the moment we are in mentally or emotionally,” said Kabot, “and can be very healing in that way.”

The mind-body health benefits of nature are well understood. Exposure to nature has been shown to lower blood pressure and stress hormone levels, increase self-esteem and improve mood. Natural elements in the home promote many of those same benefits.

“Connecting our interior spaces to the outside world can have a calming effect on us whether we are actually aware of it or not,” Starr said.

Potted plants, according to Starr and Kabot, are an absolute must. Besides literally bringing nature inside, there’s an added benefit to caring for and nurturing plant life, Kabot said.

“Tending to something reinforces that kind of interrelationship with the natural world and releases you from the day-to-day grind,” she said. “Plus, they clean the air you are breathing indoors.”

Color is an advantage too, Star said, as green is a calming color.

Starr suggested conferring with garden shop professionals before going on a plant buying spree. They can talk you through various light and maintenance requirements.

“Another beautiful thing about plants is that they come in so many different shades and textures, and those different features can have a wonderful effect in-home,” she said. “I also play with different heights [of plants], and plant stands in themselves can be artful elements because of the different heights and levels.”

Starr also likes miniature table-top zen gardens with sand and pebbles for an inexpensive and simple natural addition.

“Often, there’s a little rake and you can change and play with it every day, and it’s just very calming,” she said.

Wood and natural stone and textiles are also essential elements for a more organic interior. Consider marble or granite countertops and natural stone backsplashes during kitchen and bathroom redesigns. Alternatively, incorporate more subtle – and more affordable – natural accessories to any space, such as marble frames, wooden bowls, ceramic pottery lamps, linen curtains, grasscloth wallpaper and jute rugs.

And don’t overlook the importance of sun light. Skylights, reflective materials like mirrors and light-filtering window treatments can illuminate interior spaces naturally.

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Kabot said items that are meaningful personally can also yield a healthy boost in homes. Whether it’s a treasured book collection, a painting given to you by a friend or a geode that reminds you of a beloved uncle, things that make you happy and calm when you look at them are the perfect addition to any room where you spend your time.

“They promote this feeling of connection and story – like how you bought it or who you bought it with or who it’s from if it’s a gift and the connection you have with that person – that elevates the beauty that the object itself then brings into the home,” she said.

Keepsakes and mementos from vacation or trips, such as rocks or shells you’ve collected, can be especially potent. 

“Those remind us of other places, other times,” Kabot said, “and again, our emotional connections with other folks.”

“It’s the personal touches that transform a space into a home,” Starr said, adding that the same applies when you’re thinking about making a space more calming and wellness-friendly.

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