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Fabulous Home, Fabulous Health

© Kaci L Koltz

(This is an article about home decorating. Everyone's home is decorated in some fashion or another, whether spartan or full of collections. As a pasttime enjoyed and engaged in by millions, decorating falls into the category of "spirituality" because it is something that nurtures the soul. Through interior design, we create, just as our Creator does, a work of art in our image.)

It seems like every time I turn on the television there is a show about home decorating. Ever since the mid-90s when Christopher Lowell introduced the idea that people can have professional-looking interiors without hiring the professional, interior design has taken off in millions of homes. A home is a reflection of the self, a way to express what is inside of you. By decorating, you take who you are (or who you would like to be) and display it for all to see.

But there's more to decorating than meets the eye. Believe it or not, how your home is decorated can affect your health and well-being. Things such as furniture placement and the color of the walls can decrease stress levels, or they can actually make you sick. Most of us don't think about our health when we decorate, we just see something we like and put it in our homes. The act of decorating itself-creating-is soothing and relieves stress and creative tension. But if you have a constant ailment, you may want to take a look around and see if it's because of something you're exposing yourself to every single day.

Let's begin with color. It's one of the things we ask about when getting to know someone: What's your favorite color? Color says a lot about a person. Blues are friendly, greens are calm, reds are fiery and outgoing. The color of the walls in your home say something about you too-I am passionate, I'm mellow, I'm cool, I change my mind a lot. But color does more than reflect your personality. White, ice blue and coral pink together promote a cool feeling in hot temperatures, just as gold, burgundy and hunter green lend warmth in a northern winter. Bright yellow puts people on edge. Children who have yellow bedrooms have a harder time settling down to sleep and tend to be more hyperactive. Couples fight more often in a bright yellow room. However, pale or deep yellows are good for relieving depression.

Blue kitchens are good for diets because the color makes food look unappetizing. Medical waiting rooms are usually green to induce calming feelings. Having red or orange flowers on your desk will help you feel more confident in your work and give you energy. Move around a lot? Emerald and pine greens help you feel grounded and connected. Violet, blue, indigo and green may help ease migraines. Bright red raises blood pressure. Blue is a good bedroom color because it counteracts insomnia, fever, flu and infections. Exposure to pink helps someone who is grieving. Bubble gum pink has a temporary tranquilizing effect that is documented even in color-blind people.