Holistic Design Explained

Holistic design is the hottest new interior design trend, but it goes far beyond a specific color palate or decor aesthetic. Many home design styles involve choosing certain furniture and adhering to formulaic layouts. They may even place an emphasis on function and formality. But holistic design has spirituality and health at its core, as every design element works to boost the resident’s well-being. If your home doesn’t offer you a sense of peace, relief, and safety, consider taking the holistic approach. From natural materials to energy flow to soothing colors, incorporating these holistic elements can make your home a more centering and healthy place.

1. A Whole-Home Approach

One of the most important things to understand about holistic design is that it takes a whole-home approach. When designing rooms, people often compartmentalize each room, giving every space its own aesthetic. But holistic design prioritizes making homes cohesive.

2. Positive Layouts

Layouts are very important when discussing holistic design. When designing a layout, holistic designers focus on optimizing the layout to be free-flowing and natural. On the other hand, when working with a set layout, they will choose furniture and decor that works with the layout rather than contradict it.

3. Calm Colors

Holistic design aims to create a soothing and serene space for every occupant. Some people may choose bold, vivid, and dramatic colors for their homes because they are artistic and extravagant. But this can create unnecessary stress and tension in the home, so calming colors, like soft blue, purple, tan, and yellow, are ideal.

4. Natural Light

Natural light can be uplifting and energizing, so holistic designs try to take advantage of as much natural light as possible. Windows, skylights, glass doors, and similar elements can flood homes with warm, positive sunlight.

5. Personal Accents

While holistic design has guidelines, it’s not meant to limit people’s personal touches. This design style encourages people to incorporate personal accents, like their favorite color or beloved artwork, so the space feels like theirs.

6. Balanced Aesthetics

A major aspect of holistic design is balance and harmony. If the home design leans too hard on one aesthetic, it creates an unbalanced feeling. For example, an intensely minimalist space may feel empty. Or a strong art deco vibe can overwhelm a space. It’s crucial to use distinct aesthetics sparingly.

7. Prioritized Well-Being

Holistic design promotes well-being in the home, so people incorporate many elements that are conducive to self-care and wellness. For example, people will focus on comfort over aesthetics and function over form, but it’s still important to maintain a balance between these things. 

8. Emotion-Inspired Decor

Many people decorate according to interior design principles, such as the color wheel. But, holistic designers focus more on the emotions that decor and designs elicit. Have you ever seen a painting that made you feel melancholy? Is there a whimsical flower vase that makes you feel giddy? In holistic design, it’s important to choose pieces that evoke positive emotions.

9. Scandinavian Designs

Holistic design does not equal Scandinavian design, but they have a lot in common. Scandinavian design prioritizes simplicity, functionality, and natural materials. Holistic design utilizes similar ideas but takes it a step further by incorporating emotion.

10. Meaningful Materials

The materials you use in your space greatly impact your energy and well-being. Meaningful materials used in holistic design include recycled, organic, sustainable, and reclaimed materials that lessen the harmful chemicals in your home and support the earth.

11. Optimized Function

Homes designed with a holistic mindset are often attractive, but they’re also incredibly functional. Without sacrificing beauty, holistic decor, furniture, and layouts deliver top-notch functionality, incorporating dual-function objects and logical layouts.

12. Japanese Zen Mindset

Holistic design does not strictly follow Japanese Zen guidelines, but the two share many elements. Like Japanese Zen and feng shui layouts, holistic layouts can improve energy flow to make the home more comfortable and positive. A sense of tranquility is important in both.

13. Spaces Made For You

Many people design their homes to impress guests. While this is understandable, holistic design does away with this idea. Rather than design spaces that will appeal to visitors, holistic design only considers how the home will suit you, the occupant.

14. Air Circulation

Curating a positive and consistent flow of energy can start with a healthy flow of air. Holistic home design requires excellent air circulation that moves freely through the space. Old, stagnant air can lead to a negative atmosphere, so open windows, air purifiers, and fans are all common elements of this design style.

15. Peace and Happiness

We know this sounds cheesy, but peace and happiness should be at the center of every design decision you make if you want a holistic home. If the space does not create an inner feeling of peace, it does not meet the criteria for a holistic design.

16. Biophilic Designs

Biophilic design is when you create a seamless connection between the indoors and outdoors. It brings nature into your home and your home out into nature. This can be achieved with indoor plants, plenty of natural light, natural materials, and large doors that lead outside. The indoor space should feel deeply intertwined with the nature surrounding the house.

17. Artistic Auras

While some of the holistic design criteria may feel rigid, holistic homes should be inherently artistic but not over-designed. It’s important to avoid industrial aesthetics, as these can create tension. The home itself should feel like a balanced work of art.

18. Curating Energy Flow

A healthy energy flow is essential in holistic designs. Every room should feel connected to one another as well as the nature outside. Ideally, you should be able to take any item from one room and seamlessly put it in another room. Walking from room to room should feel fluid, and the vibe should be consistent throughout the home.

19. A Safe Space

Of course, your home should always feel like a safe space for you to be yourself and find peace. This seems like a no-brainer, but creating a space conducive to healing is harder than it sounds. Everything you might need should be easily accessible, which could mean a permanent meditation corner, soundproof walls, light dimmers, and many other healing elements.

20. Clutter-Free

Visually, clutter is very unappealing. But clutter can also weigh on your brain, decreasing productivity, distracting you, adding stress, and even causing depression. A well-executed holistic layout will make it easy to prevent and manage clutter. Convenient and logical storage is one way holistic design reduces clutter.

21. All Natural Elements

Natural elements like wood, stone, live plants, sand, soil, and water help create a grounding, centering atmosphere. A trickling outdoor fountain, a wood fireplace, a sandy courtyard, a pothos in the kitchen, and a natural stone pathway are just a few examples of how natural elements pop up in holistic homes.

22. Resident-Focused

When you walk into a holistic home, it should feel uniquely yours. People should be able to feel your energy and spirit in the space, whether you’re an energetic individual or a calm person. While personal touches help achieve this, colors, art, and functional pieces can also capture your inner self.

23. Purpose-Driven Layouts

When adhering to a holistic design mentality, you should ask yourself in each room: what is the purpose of this space? Design every room around its distinct purpose while adhering to the overall purpose of your home, which is peace and happiness.

24. Self-Expression

When we think about self-expression, we think about creating art or wearing clothes that fit our taste. In holistic designs, self-expression is more about letting your inner spirit shine and curating a place where you can be unapologetic and uninhibited. It should be a space that offers complete and pure freedom.