Happy room ideas – 11 spaces designed to make you smile
The need for bright room ideas has never been greater. With everything going on in the world, our homes have become havens like never before, with every room’s design capable of positively contributing to our mental well-being.
It’s not a new idea to question our decorating ideas to ensure they promote happiness. Still, it’s come to the fore in recent months, with ‘happy room ideas’ becoming a priority for homeowners and renters alike.
Our team has curated a collection of rooms guaranteed to make you happier at home, using everything from color psychology to coziness.
HAPPY ROOM IDEAS
What brings you joy? That is the question you must ask yourself before considering new home decor ideas because it is entirely subjective. However, some colors, textures, and even room layouts promote happiness and well-being more than others, which is why this happy room collection has so many yellow room ideas.
1. CREATE UPLIFTING SCENIC BEAUTY WITH ARTWORK OR MURALS
What is your favorite view or location, and how could you incorporate it into your interior design? Or maybe you like the beach, the countryside, or the city. Whatever it is, including the view or the colors inspired by it, can transport you to a happier place, at home.
Inspired by the vibrant colors of the Cote d’Azur in southern France, stylist Kate French designed this space with painterly mural ideas, uplifting prints, and perky stripes. This mural’s uplifting and colorful brushstrokes transport us to another world, capturing the shapes and colors of the landscape and serving as the perfect backdrop for more modernist pieces.
2. ADD A TOUCH OF YELLOW FOR POSITIVITY
According to psychologists, yellow is the best color for promoting energy and positivity. If you’re feeling sluggish, adding it to your interiors may give you the boost you need. Yellow can, at the very least, make cold, dark rooms feel brighter and warmer.
As Homes & Gardens’ Decorating Editor Emma Thomas points out, you don’t have to go wall-to-wall yellow to make a space feel friendlier and more welcoming. ‘An all-white space is brought to life with an injection of Yellow Finch from Benjamin Moore, seen here on an accent wall, adding a vibrant touch without taking over,’ she says.
3. ADD CURVES FOR COZINESS AND COMFORT
Cozy living room ideas are essential for making you feel happy at home. One way to achieve this happy room ethos is to use curves in interior design, which are known to create a space that feels more welcoming, which can only make you want to spend time unwinding in it. Curves are not limited to furniture; they can also be used in flooring, lighting, and artwork.
‘Curved lines and rounded pieces soften exposed architectural elements,’ says Kate French, the stylist who designed this space for us. ‘While strong yellow accents complement the room’s sun-drenched aspect.’
4. CREATE A TOUCHABLE SPACE WITH TEXTURE
Designing a pleasant space relies heavily on the use of texture. Texture creates an inviting space that begs to be explored by the senses. It also makes for an area that is soothing and comforting despite being sophisticated and refined.
As seen here, furniture, flooring, and even a collection of hats can all be used to introduce texture to a room. “A pretty striped wallpaper border around a doorway emphasizes the architectural detail and frames the view of yet more texture beyond,” explains Emma Thomas.
5. SET THE SCENE FOR LONG LUNCHES AND LEISURELY DINNERS
Give me an example of great pleasure in life. What makes people happy? Food, of course, is why your dining area, be it a formal dining room or a breakfast bar, needs to be set up in a room that makes people happy.
Painting techniques, patterned upholstery fabrics, and works of art may all be required to achieve the desired effect. So what is it that you hope to achieve? A place that piques your interest, invites you to stay and chat with friends and family and makes you want to come back again and again. Using primary colors in decoration is a quick and easy way to accomplish this.
6. MAKE THE COCKTAIL HOUR SETUP PERMANENT
Although “happy hour” wasn’t our initial inspiration for “happy room ideas,” it quickly became one. H&G employees are not above unabashedly enjoying the occasional cocktail or mocktail to unwind after a long week.
To remind yourself that Friday night is just around the corner and the weekend is just around the corner, why not set up a cocktail bar in your dining or living room? Something about it reminds me of Mad Men, and that can only be a good thing.
Kate French has designed a cocktail lounge reminiscent of the French Riviera. Emma Thomas says, “tile effect wallpaper across the front of the bar draws the eye and brings a textural quality to this discreetly luxurious area.”
7. MAKE YOUR BEDROOM A HAPPY SPACE WITH PERSONALIZED DETAILS
Since the topic of how to sleep better is intrinsically linked to health, we’ve recently spent a lot of time discussing the pros and cons of various bedroom color schemes. A majority of psychologists agree that light blue is the most effective color for promoting restful sleep, which is essential to our health and well-being.
Of course, if you also spend a lot of time in your bedroom while awake — maybe it’s the only place in the home where you can truly relax — you’ll want it to be a pleasant room for activities other than sleeping.
“For this to work,” says Lucy Searle, Editor in Chief of Homes & Gardens, “you need to choose bedroom color ideas you love and add your artistic touches” (even a simple hand-painted line can elevate a plain headboard).
I love, love, love how Kate French has designed this cheerful bedroom for us. “I love white bedroom ideas; my own at home is bright white with touches of red and yellow. The whitewashed walls highlight the natural textures of the linen, wood, and stone, and the band of ochre yellow painted across the wall’s top gives off an air of warmer climes.
8. BRING IN GREENERY FOR A HEALTHY, HAPPY ROOM
Connecting to nature is crucial to our health and happiness, which is why indoor plants are known to brighten a room.
Gardens Editor for Homes & Gardens, Rachel Crow, says, “The idea is to have houseplants and access to a lush backyard, but the presence of plants indoors becomes all the more important if you live in an apartment with no access to a balcony and a foliage-free city view.”
Gardening is therapeutic for the mind in the same way meditation is, so much so that some plants compare the two. Meanwhile, air-purifying plants are a great way to fix indoor air pollution. That’s a win-win-win situation.
9. CREATE A ‘SELF-CARE SPACE’
The idea of creating a “self-care space” is relatively novel, but the concept itself is pretty straightforward: your space should develop in accordance with the activities you love the most.
There’s a good chance that this is a luxurious spa bathroom, just like the one up top, where you can unwind every night after a long day. It could be a well-equipped kitchen where you can relax and focus on preparing your favorite meals. Often, a spare room can serve as a meditation or yoga space. Maybe it’s an exceptionally well-thought-out room for weekend movie marathons with the whole family. Exercise is essential to good mental health, so consider investing in a home gym so you can work out in the home of your own space or take up yoga.
Create a room—even if it’s just a room—dedicated to the things that bring you the most joy.
10. MAKE A MEMORY WALL
When you’re going through a tough patch, it helps to check in with the people who love the most to you. So, why not give yourself the gift of happiness every day by creating a memory wall with pictures of the people you love and the special moments you’ve shared?
This is a perfect application for gallery wall ideas, and they’re also incredibly simple to implement. A single one in every room? For sure.’
11. LET THE LIGHT IN
Want to know the secret to make a room more joyful? Allowing in more light is a great starting point. A well-documented phenomenon is feeling happier in a bright, sunny space compared to a dark, depressing one. If you have a room that naturally gets a lot of light, don’t let it go to waste by hanging curtains that absorb rather than reflect the rays. To maximize the room’s natural lighting, you should use decluttering techniques to free up space around windows and opt for low, light-colored furniture. Additionally, if your room isn’t natural light, you can make it brighter by adding mirrors and painting the walls a light color.
HOW CAN I MAKE MY ROOM FEEL HAPPIER
Do you feel better after tidying up your house? Experts agree that it does. If you’ve put a lot of effort into making the room look and feel like a certain room but aren’t satisfied with the results, a quick tidy-up and clean could be all that’s needed.
