Comfort is most people’s go-to when designing a home, but what if you went one step further and focussed on wellness? No, not necessarily making your home into a yoga retreat (though we’re not against the idea!) – just making sure that your house promotes all-things health, wellbeing, and everything that goes hand in hand with feeling good.
For some, that may be incorporating cosy reading nooks. For others having an entire gym suite or sauna. But it’s the little things too: the colours, any artwork and decorations, how the light filters or floods a room. Wellness in your home isn’t just about being comfortable; it’s about bringing in things that nourish and engage you mentally, physically, and emotionally. So, we have looked at how we embrace wellness in some of our homes.
Let there be light
Having well-lit spaces can really make or break a room. This is often done by way of wide windows, sliding French doors, or even skylights that let light spill in from outside and reach every corner of the room. But what about rooms without large windows? Or when it gets dark outside? That’s where energy-efficient light bulbs come in. Ones that use 2700 Kelvin or less for that warm, cosy glow. We make sure every space in your home is lit with the right kind of lighting, whether it’s soft lamps for reading and relaxing or bright spotlights to light up the room.
Natural materials make you feel good
Did you know that our sense of environment plays a part in our overall sense of wellness? Feeling good about our relationship with planetary health is more important than some people realise. By using locally sourced, natural, renewable materials such as wood, stone, and clay interior plaster, we are contributing to our feeling of environmental wellness.
A splash of colour
When using natural materials, of course, colours will also be, well, natural. But we think there is a fine line between enjoying the peace of these muted tones in a space and finding them all just a bit monotonous. Adding a splash of colour on the walls through colourful tiles, a splash of paint, a strip of wallpaper or even some bold artwork and a brightly colour rug can be just the thing to break up the browns, whites and greys and cultivate a sense of wellness.
Keeping active indoors
Being physically active has a huge impact on our sense of wellness and wellbeing. But on a hot summer’s day, perhaps the last thing we are thinking about is heading outside to go for a run. This isn’t an issue at Casa DA, where we incorporated an indoor gym area to keep active. Even on warmer days, the carefully controlled air temperature of the gym means that you won’t get too hot while jogging on the treadmill. And it’s not just the machines. With plenty of floorspace, activities such as yoga, Pilates and dance are all on the cards to add variety to your daily fitness routine.
Sauna bathing
How about a relaxing lounge in the sauna? Studies have shown that saunas have a multitude of health benefits, from improving cardiovascular function to cleansing our skin, helping with stress management to contributing to pain reduction. Many of our homes have incorporated an indoor sauna to help residents lie back, relax, and enjoy all the benefits offered by a sauna. Want a fun fact? Infra-red saunas have actually been proven to provide most health benefits, and are easy to install, no matter how small the space you’re working with.
Enjoying outdoor spaces
Many of our homes have a pool. I mean, we’re in the Algarve, after all, so being able to take a dip during the hot, sunny days is a big plus. But it’s not just about the pool itself, but what’s around it. Once you’ve taken a refreshing dip, you don’t want to have to trudge back inside, dripping everywhere, to hop in the shower. At Casa Azul, you can rinse off in the gentle spray of the outdoor ‘up shower’ right beside the pool before kicking back on one of the curved sun loungers to dry off. Then there’s the feel of the lawn under your feet – especially grown Zoysia grass that uses very little water and requires next to no maintenance. So little, that you’ll only have to cut it once a year!
So, as you can see, there are plenty of ways to incorporate wellness into your home. What’s important is finding out what makes you feel good and making sure your home provides a haven of wellbeing both inside and out.
Not sure where to get started? You know where we are!
