“A joyful home is the foundation of a joyful life,” says Ingrid Fetell Lee, author of Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness. Is your home joyful? If you’re not sure, you can take Ingrid’s FeelGood Home Assessment. Even if it is, you’ll want to keep reading for some of her ideas on how to bring your home more…

ENERGY

Image:  Max Rahubovskiy

This is no place for dull, drab greige. Think vibrant, saturated colors—even just in pops against a neutral backdrop, like the happy chairs pictured above. You might choose a colorful mural or painted furniture. Consider updated lighting or different light bulbs to shed more light on things, or new window treatments that aren’t so heavy and let in more light.

ABUNDANCE

Image:  Tan Danh

Sometimes more is more. Abundance is characterized by layers of patterns, textures and colors—the more, the merrier. Because why settle for just one when you can use them all? However, this approach might be something you want to use only in select places, so your home can also have a sense of…

FREEDOM

Image:  Yahoo

Freedom requires a feeling of spaciousness that’s natural and unrestrained. To create that feeling in your home, you may need to downsize oversized furniture to give your space room to breathe. Bring the outdoors in with plants and natural objects like pinecones. For a real feeling of freedom, add an indoor swing. That will make your next Zoom call a lot more fun.

HARMONY

Image:  Spacejoy 

If all that freedom has you feeling a little unsettled, maybe what your home needs is more harmony. Orderly, symmetrical and soothing, harmony features repeating patterns and objects in grids, like the photos in the image above. Matching patterns, coordinating colors, and balanced arrangements are all features of this comforting design focus.

PLAY

Image:  Novus Decor

Nothing says play like colorful balls and circles. Seriously, can you look at that chandelier and not smile? Play is not just a comfy, cute design style—it includes keeping toys available for spur-of-the-moment play. Bonus: a hula hoop definitely counts as a workout towards your New Year’s resolution to exercise more. Also, never underestimate the fun factor of googly eyes, especially when they turn up in unexpected places.

Feeling joyful yet? For more tips on how to bring the aesthetics of joy listed above into your home décor and ambience —plus five more we didn’t have space to cover—check out Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness. And if you decide a new color on your walls would make your home a lot more joyful, get in touch with us. We’d love to bring joy to your home with a fresh coat of paint.