What is a healing environment to you?

Imagine that you want to create a healing space in your house. What colors would you use for the walls, carpets, furniture? What textures? What furniture, plants, artwork, and other items would you have and how would you arrange them? What lighting would you select? And what sounds would you choose: music, water, or just quiet? What would the space smell like?

Here are some questions to reflect on as you consider what characteristics of an environment are healing to you.

• What colors affect you positively?  Do you prefer the colors light or dark?

  Everyone will have a different reaction to color, some of our reaction is affected by our culture, our past experiences (what color was your childhood bedroom?) and our sensitivity to light.

• How important are natural elements to you?  Different components of the natural environments appeal to different people. You may find healing elements in city gardens, urban landscapes, a farm, lake property, or one of the coastal regions. Identifying your natural healing environment will help you identify interior color and textures that reflect what you find healing. You may also choose to add natural elements, such as plants, a water fountain, or an aquarium.
   
• What type of light is healing to you? Light can be defined many ways, specifically by type, source, and color. Almost all interior environments need to use artificial light sources, but they are many and varied. Select the light sources and types of light that you find most healing.
   
• What type of artwork do you like? Artwork includes both two-dimensional and three-dimensional pieces. Often artwork can become a focal point for a space, so selecting artwork that you consider healing is extremely important for your space. When you are selecting art, consider the size, colors, and symbolic nature of the art work.
   
• What type of architectural elements appeal to you? Architecture can be described any number of ways, from formal to informal, historic to modern, or mainstream to eclectic. Consider what architectural elements you like and include them if you can.
   
• What sounds do you find soothing? Would you like the continual sound of water flowing in a small fountain? Or would you prefer a specific type of music, or a CD of forest or ocean sounds? Or do you find silence most soothing?

If you want a copy of this list of questions, download this PDF.