Your home isn’t only a place to eat, sleep, and unwind after a long, hard day. It is your private, personal sanctuary that can support your mental and physical health each day.
Like many people, you might be eager to move away from clinical, minimalist interiors and ready to embrace a warm, restorative environment to lower your stress levels, relax your body, and care for your health.
If so, here are seven ways modern homes are being reimagined around rest and relaxation.
1. Sensory Deprivation Bedrooms
Sensory deprivation bedrooms are designed to improve sleep quality by removing all external stimuli, such as bright street lighting, external noise, allergens, and technology.
The rising trend aims to serve as a sensory vacuum, helping to boost melatonin production and soothe the nervous system each night.
To do so, people need to black out their rooms completely. In addition to installing effective blackout blinds or tracks, many people are colour-drenching their bedrooms in non-reflective shades to absorb light. What’s more, all smart technology should be placed in a closed drawer to prevent flashing and disruption.
You could also dampen all external noise by:
- Triple-glazing windows
- Introducing a fabric headboard
- Installing acoustic-grade walls
- Fitting solid wood doors
- Hanging thick floor-to-ceiling curtains
- Lying on a plush carpet
In addition to reducing all light and noise in your bedroom, focus on creating a more tactile space, as you will rely more heavily on touch during the dark. For instance, add a luxury bedding set, as the long-staple cotton feels soft, smooth, and breathable against the skin, helping your nervous system relax more quickly.
2. Smart Circadian Lighting
Many modern homes are introducing smart circadian lighting systems that mimic natural light to support the body’s sleep-wake cycle.
Rather than using cool-white bulbs that appear sharp and uncomfortable, incorporate smart circadian lighting to gradually adjust a room’s colour temperatures throughout the day.
For instance, your home may emit blue-enriched light throughout the morning to suppress melatonin, offer a warm glow free of blue light by the afternoon, and provide low-level lighting during the evening to help you relax and unwind.
3. Biophilic Design
More homeowners are embracing biophilic design to create a calming, restorative interior day and night.
Designed to connect the indoors with the outside world, many modern homes are even being built with biophilic design in mind, offering indoor green walls, open-air courtyards, and floor-to-ceiling walls and doors.
To incorporate biophilic design into your property, focus on bringing the outdoors in by:
- Adding a mix of plants of varying scales
- Maximising natural lighting in the home
- Incorporating nature’s sounds and movement, such as with an indoor fountain
- Using organic textures in your interior design, such as wooden coffee tables, wicker chairs, or travertine worktops
- Choosing biomorphic shapes, such as curved archways, rounded sofas, botanical wallpaper, and oblong mirrors.
4. Acoustic Wellness
Few things are more frustrating than the sound of noisy neighbours, a roaring engine, or the banging of a ball as you are trying to relax at home or fall asleep in bed. If this sounds familiar, the acoustic wellness trend might be a fantastic option.
It focuses on softening sounds inside and outside the home, helping you relax and unwind after a tiring day.
For instance, you can banish noise by:
- Hanging heavy curtains
- Installing acoustic panels
- Adding thick rugs and upholstered furniture
These changes improve your acoustic comfort during the day and night, helping to create a calmer, more relaxing environment and reduce ambient stress.
5. Spa Bathrooms
It is time to move away from large white tiles and purely functional bathroom furniture, and time to create a spa bathroom in your home.
As it is the one room in the home designed for total privacy, it is worth spending a little extra on the space to create a soothing, restorative environment to enjoy each day.
If you love the thought of turning your bathroom into a beautiful wellness sanctuary, consider adding an oversized bathtub to enjoy a luxurious soak.
A steam shower is also a fantastic way to relax tense muscles, clear nasal congestion, and ease stiff joints. Designed to improve your blood circulation and promote glowing skin, you will look and feel like a new person each time you step out of the shower.
You also have the option to:
- Install a floating vanity for a clean, spacious aesthetic.
- Incorporate natural materials and textures, such as marble, limestone, or travertine tiles.
- Add texture to the walls, such as a limewash finish or waterproof plaster.
- Introduce plush textures, such as luxury robes and towels.
- Place potted plants that thrive in humidity, such as hanging eucalyptus or snake plants.
6. Hidden Pantries
As you will know, the kitchen is the heart of the home, which is why you might feel overwhelmed when it appears messy, unorganised, and well-used.
For this reason, many architects are constructing modern homes with hidden pantries or walk-in prep kitchens.
Doing so allows homeowners to hide the chaos of cooking and entertaining, as the primary kitchen remains clear, clean, and attractive.
Also, it distances the household from the annoying buzz of appliances when dining or entertaining.
People can then enjoy dinner or entertain in a calmer setting, encouraging families or friends to relax, chat, and make memories.
7. Solarium Hydro-rooms
Do you love the idea of soaking in a hot tub when rain is pouring, or snow is falling? If so, a solarium hydro-room might be worth your time and money.
More modern homeowners are redesigning their properties with relaxation in mind, and some have opted to extend their home with a floor-to-ceiling glass hydro-room.
The indoor-outdoor space typically features built-in stone hot tubs, surrounded by gorgeous indoor ferns, allowing people to safely enjoy a soak while feeling immersed in the sun, snow, wind, or rain outdoors.
It is a perfect choice for the UK climate, which offers diverse and unpredictable weather conditions, as you can feel connected to nature throughout the seasons while feeling warm, cosy, and relaxed indoors.
