If ever there was a time to talk about putting a spring in your step it's now. With the new season equinox having just passed and blossom shots swiftly beginning to dominate on our socials, it’s only natural that we look to our homes to make sure every day starts with a mood boosting hit to get the day underway. Wondering how tiles fit into the spring glee convo? Over to our head of creative Grazzie to give you the download plus the tiles she turns to first for a dose of dopamine decor.
INTERIOR DESIGN: CAN IT SERIOUSLY LIFT YOUR MOOD?
In two words: erm yes.
Stepping into a room that’s designed sensitively and with great sophistication can work wonders on your mood.
“Without quotes from psychologists to confirm things, just think about how you feel in a bland box of a room with drab colours, awful lighting and furniture that’s completely lackluster (and lacking in comfort),” muses Grazzie. “You’re not going to feel energised and at your perkiest are you? I certainly wouldn’t. I’d want to get out fast and be in a space that lifts me. Because that’s what interiors done right can do, they lift your spirits, turn frowns upside down, and can make you head out the door feeling really inspired and ready to take on the day.”
If philosophical thought is your thing though, kick back with this book by Elina Grigoriou that explores the link between decor and mood: Wellbeing in Interiors. Consider yourself convinced.
WHAT ARE THE KEY COLOURS TO MOOD BOOST WITH?
Interior design is of course an art to master and covers everything from how a home flows thanks to its layout and furniture arrangements, right through to its combination of texture, lighting, colour and sense of space. But Grazzie has good news: “You don’t necessarily need to fork out on an interior designer to create a home that feels good. Not everyone has the budget to bring somebody in to deal with their decor, so start small and harness the hues for your home’s colour scheme and you’ll soon see how colour has the power to majorly mould your mood”.
Colour-rich homes (and that doesn’t mean going for highlighter bright colours, in fact, the total opposite) can be the ultimate positivity punchers. According to colour psychology, green is linked to wellbeing, so it brings a relaxed energy to the home, it demands very little so fits into homes easily. Blue in its palest form helps to calm us, more intense blues aid concentration. Pink performs differently in the home depending on the shade too, paler pinks are soft and nurturing so work wonders in main bathrooms and bedrooms. While stronger blush shades can be really grounding.
It does all come back to personal choice though. Take yellow as an example – one of the ultimate sunshine shades but that can seriously divide opinion. Tile a kitchen with primrose metro tiles but if you’re not a yellow-lover, you’re never going to find that a feel-good decor move. So yes, lean into colour theory, but equally don’t be governed by it. Combine it with your personal preferences but more than anything before you reach for the beige, consider whether a dose of colour could dish out your daily dose of dopamine.
THE TILES THAT SPARK JOY AS PICKED BY GRAZZIE
With colour therapy (aka chromotherapy) front of mind, give yourself a boost with these five tiles as picked by Grazzie with suggestions of where to place them in your home and why.
1. Marlborough Porcelain Parquet in Forest Green: "this one is new in and is completely drop dead gorgeous. Truthfully, I love it anywhere, but I really love the idea of having it in a garden room mixed with the natural shade of our Marlborough Porcelain on the floor and then a vertical zigzag mix, with green and natural shades on the walls. Together you have this fabulous balance of earthy, comforting pinky-peach terracotta with calming and enriching deep green. It’s a great combination to bring the outdoors in and vice versa creating balance and so much beauty.”
2. Joyous Expressions By Sasha Compton: “Sasha designed two colourways for us but I’m specifically picking the pale pink this time and I’m going to suggest it for an ensuite. Reason being, pink is a colour associated with reassurance, nurturing and calm. Having then artist Sasha’s painterly tiles in their gentle pink colourway somewhere close to the bedroom is therefore a match made in heaven.”
3. Stucco Porcelain in Textured Red: “red is a colour associated with passion and intimacy so it’s naturally a great hue for invigoration. Our new Stucco tiles have a really subtle plaster effect and that textural quality combined with their rich rust red tone makes them a really sensual option for a shower room!”
4. Rialto Terrazzo in San Marco: “coming back to yellow, if you fancy bringing in a slice of sunshine to your decor but don’t want it coming through too strongly, why not have a mix of tones to temper it like you see on our bestselling terrazzo tiles in the San Marco finish? I totally see this in an indoor-outdoor setting that feels upbeat and feel-good, morning, noon and night.”
5. Hollywood Porcelain: “sometimes blue gets too much of a bad rap for being a bit of a downer. Some blues actually are full of oomph like cobalts and deep, warm blues are like a comforting hug. Pick a more muted blue though and you unlock serious calmness. That brings me onto my final pick – Hollywood which in a bathroom makes the stresses of the day melt away before you stumble into bed and drift off into a deep sleep. That’s blue for you!”
