How to Create a Home Designed for Health & Wellness

Healthy living may start in your kitchen–with balanced meals and clean ingredients–but the wellness of your family goes well beyond just what you eat. By designing your luxury custom home with wellness in mind, you can create a calming oasis that boosts your mood and helps you relax. 

Here are five ways you can prioritize your health by establishing a theme of wellness throughout your custom home.

Incorporate Natural Elements

A number of studies have shown that spending time in nature has a variety of cognitive benefits and mood-boosting qualities. And while there are amazing opportunities to delight in the outdoors around Scottsdale, you can also bring the calming ambiance of nature to your home with natural materials, textures, and sunlight.

There is no shortage of sunshine in the Phoenix area, and that’s great for your custom home. Natural light is known to lift your spirits and the vitamin D you get from the sun helps your body absorb and process calcium and phosphorus. Incorporating a variety of large windows and glass doors throughout your home can bring in natural light and a fresh ambiance to every room.

Natural materials and textures can also create a feeling of the outdoors. Exposed wood beams add a sense of strength to a space, and textiles such as wool add softness. Of course, you can include plants, large or small, to incorporate a more biophilic design. Consider large rubber plants or Yucca as statement pieces or an indoor herb garden for a multisensory experience.

Improve Air Quality

You don’t want your house to smell like chemicals, but you do want a clean home free of odors and airborne pollutants. A naturally fresh-smelling home is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it can also improve your health. 

Proper ventilation is the key to good air quality. You want fresh air from the outside to help move dirty or humid air out. The easiest way to bring fresh air in is to include windows and high-quality doors throughout your home. The Mountain Shadows Mission property in Paradise Valley embraces indoor-outdoor living with a folding glass door system, encouraging natural breezes and a beautiful night under the stars only steps away.

To make sure any impurities don’t cycle through your home, use filters in your air conditioning and ventilation units that are highly rated for removing dust, pollen, and smoke from the air, and change them regularly. Also, make sure to have good exhaust vents in your bathrooms to remove moisture and over your stove to remove fumes from cooking. You can also invest in air purifiers for specific rooms that may not get as much fresh air from outdoors or might need extra help.

We recommend plants for a number of reasons, and air quality is one of them. While it would take a large number of plants to make a significant difference in your air quality, they do naturally filter the air through photosynthesis. Just be sure to water plants as needed. Overwatered plants can encourage bacterial growth in the soil. 

Make Room for Movement

Exercise is a cornerstone of physical and mental health, so approaching design choices with opportunities for the activities you enjoy the most in mind will help you achieve optimal wellness. One option is to create a space for a home gym. But look past your Peloton and find other activities that you like, such as the rush of a good HIIT workout or kickboxing session. Or include an at-home pilates studio. It can be as simple as a mat and a pilates ball, or you can include a pilates reformer to get the most out of your workout. 

When mapping out your landscaping, make room for your favorite outdoor sport as well. Think about including a tennis court or lap pool. Or just getting into your full-size pool with family is good exercise as well. You can add a little fun by including an adult playground with pull-up bars and a climbing wall as well.

Exercise is best when it’s something you look forward to. Work with your custom home builder in Scottsdale to help you incorporate ways to make movement accessible and enjoyable.

Create a Space for At-Home Meditation

Like having a space for exercise, you also need a space where you can completely relax. Meditation is a simple way to calm your brain, and it only takes a quiet, comfortable place.

During the design process, identify a meditation corner in your custom home. This can be part of a larger room, such as a yoga studio or a library, or its own space entirely. Decide what you want in this space, such as a comfortable chair, a table for easy journaling, or a bookshelf for inspired learning. Think about the sounds you want in this space. Do you prefer silence or would you want to have a surround-sound system to bring in gentle waves or calming bells?

A water feature can truly transform any indoor or outdoor area. They can be big or small, and even quite extraordinary. Consider a custom water feature like the one created for the Water Way Residence that runs from the front courtyard, through the home, and out to the back of the home. The peaceful flow of the water throughout the interior creates several opportunities for meditation and contemplation.

In addition to meditation, you also need places to relax. When you build your home in the Phoenix area, you have your choice of amazing views. Be intentional about the location of spaces in your home where you may want to spend time relaxing. For example, if you enjoy a long soak in a luxurious bubble bath, consider the views from a bathroom window with app-controlled shades or tinting. You may also consider a “sun catcher” lounge to soak up vitamin D and enjoy inspiring sunsets.

Prioritize Good Sleep

There is no doubt that getting a good night’s sleep improves your mood and helps your body recover from the day before. Create a bedroom environment that promotes high-quality rest with adjustable lighting, limited distractions, and a comfortable bed.

Be intentional about your window placement to capture natural light. A butt joint glazed window in the corner of your room is the ultimate choice to bring in as much light as possible and it will also create a seamless transition to an outdoor view. Install curtains to promote your preferred sleeping environment, whether that’s sheer linen to help you wake with the sun or heavy black-out curtains to make sure you get your full eight hours. In addition to natural sunlight, install adjustable or smart lighting that can help you get energized for the day or help you wind down.

Think twice before including electronics, such as a television, in your bedroom, and consider making it a blue-light-free space–no computers or cell phones. But a good sound system can create a soothing soundscape to help you fall asleep. You do want to make sure your sleeping area is sound-proofed to prevent unwanted noise from intruding on quiet spaces.

Consider diffusers for essential oils, such as lavender, to help you relax, and make sure your room is free of clutter. And of course, choose a mattress and high-quality sheets that make getting into bed every night a favorite part of your day.

Keep Your Well-Being a Priority

Bring the feeling of an exclusive Scottsdale resort and spa into your living space. With a custom home designed around your health and well-being, you prioritize the health and well-being of everyone who walks through your door. You make your home a place to truly recharge and recenter.
When you are ready to create a home that is focused on both your well-being and the health of the environment, contact the custom home builders in Scottsdale who understand the balance of a modern lifestyle with thoughtful design. Tell us about your project today!