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Rethinking the ‘Healthy Home’: What Does Wellness Really Mean in Design?
Alice Moxham, Founder and Creative Director of
Alice Molloy Interiors
The concept of a ‘healthy home’ has become a major talking point in design, with wellness now increasingly shaping how we think about the spaces we inhabit. As this subject moves to the forefront of discussions surrounding design, it is paramount that wellness is understood for its true definition rather than for its common misconceptions: That a ‘healthy home’ equates to a minimalist new-age aesthetic, characterised by high-end fitness technology or expensive eco-friendly products – seemingly elevating a space that looks wellness-oriented even if it isn’t.
Alice Moxham, Founder and Creative Director
Rather, a healthy home often has more to do with what we can’t see. It considers the air we breathe, the materials we live with, and the toxins we may not even realise are there. Wellness stands for so much more than mere aesthetics; it’s about creating a home that actively supports human health, comfort, and wellbeing. It considers how a space performs and how people feel and function within it.
The Silent Toxins in Our Homes
Most of us assume our homes are safe, but in reality, they can be one of the most toxic environments we spend time in:
• Paints and finishes often release VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that can trigger headaches, allergies, and even long-term health issues.
• Furniture and flooring can off-gas formaldehyde, glues, and flame retardants.
• Synthetic textiles like rugs, curtains, and cushions shed microplastics into our air.
• Poor ventilation traps it all inside, creating a cocktail of indoor pollutants and mould that can go undetected for years, often causing health issues such as allergies, asthma attacks, chronic coughs, and bronchitis. Specialist companies like Dryfix, base their whole business model on correcting this issue within homes.
What True Wellness Design Should Look Like
To me, wellness in design is not just about interiors and architecture that appear pleasing to the eye; it’s about producing high-quality homes that prioritise factors such as sleep, respiratory regulation, energy levels, and encourage healthy behaviours:
• Low- or no-VOC paints and natural finishes - A great example is Earthborn Paints and COAT Paints, who both specialise in this. Volatile Organic Compounds, known as VOCs, are carbon based chemical compounds found in most paints. VOCs are harmful to health, the environment and contribute to global warming. It is a legal requirement for paint labelling to state the VOC content of the product.
• Solid wood furniture instead of MDF or particleboard bound with toxic glues - Toxic glues in furniture primarily use formaldehyde-based adhesives, which are used in composite wood products like particleboard and plywood. To avoid these, look for furniture with “No Added Formaldehyde” (NAF), “Ultra-Low Emitting Formaldehyde” (ULEF), or “CARB Phase 2 Compliant” labels, or opt for furniture made with solid wood and glueless construction methods.
• Natural textiles - linen, hemp, organic wool, that don’t shed plastics into the air.
• Air quality monitoring and purification built into the home - A smart home system can then automatically trigger purification when air quality drops below a set threshold, providing alerts and remote control via smartphone apps for a healthier indoor environment.
• Lighting design that supports circadian rhythms and better sleep - Use flexible LED lights that shift colour temperature and intensity throughout the day to mimic natural sunlight, with bright, cool light in the morning for alertness and warm, dim light in the evening to promote relaxation and sleep. Incorporate dimmable controls and consider maximising natural light exposure during the day to create a dynamic lighting environment that helps regulate your body’s natural sleep-wake cycle.
Time to Raise the Bar
As designers, architects, and homeowners, we all have an opportunity, and a responsibility, to shape environments that help people feel better, function better, and live healthier lives. This all starts when we begin to see wellness as holistic, not simply aesthetic. From there, we will see a fundamental shift in design, one where homes are as chemically safe as they are beautiful.
We understand this change isn’t going to take place overnight, but a gradual switch is starting to occur, although at a slower rate than the other industries. Here at Alice Molloy Interiors, we are striving to implement these wellness-oriented materials, principles and techniques into each one of our designs – producing high-quality spaces that lead to a higher-quality life over time.
For more information on Alice Molloy Interiors, please visit https://alicemolloyinteriors.com/ or call 07826541669.
