How to plan the perfect feel-good room – 3 interior experts share their tips for the ultimate mood-boosting home makeover

Our homes are our sanctuary, our place to retreat and recharge. But what if yours is having the opposite effect on your mood? Of course, this can be caused by more than one factor – from space to colour, lighting to clutter – but our three experts, two interior designers and one paint brand expert, have plenty of tips to boost your mood through your home for the year to come.

MEET THE EXPERTS

• MARIA RAMIREZ, FOUNDER AND DESIGN DIRECTOR AT BB INTERIORS: 'A feel-good home should make your shoulders drop on entry, with dimmable light, textures you want to touch and layouts that make daily rituals easy.’
• EMMA BESTLEY, CO-FOUNDER AND CREATIVE PARTNER, YESCOLOURS: '‘Colour and decor set the stage. A home only truly feels happy when it reflects the personality of the people who live there.’
• SOPHIE ROBINSON, INTERIOR DESIGNER: ‘An uplifting home is infused with warmth, personality and your own individual story – it’s a space that you are also proud of creating.’

Personality matters

‘I love to see a real sense of personality in a space,’ says Sophie, ‘so I’m always looking for interest, intriguing colour palettes, beautiful collections of art, family mementoes and those things which make a space feel special, and original, personable and personal.’

Emma agrees: ‘Mood-boosting decor reflects who you are and not what’s trending – every colour, texture, scent and sound in a space should work together to make you exhale and think “yes, this feels right”.’

Maria adds, ‘Layers are what turns a house into a home – not just cushions on cushions, but layers of you: materials, eras, textures, light and memories. My mantra is: one hard, one soft, one personal. When layers tell your story, the room feels lived-in, not staged.’

Colour choices

‘People find choosing colour the hardest thing when creating a scheme,’ says Sophie. ‘They feel very judged by their colour choices and get hung up on trends. It’s hard work to shut out all the noise and think about what colours resonate with you. Ask yourself: what would seven-year-old-you pick from the crayon tin? What are you naturally drawn to? What colour clothes are in your wardrobe… You need that reaction to colour. Deduce these colours, and you can start to create mood-boosting interiors.’

And they don’t always need to be bright interiors, as Maria explains: ‘There is no universal happy colour palette. It’s a designer’s job to read your nervous system and build from there. For some, saturated colour feels energising and joyful; for others, it’s overwhelming. A sandy minimal scheme might soothe one person and leave another underwhelmed.’

Emma agrees: ‘We all respond to colour differently. The colour wheel has the potential to make us feel happy or content, depending on the tone, the light, and the room it’s used in. For some, joy comes from warm, sunlit hues like apricot and pink; for others, it’s the calm of blue or green. What matters most is balance; pairing uplifting shades with grounding neutrals so the space feels alive but still able to breathe.’

Dopamine decor

‘What I’m seeing now is multiple trends running alongside each other,’ says Sophie. ‘The dopamine trend, which is very much where I sit, will never go out of fashion, but then neither will the “new neutrals”. It’s about identifying the look you love, which will naturally boost your mood.’

Emma agrees: ‘When used with intention, vibrant hues become grounding rather than chaotic, an antidote to bland, soulless spaces.’

Play to the senses

‘Our senses are essential in mood-boosting schemes,’ says Maria. ‘Sight sets mood, sound sets tempo, touch sets comfort, scent anchors memory, and temperature either soothes or spikes the body. Design that feels the senses kindly keeps the nervous system in a calm state, so you think better, sleep better, and argue less. If one sense is shouting, the whole room is off.’

‘Choose materials that invite touch and slow you down: matt walls, warm woods, soft textiles, smooth surfaces,’ adds Emma. ‘Texture makes colour live.’

Sophie adds: ‘Decorating a room is a three-dimensional, multisensory experience: when you sit on your sofa, you want it to be soft and plump, you want to sink your toes into a rug… these are all messages being sent to your body telling it to relax.’

Avoid the clutter

‘Think about where your barometer is to clutter, as everyone has different tolerances to visual clutter,’ says Sophie. ‘Yes, there’s clutter which is mess – the pile of washing, the toys – but there’s also maximus decorating, like loads of knick-knacks, gallery walls with lots of pictures, or a sofa bulging with cushions. The level of intentional visual clutter is up to you and what you find pleasing.’ Maria summarises: ‘Curate, do not accumulate.

Edit surfaces and rotate displays so the eye can rest and lovely things can shine. Order gives the nervous system a rest, and beauty a room to breathe.’

It's your home

‘The fix to reset your home’s energy isn’t grand, but it’s consistent,’ says Maria. ‘Warm layered light in the evening, a five-minute air flush in the morning and light, soft materials to calm sound, and scent kept natural and subtle. When these moves are designed from the start with dimmers, good ventilation, storage points and quiet materials, tiny daily actions reset the system. Small actions, big benefits.’

‘For me, a feel-good home is layered with pieces that reflect who you are, not what’s trending. Every colour, texture, scent and sound in the space should work together to make you exhale and think: “Yes, this feels right”,’ says Emma. ‘Infuse your home with warmth, personality and your own individual story – I believe that’s what makes a joyful home,’ says Sophie.

Need to know...Give your home a happiness fix

Maria Ramirez of BB Interiors shares her top tips

• Swap cold white bulbs for warm white and add one table lamp at eye level. The nervous system reads the cue, and the room softens instantly.
• Clear one surface and style three things you love. Lamp, book, small vase. A calm vignette anchors the space.
• Bring nature indoors today: a plant, a branch or a bowl of lemons placed by the window; open a window for five minutes and just breathe.
• Hush the echo with a wool rug or curtains; quieter rooms feel welcoming and conversation flows.