The first shoots of spring aren’t far away and with it, our mood seems to be shooting skywards in tandem. It’s time to ride this crest of optimism by getting your home ready to embrace the positive vibes fully. We at IDEAL think it’s folly to assume it’s plain sailing and sunny days from here on in (as the recent bout of snow confirmed) and you can never have too much ‘cosy’ anyway, so the following really is a guide for all seasons. With that in mind, here are 5 IDEAL ways to add the feel good factor to your home.
SCENTED CANDLES & FLOWERS
First impressions are the most lasting, as they say, and the first thing that strikes you when you enter a house is not the interior design or decor, but the aroma – whether that is pleasant or noxious is down to you. Fall on the former side by lighting scented candles and keeping fresh flowers, bringing fragrance to your home (and covering all manner of sins, too). Not only will this imbue your domestic space with a beautiful bouquet, but the flicker of the flame and mood alleviating properties of perennial plants will keep the feel good factor well and truly burning, constantly. 
SOFT FURNISHINGS
After a long and gruelling day at the coalface, there’s nothing which keeps morale higher on the commute home than the prospect of sinking into a cushiony cuddle. Abundant pillows, throws, cushions and blankets all add a sense of both homeliness and luxury to your house, and require little effort to maintain. If you want to reinvigorate your decor, you can simply change up the cases to reflect a change in mood or season.
A WOOD BURNING STOVE
Nothing will make you want to hunker down in comfort and says ‘home’ more than an open fire. But those guys can be high maintenance, messy and not especially frugal in terms of fuel efficiency. Wood burning stoves are a more than viable alternative, offering the warmth of a real fire, plus the gorgeous aroma of gentle smoke and giving the house a focal point. They’re a great statement piece, that’s for sure, and when lit, create an unbeatable feeling of coziness. To add to the ambience, consider stacking some seasoned logs beside the stove to really bring your house that feel good factor. Not only will you not have to stumble outside to stoke your fire, but a stack of firewood looks pretty stylish too and is an effective feature piece in itself. You can find firewood for sale online from various websites to create a stack.
LIGHT AND SHADE
Did you know that dingy and drab environments can make you feel listless and down whereas rooms with great lighting can improve our mood? Here at IDEAL we’re obsessed with getting the lighting just right. It can instantly transform a room from sterile to snug at the flick of a switch. The first place to start is by maximising the amount of natural light in your home, and this is best done with mirrors. Hang a large one in front of a window to reflect the light and views; not only will it make your room brighter, but it will also make it appear bigger. Layered lighting, which is all about combining different lights to create a particular mood or feel, can instantly make your house a home. From side lamps illuminating a dark corner to flickering candles creating a warm glow, there are loads of different ways to achieve this. Dimmer switches are also fantastic when layering; you can choose the amount of light you want in the room, depending on what activity requires illuminating, as well as your mood. By combining these clever lighting options, you can bring about the domestic feel good factor all year round.
ARTWORK & BOOKS
According to studies, exercising our creativity can give our pent-up stress an outlet and bring escape from the monotony of our daily routines. This not only helps us express our emotions, it also boosts our happiness levels too. From this we can deduce that if we really want to add the feel-good factor to our homes, artwork and books are a must. Art and books have been shown to make you feel happy, and they bring a really cool, sophisticated feel to the domestic space. Perfect.
