When you are designing the interior of your home, you’re going to design with aesthetics in mind — but keep in mind how your interior layout can impact your home’s indoor air quality. Investing in the highest quality furnace filters money can buy will definitely help to improve your air quality — but clean indoor air is achieved with finding a balance.
A healthy balance of a functioning furnace filter, changing it regularly, cleanliness, and a home layout that helps air circulation, will help you to achieve quality indoor air that is fresh, clean, and contaminant-free.
These interior design tips will help you make your space aesthetic and breathable:
Built-in Appliances
Instead of trying to circulate air in a room packed with bulky appliances, have these tools built in to allow for improved air filtration. Having appliances built into your walls will take up less space in your home, which makes for better air flow.
Keep Your Space Clutter-Free
The more clutter you have in your home, the less room there is for air to circulate. The more organized and separate you keep things in your home, the better your air quality will be. According to the Lung Association, clutter also puts your space at risk of mold.
Indoor Plants
Bringing greenery indoors not only makes for an earthy and trendy aesthetic but can also help the quality of your indoor air! Certain plants are known for having properties that can help purify your air of contaminants and chemicals.
Open Concept
Designing your home with an open concept is one of the best things you can do for your indoor air. Densely packing rooms with heavy furniture make it hard for air to circulate. Open spaces, on the other hand, increases air flow because the air has more places to go!
Wicker or Bamboo Furniture
The materials that make up your furniture can have a significant impact on the quality of your air. For example, according to One Green Planet, wicker and bamboo are known to retain less heat, which incites air circulation. These materials tend to be used more for patio furniture, but your air will thank you for bringing these materials inside.
Invest in Furniture You Can Move around
When you have heavy furniture, it’s a challenge to get into harder-to-reach areas to clean. How are you supposed to dust and vacuum under a couch that won’t budge? Spoiler: you can’t. When you can’t adequately clean your space, it gets dusty, and your air becomes full of pesky particulates that you weren’t able to get rid of. Invest in lightweight furniture that you can actually move around to ensure you can clean your space thoroughly.
Expansive Windows
Large windows are modern, sleek, and can make a world of difference for your air circulation. Windows that exceed a height of 3.6 feet help to keep your air circulating and lessen the impact of extreme temperatures on your ceilings. According to One Green Planet, the best place to install windows are on the north and south sides of your home — this optimizes your ventilation and helps to draw in natural breezes.
Ceiling Fans
Fans are essential for air ventilation — so why not invest in a pretty one that can add to the aesthetic of your space while also helping the air in your home circulate?
Be sure to keep these things in mind next time you start to move things around in your home to spice up your space.