Oliver Heath > Quotes

“If a texture looks inviting, we take this as a "haptic invitation" (an appeal to our sense of touch to have a positive tactile experience).”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“This basic evolutionary concept has been developed over the years into what we now know as biophilic design, which offers a set of three core design principles that aim to improve our connection with nature:
Nature in the space: bringing real forms of nature and ways to connect to natural systems into your space...
Natural analogues: including references to- or representations of- nature, taking inspiration from its forms, shapes, colors, patterns, and textures...
Nature of the space: mimicking the spatial qualities of natural environments to enhance or evoke human responses.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“If feeling a lack of privacy from neighbors puts you off exercising outside, add some privacy by screening your workout area off with trellis, bamboo slats, or tall planting.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“...research has found that 80% of potential home buyers decide whether or not a home is right for them as soon as they walk in.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“Most of us have an incredibly refined sense of smell. Scents are highly personal, so when scenting our homes it's really important to consider everyone living there, as preferences and tolerance levels can vary hugely.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“How do we create this [prospect-refuge] in the home? It could be as simple as having a high-backed chair in the corner of a room, a window seat to perch at or a small reading nook tucked away in a calm area. If you have the space, you could even create your own "wellness room".”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“How much light do plants need?
As a loose guideline, low-light plants need 500-2,500 lux, medium-light plants 2,500-10,000 lux, bright light plants 10,000-20,000 lux, and very bright-light plants need about 20,000-50,000 lux.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“There is also color temperature to consider, measured in Kelvin or K. This measures the color of light across the color spectrum, which will have an impact on your body's physiological response to it.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“We all belong to three types of community:
- A social one with friends and family, including online.
- A geographic one based around locations like buildings or parks.
- An ecological one that connects us to all life on the planet, and bonds us with natural places like beaches, forests, and urban parks.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“Mindfully immersing yourself in nature is a Japanese practice known as forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“Introduce hanging plants...
Bringing high planting into your home recreates what we would experience in a jungle or forest habitat.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“Imagine a room filled with:
~ soft, natural blues- these bring to mind clear skies and cool, calm pools of water, so they help us feel relaxed.
~ shades of vibrant green- these remind us of the energy and calm we experience in the middle of a natural meadow or forest.
~ yellows- these remind us of warm summer sunshine, ripe crops, and sunflowers, they are warming and welcoming and create an energized, social atmosphere.
~ purples and mauves- these take us to the gentle light of the magic hours at dawn and dusk, they can also be mysterious, spiritual, and meditative colors.
~ oranges and reds- these remind us of ripe fruits and berries, the promise of nutrition can be energizing, exciting, and stimulating.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“Lighting is also key for enhancing social interactions. It is important to have a range of dimmable lighting to suit different functions and moods, from lively and open to romantic and intimate.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“For some, conversation comes naturally as a way to connect, but for others it's easier to unite over the sharing of activities and skills.
The tip here is to dedicate space and furniture to allow these things to happen. Where can you store games so they're easily accessible? Is your table large and easy enough to clear to double up as an arena to play or make? Have you created somewhere for others to sit while you cook, and is there enough counter space for them to join in? Are your craft and gardening tools organized and ready to go?
...this space needs to be warm and inviting... could be as simple as lighting a fire, playing background music, or bringing in extra cushions and throws.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“Cool white bulbs (4000K or more) are bright and stimulating; warm white (around 3000K) is welcoming; a candle is around 1900K.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“A kitchen-diner should be somewhere that nourishes us and promotes healthy behaviors, and having the right kitchen equipment and food on display can go a long way toward this. Consider placing juicers or filtered water in an accessible space on the counter, or having an inviting fruit bowl or a kitchen herb box on the windowsill.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“We have seen that humans have an inherent attraction to timber, and we find its presence comforting and calming. It seems that investing in a wooden bed frame may well contribute to getting a good night's sleep.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“Circadian lighting might seem complicated if you've never heard of it before, but it can be done in a number of easy ways.
At its simplest, try using a string of very warm white, or orange, LEDS in the evening when you are relaxing before bedtime.
In overhead or side lights, use circadian light bulbs, which can be set to different colors of light, controlled by a dimmer switch.
Use color-changing LED light strips or bulbs with their own color remote controller.
Consider buying color-changing lighting products, such as stand-alone table or floor lamps.
Use a wake-up light alarm clock to wake you gently with color-changing lights in the morning, and relax you with soft lighting in warm tones at bedtime.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“Be fun with your design in creative spaces, using design features to stimulate the senses and inspire you.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“Whole-home heat recovery systems... extract stale, moist air from any room with water use, such as bathrooms and kitchens, then extract the warmth from it to preheat the fresh air being brought back in. The fresh air is run through filters before being pumped into all living spaces in the home. It can also be used to help cool a home during warmer months. This type of system is expensive and requires good duct runs, but is very effective.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“Consider how you can use visual pattern to define a space for its purpose and activity...

- In the bathroom, you might want to use rippled or soft undulating patterns to remind yourself of the calmness of water, think water surface, sand, or shell patterns.
- In the living room, leafy patterns and forest-inspired shapes and patterns can be relaxing and restorative.
- Retreats or quiet spaces such as bedrooms or home offices might benefit from images of sheltered or secluded natural spaces, for example cave-like patterns.
- By contrast, lively spaces may suit patterns of more dynamic natural systems, such as waterfalls and rivers.

Remember that there is a balance to strive for here. Subtlety is key, so the patterns don't dominate the space and overwhelm you. Also keep in mind that there are no straight lines in nature, so hard edges can appear harsh.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“Maximize Natural Light
If you are undertaking a larger design or refurbishment project, consider:
Adding more windows if building permits allow.
Enlarging your windows by (most cost effectively) dropping the sills.
Replacing existing windows and choosing windows with smaller frames.
Replacing the glass so that it is one solid piece rather than broken up by fenestration bars or leaded light strips.
Adding a sun tube, a small reflective tube that lets light into windowless spaces that are near the roof, such as an upstairs hallway.
Adding a skylight to allow light to flood in and aid ventilation.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“Circadian lighting, in essence, follows a "sunrise to sunset" cycle, according to which lights should be brighter and bluer in the morning (blue makes us feel alert), and warmer orange light that mimics dusk to facilitate sleep should be used in the evening.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“Board games
These are a great way to interact with others while still "getting out of your head" and not talking about anything too important.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“The "prospect-refuge" theory states that we have an inborn desire for prospect (in the sense of an extended view onto something) so that we can observe our surroundings without being seen by others.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“It is thought that a lack of sunlight stops the hypothalamus (a small part of the brain that regulates important functions, including circadian rhythms) from working properly, which leads to a lack of serotonin (the "happy hormone") and a disrupted body clock.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“Nonrhythmic sensory stimuli (NRSS) are calming, gentle, nonthreatening movements found in nature, such as ripples on a pool of water, grass swaying, or leaves moving in a breeze, which can aid psychological restoration and reduce eyestrain from computers. The movement catches our eye every so often and allows us a moment of effortless attention on something in the distance. This is particularly beneficial if we refocus our vision every 20 minutes, for 20 seconds, on something 20 feet away (this is known as the 20x20x20 rule).
Adding some greenery to your workspace can help with this. Try placing a leafy plant next to an open window for gentle movement in a breeze.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“... we no longer wake up with the dawn chorus and settle down for the night with the hum of crickets. But just as our circadian rhythms are affected by exposure to natural light, sounds can act as cues for our sense of time and how we feel.
...
There are alarm clocks that can help with your acoustic circadian rhythms by playing birdsong to wake you and the sound of waves lapping as you go to sleep... try creating your own soundtrack for the day.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“Introduce tabletop plants...
Using potted plants is a great idea as they don't need to be replaced in the same way that flowers do.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing

“Try to make sure... that you have somewhere in your house where you can do a workout, whether that's yoga, core-strength exercises, or an online class. If you know you have the space, it's harder to make an excuse as to why you can't fit a bit of movement into your morning, lunch break, or after work.”
― Oliver Heath, Design A Healthy Home: 100 ways to transform your space for physical and mental wellbeing