| The Healthy Home by Jackie Craven | |
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Do you have a healthy home? This concept may be new to many of us, yet it is becoming more and more popular with homeowners.
A healthy home can embrace any number of features including building with eco-friendly materials, using non-toxic products, and decorating spaces for serenity.
Who better to ask about healthy homes than Jackie Craven, author of a new book from Rockport Publishers titled, Healthy Home : Beautiful Interiors That Enhance Your Environment. Jackie is a widely published writer on architecture and interior design. You may have seen her website on About.com or her column "The Fix" in House & Garden magazine.
I recently asked Jackie to elaborate on the topic of healthy homes. Here's what she had to say.
Q. The idea of a healthy home is something that will
appeal to many. Can you outline the basic principles of
a healthy home?
Jackie: "A healthy home is one that nurtures body, mind, and
spirit. Living spaces are open, flexible, and easy to
maintain. Natural, eco-friendly fabrics, paints, and
building materials are free of harmful synthetic chemicals.
Lighting, colors, and fragrances are selected for their
power to comfort and heal. A healthy home can be any
period and style, but you may notice a certain air of
simplicity and restraint. Unbleached cotton is chosen
over synthetic fibers, hardwood floors are preferred to
thick carpeting, and nearly every room will include plants,
flowers, and other reminders of nature."
Q. Healthy home design is a relatively new idea. What
advice can you offer for people who live in older homes,
which may contain lead-based paints, or other toxic materials?
Jackie: "Despite the challenges, old-house living can be deeply
rewarding and also enormously practical. Preserving an
older home is one important way to conserve natural
resources and prevent the environmental harm that
inevitably results from new construction. As you remodel,
try to balance respect for the past with the needs of the
present. Remove the lead paint (or cover it with a special
encapsulating liquid), but do not strip away details that
give your home its historic charm. A good rule of thumb
is to repair rather than replace. The plaster and woodwork
found in older homes is often sturdier and more carefully
crafted than their modern counterparts. Moreover, the
original materials are less likely to contain particleboard,
plastics, and other fume-producing synthetic materials."
Q. Ergonomics is a term that is often used to describe
office design. How do concepts of ergonomics relate to
living in a healthy home?
Jackie: "The furnishings and arrangements in every room should
encourage healthy patterns of posture and movement. In
the kitchen, principles of ergonomics help us create
efficient workspaces and easily-accessible cabinets.
Healthy bathrooms feature easy-turn faucets and fixtures
that are a comfortable size. Living areas include chairs
that permit deep relaxation while providing proper support
for the spine. Often overlooked details such as lever-
handle door latches, touch-pad wall switches, and eye-
pleasing lighting are also important to facilitate easy,
stress-free movement for all people, including the
disabled."
Q. You mention "honoring the environment". Can you
elaborate on simple ways we can all do this right now?
Jackie: "Honoring the environment begins with minimizing excess
and waste. One important -- and often overlooked -- way
to do this is simply to take joy in the things we already
have. A solidly built chair, handed down through
generations, is kinder to the world and more pleasing to
the spirit than a short-lived plastic piece that will soon be
sent to a landfill. Meals served on aged china, even if
there are a few chips, are more satisfying and more
meaningful than food dished up on throw-away plates. By
recycling and repurposing our possessions, we reduce
the drain on natural resources and feel more at peace
with ourselves and with the world."
See more on Page 2: Cleaning Products, Dust, Meditation Rooms
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