BY MICHELLE IFVERSEN
ENVIRONMENTAL WELLNESS DIRECTOR
DESIGNWELL STUDIOS
This month, I wanted to share with you what we have been doing to refresh and cleanse our house. Each year as we near spring I find myself getting a little bit restless inside if we aren't able to get away to a warmer climate. Living up here in the Pacific Northwest, winters can be a bit daunting (we are originally from California and Hawaii), so we spend our late winters, early spring time doing inside house projects. Last night we got over ten inches of snow, so all the better to tackle some.
We painted all the trim and doors with a fresh new crisp color, Puffy Clouds from DesignWell Colors. No hazardous air pollutants. This is the only paint I trust. Check out the article my husband wrote on our blog about “Air Purifying Paints…Paint Washing”.
Our home was built in 1950, we have lived here for 10 years, raising children, taking care of our elderly moms and having pets. We have done many things to our property to improve it but it seems there is always something to fix, improve and refresh. We also work out of our home in the back studio on our property. Homes are meant to take a beating, just as long as they are maintained well and look nice. Being an environmental wellness designer, I work hard to promote building awareness which helps people tune into their homes on a more intimate level to pay attention to things so they don't become a problem later on.
Here's what we have been up to, and what we recommend for every home that is similar to ours.
It will not only make you feel good inside, but you will have peace of mind knowing that it's healthy. I just recently lost my mom after she was on hospice here at our home. During this time of grieving, I have found it important to be immersed in projects along with caring for myself and my family.
I painted an accent wall in my new meditation room called Spruce from DesignWell Colors, made for Safecoat Paints. It really grounded the room and gave it depth and new life.
We got rid of our gas stove and gas furnace and our air quality has never been better!!! If you’d like to get an air monitor like this one, contact us today! info@designwellstudios.com
We got mini splits instead of our gas furnace. The house has never been healthier and the air quality is amazing.
Here are a few of my mother’s beautiful plant paintings. They will be for sale shortly.. Stay tuned.
We recently switched our gas stove for an electric one as we noticed our indoor air quality monitor was showing elevated levels of pollutants and VOCs.
We pruned all our trees and shrubs
I saged the house with a cleansing prayer then opened up all the doors and windows (the birds were singing and the sun came out when I did this, it was magical). I recommend saging once a month or when a difficult situation happens or after an illness occurs.
We repainted the room my mom was in with a custom color and put her things in a dresser and organized all her paintings. They will be for sale shortly. Beautiful biophilic paintings of plants, flowers and landscapes. Stay tuned.
We painted all the trim and doors with a fresh new crisp color, Puffy Clouds from DesignWell Colors. No hazardous air pollutants. This is the only paint I trust. Check out the article my husband wrote on our blog about “Air Purifying Paints…Paint Washing”.
I painted an accent wall in my new meditation room called Spruce from DesignWell Colors, made for Safecoat Paints. It really grounded the room and gave it depth and new life.
We went through things that we don't have use for anymore or too many of one thing and donated, sold on NextDoor, gave to friends or took to the dump.
We recently switched our gas stove for an electric one as we noticed our indoor air quality monitor was showing elevated levels of pollutants and VOCs.
We got mini splits instead of our gas furnace. The house has never been healthier and the air quality is amazing. I highly recommend doing this if you want to improve your indoor air quality and overall health. Just clean the filter out regularly.
We also reinsulated our home (walls, crawlspace and attic). Insulation is important for energy conservation as well as comfort health. Choosing the right insulation is really important. I highly advise against spray foam insulation as we see a lot of clients all over the country having health issues from it, open cell especially. I recommend plant-based alternatives, or wool. Look for a detailed blog about this coming soon on our site designwellstudios.com.
I miss being in the garden so much this time of year. We had one day that was dry, but chilly before the snow came and we pruned all our trees and shrubs. President's day weekend is supposed to be the time of year to prune.
When we painted the rooms and trim etc, we then noticed the windows needed cleaning. We then wiped all the sills down with Benefect, a great cleaning product that kills mold and bacteria.
Being a designer, it's important for me to refresh things, purge things that don't have a use anymore or that we have too much of. I like to move furniture around and paint rooms to spruce them up.
I am ready for spring! I am ready for sunshine, getting my hands in the earth to plant our veggies and enjoy eating healthy food outside with friends and family.
If you would like to order any testing kits or have me create a wellness property plan for you, please let me know. Email me at Michelle@designwellstudios.com
I am ready for spring! I am ready for sunshine, getting my hands in the earth to plant our veggies and enjoy eating healthy food outside with friends and family.
If you would like to order any testing kits or have me create a wellness property plan for you, please let me know. Email me at Michelle@designwellstudios.com