HEALTH & HOME

DATABASES

At Health & Home, we are all about empowering and equipping you to be able to create a healthy home! One of the ways we want to help provide you with the tools and resources to be able to do that. As you may know, the first part of our approach to creating a healthy home is minimizing toxins. We know that figuring out which products are harmful, which are not as bad and which are safe, can be an overwhelming thing to do – so we have collected some of our favorite databases to share with you that can help you find and figure out the best products to create your healthy home! 

These databases provide information on the safety of commonly used home products such as building materials, furniture, cleaning products, and personal care items. They offer product reviews, safety ratings, and ingredient lists to help you make informed decisions and select the best and safest products for your home. By using these databases, you can take proactive steps to reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals and toxins, promoting a healthier and safer living environment for you and your loved ones! 

The EWG Healthy Living Home Guides are a round-up of guides produced by the EWG to help you create a healthier space! The guides range from paint to furniture to nurseries and are a great resource!

The EWG Tap Water Database provides resources that can help you get an idea of what water filtration system might be best for you so you can take action even if testing is not something you can do right now.

The EWG’s Rate Your Plate Food Scores Database provides health info on various food items. It’s a great resource for those looking to fill their kitchen and their bodies with foods that have nutrient value.

Healthy Building Networks, HomeFree is a national initiative supporting leaders in affordable housing who are improving human health by using less toxic building materials.

The EWG Water Filter Database is a space where you can find out the water quality in your area just by searching your zip code! This is a great way to get an idea of your current water quality.

The EPA Air Quality Database is a space that offers a variety of ways to look at and assess air quality in your area on various days and times a well as review past air quality reports.

The EWG’s Guide To Healthy Cleaning & Cleaning Product Database are great resources to help you assess the toxicity and safety of your cleaning products so you can make the decision right for you!!

The EWG’s Skin Deep Cosmetic Database is a space where you can search for makeup, skincare, and beauty products to see their overall health scores and the breakdown of the potential risks (or not) they pose.

The EPA Carbon Footprint Calculator is a calculator that can help you determine your estimated carbon footprint based on answering a few questions! This is a great tool to help assess how to lower our footprint.

WHY THE NATURE VIDEOS ON AN INTERIOR DESIGN SITE?

At Health & Home, we’re all about creating a healthy home by minimizing toxins and optimizing the design to maximize your health! And you know what? The easiest way to do that is to look to nature! Research has shown time and time again that using more natural and non-toxic products as well as incorporating elements of nature into our spaces, can both have a really positive impact on your overall health & wellness!

Now, don’t worry – you don’t have to turn your family room into a forest to get those benefits! Actually, you don’t have to change your aesthetic at all if you don’t want to! No matter what your personal style may be, we can work with you to create an environment that supports your health and wellness goals. We do this by looking at nature for things like colors, textures, and sounds to determine how they can positively or negatively impact your well-being based on the latest research, and then we use that information to create a space that’s just right for you & what you want from your space!

So why are there these videos at the top of the pages? Well, we put these here to help set the tone for the page and give you a taste of how exposure to elements of nature can impact your mood, your perception, and even your physical health! Below you will find an in-depth explanation as to why we chose the video we did for the page you are on and the research that we used to decide on that. Our hope is that this can help you see how you can intentionally take this kind of research and apply it to the design of your home so you can naturally get all the amazing benefits AND have a beautiful home at the same time!

HOW DID THIS PAGE MAKE YOU FEEL?

We wanted you to feel empowered, curious, open, and connected as you browse through our resource pages with helpful databases and advocacy groups. The video featured on our Resources page portrays large, expansive green mountains, representing the vastness and abundance of information and advocacy resources available to you on this page. The video aims to create a sense of awe, inspiration, and empowerment, highlighting the extensive database and diverse range of resources offered. The mountains symbolize the depth and breadth of knowledge and advocacy efforts that can provide support to you as you create your healthy home. The imagery invites you to explore the vast landscape of resources and discover valuable information to enhance their well-being.

Research suggests that exposure to natural landscapes, such as mountains, can elicit feelings of awe, connectedness, and motivation (Shiota et al., 2007; Joye & Bolderdijk, 2015). These positive emotions and experiences can enhance cognitive functioning, creativity, and a sense of empowerment. By incorporating the video of big green mountains, we aimed to create an environment that encourages you to engage with the resources available on the platform, fostering a sense of wonder, discovery, and the motivation to take action towards a healthier home.

To bring these feelings into your space you can incorporate earthy green tones and cool blue hues. Green can be introduced through accents like furniture, textiles, or plants, representing growth and connection to nature (Kaplan, 1995). Blue colors can be incorporated through wall colors, artwork, or decorative elements, creating a sense of calmness and inspiration (Kwallek et al., 1997). Integrating natural textures and materials, such as wood or stone, can further enhance the connection to the symbolized mountain landscapes (Berman et al., 2008). By incorporating these design elements, individuals can create a home environment that fosters a sense of calmness and openness which is great for any kind of common area!

References:

  • Berman, M. G., Jonides, J., & Kaplan, S. (2008). The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychological Science, 19(12), 1207-1212.
  • Joye, Y., & Bolderdijk, J. W. (2015). An exploratory study into the effects of extraordinary nature on emotions, mood, and prosociality. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 1577.
  • Kwallek, N., Lewis, C. M., & Robbins, A. S. (1997). Effects of office interior color on workers’ mood and productivity. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 84(1), 267-273
  • Shiota, M. N., Keltner, D., & Mossman, A. (2007). The nature of awe: Elicitors, appraisals, and effects on self-concept. Cognition and Emotion, 21(5), 944-963.

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Health and Home

Health & Home is an interior design-based business that seeks to help others create healthy homes through minimizing toxins, optimizing design and maximizing health. We do so by addressing the build of the home, the design of the space, the decor and even the products used in the home, so our clients can live their healthiest life!

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