Well-being is a state of wellness and happiness.The World Health Organization defines human health as “complete physical, mental, and social well-being”. So it stands to reason the more we enhance the everyday well-being of our
Well-being is a state of wellness and happiness.The World Health Organization defines human health as “complete physical, mental, and social well-being”. So it stands to reason the more we enhance the everyday well-being of our physical surroundings the more likely we are to move closer to health. But how do we incorporate everyday well-being into our daily lives? A new children’s book “Outside In” by Deborah Underwood published May 2020 has a universal lesson: the natural world belongs inside our homes as well as outside. “Outside” – or the natural world – is “part of us” she writes. We at S&H Rugs believe we can bring the outside in and help restore balance in our everyday well-being by choosing natural materials for the objects in our homes. Natural wool and silk rugs are one such example.
Just as well-being requires wellness plus happiness, so too a great well-being rug – wool and silk – relies on the unique qualities of each natural fiber. Wool is warm, it “breathes”, it’s durable, it’s resistant to mold and mildew. Wool is renewable and biodegradable; it’s fire and stain resistant. While wool’s qualities alone create wonderful rugs, it is a superb companion to silk. Silk is the strongest known natural fiber yet relative to the upright tensile and light absorbing qualities of wool, silk is pleasingly soft and luminous. Silk creates a clear pattern in a rug which is why when it’s combined with wool the fibers each have unique roles to play. Wool is the field or background and silk creates a clear pattern or highlights throughout the wool. Just like the saying “two heads are better than one”, meaning that collaboration increases creative outcomes, so too two natural fibers combined doubles the area of well-being in the home.
An interesting adjunct to natural fibers as components of well-being is the concept of beauty as part of well-being. In her book “Wellbeing in Interiors: Philosophy, design and value in practice” Elina Grigoriou states that humans achieve well-being through beauty in the physical realm. But beauty is not a physical attribute, she says, it is an experience closely related to comfort. Her definition of beauty underscores the idea that a handmade natural wool and silk fiber rug is inherently comfortable and therefore a pleasant experience and therefore a measure of well-being. “Beauty”, we are told, “is in the eye of the beholder” which means find your comfort level first through natural fibers and you will be well on your way to discovering beauty for your home.
Interior design supports well-being, but we create well-being through our choices. Choose handmade objects. Choose natural fibers. Choose well-being. And always remember to bring the outside in.