Can a Colorful Shelf Really Cheer You Up? A Friendly Guide to Dopamine Decor

Can a Colorful Shelf Really Cheer You Up? A Friendly Guide to Dopamine Decor

Walk into a room that is all beige and you will probably feel... nothing. That is sort of the point of beige.

But room with a color on the wall. Watch what your face does. Maybe it is a smile. Maybe it is a "who lives here?" Either way, you felt something.

There is a name for this feeling: dopamine decor. It means filling your home with bright, playful things for one reason only, because they make you happy. It has racked up more than 70,000 posts on TikTok, and the BBC reports that Google searches for it more than doubled in a year.

The idea grew out of "dopamine dressing", a term from fashion psychologist Dawnn Karen for wearing clothes that make you feel good. Once people felt it in their wardrobes, it was only a matter of time before they started looking at their walls.

Why color works on us

Dopamine is the brain chemical people call the "feel-good" one. It is tied to mood, motivation and attention.

Psychologist Dr Natasha Sharma says vivid colors give us little hits of it, a flash of optimism and reward, which matters when life feels uncertain. A home stuck in grey and beige, she adds, can leave us feeling emotionally flat.

Little hits, not fireworks. Think of the way your whole mood shifts when your favorite song comes on in the car. Same kind of lift.

Meet the people choosing joy

Rachel Verney bought a bright orange sofa, and her home videos took off. Today she shares her colorful house with more than 800,000 followers, and her mission is to make bold style affordable. Her reason is simple. The world feels gloomy, she says, so homes should feel joyful.

Jodie Edmonds moved into her first house this summer and went bright everywhere. A grey house would make her feel low, she says, while a colorful one makes her feel motivated and inspired.

Designers are on the same page. James Mellan-Matulewicz of the design studio Bobbie Beck says dopamine decor makes a space feel "bright, energizing, and uniquely personal." Interior designer Tobi Fairley sums it up in three words: "Color = Joy."

Easy ways to try it

You do not need a full makeover. A few ideas, most of them borrowed from the people above:

  1. Start small. Verney suggests beginning with things like shelves, prints, cushions and rugs, using colors you already love.
  2. Break the matching rule. Do not be scared of mixing colors and patterns. They do not have to match to look good together.
  3. Add something green. Plants on shelves and in dull corners lift a room fast. Botanical prints work too if plants are not your thing.
  4. Shop second-hand. Charity shops and online marketplaces are full of pieces you can upcycle, which is kinder to your budget and to the planet.
  5. Get crafty. Add a bow to a cushion cover, or give an old candlestick a new look.
  6. Mind the light. Fairley says natural light is best, but even lamps can help set the right mood.

Pick one corner, change one thing, and see how you feel when you walk in tomorrow.

A note from us

We make colorful furniture and Pinterest-y home decor at Cozy Spaces, so we are a little biased. If you want a starting point, our heart-shaped wall hooks begin at ₹495, and our shelves, mirrors and clocks are all in the shop. Take a look at cozyspaces.store

Sources

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