'Despite our society enjoying a higher standard of living than an any time in our history, rather than being well off, as a nation we are chronically unwell.'

Maxine Fox is the author of 'Holistic Home – the Homemaker's Guide to Health and Happiness', and a complementary health therapist in search of the perfect holistic home. She believes that a truly holistic home will allow healing to manifest on all levels – the physical and emotional as well as the spiritual.

The ideal home should, she stresses:

Work to support our physical health rather than cause us harm as many do at present

Encourage awareness and harmony within our relationships

Allow us to re-connect to our selves, to each other, and to nature

Health problems and the home

Maxine is seriously concerned that many of the health problems manifesting today are a result of the 'sudden and enormous burden of new and highly toxic chemicals that are being unleashed into our homes and straight into our bodies'.

She explains: 'Just at the very time when our lives are becoming increasingly stressful, these chemicals are impairing the normal, healthy functioning of our immune systems.'

Maxine's healing solutions

Use essential oils to deodorise and disinfect your home, and provide natural antibacterial action where needed. In the kitchen, for instance, you can mix one or two drops of a citrus essential oil (lime, orange, grapefruit or lemon) with hot water and a dash of vegetable-based detergent to hygienically wipe down the sink, fridge or work surface. Or you could use dry baking soda as a scouring powder.

Turn back to nature for beauty inspiration – take proper nutrition, drink plenty of water, get plenty of sleep and relaxation, and use the food cupboard to make a wealth of beauty products.

Create a restful home

Society is at last, according to Maxine, beginning to re-acknowledge the notion that emotional happiness can influence physical wellbeing. And she suggests simple and practical changes to our living environment that can bring a wealth of difference to our lives.

Design principles

For those with hectic schedules, the clean lines of a simple scheme can bring calm. Limit the amount of contrasts within a room, choose plain finishes and keep the room uncluttered but not cold. Use unfussy but warm textures such as wood, cork, linoleum, sisal or wool, offset by the richness of velvet, chenille and deep pile rugs.

Use colour creatively

Rooms that are colour conscious become active therapy. In terms of interior design, it is the biggest single design statement that you can make.

Sitting rooms – the most communal room in the house – colours should be warm and comforting without being overpowering

Kitchens – the freshness of green can enhance our connection with nature and bring a lightness to the room and to patterns of cooking and eating

Dining rooms – choose the colours of gold, red or orange to invite energy in. The colours of fire as your table setting can recreate the feel of the campfire

Bathrooms – if it is in any way cold or uninviting, create a soft scheme using warmer colours associated with the sea – the richness of coral, the pinks and yellow of sand or the subtle opalescence of shell

Home offices/computer rooms – the brain perceives greens, blues and purples as safe to ignore, which helps to minimise the eyestrain caused by the computerised words and images

Lighting

Do all you can to make full use of natural daylight available, and make good use of mirrors. Use appropriate levels of artificial lighting to prevent eyestrain but, beyond that, less is most definitely more.

Harmonious space

'The aim is to create a home which actively encourages inclusion, one which respects each member of the household and engages them in family life,' explains Maxine.

She recommends good and flexible use of living space, taking into account the changing needs of the growing family, and placement of furniture to encourage better interaction and involvement.

She adds: 'When children are fully engaged within a harmonious and loving home, they learn they have rights and value as individuals.'

Instead of our obsession with antisocial or annoying neighbours, Maxine believes we should look at how to be better neighbours ourselves. That includes taking the trouble to get to know people around you, treating them with courtesy in terms of noise and space, taking a pride in our own property, and becoming involved in the community.

Read more

'Holistic Home – the Homemaker's Guide to Health and Happiness' by Maxine Fox is available by contacting Findhorn Press, 305a The Park, Findhorn, Forres IV36 3TE, Scotland; Phone 01309 690582; Fax 01309 690036; info@findhornpress.com; www.findhornpress.com

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