With your house almost certainly worth less now than it was three years ago --and with more declines possible -- you may feel stuck in your current place. Stuck, and bummed out.
Time to get over it. A new house with a snazzier kitchen or a big media room may seem like the ticket to happiness. But the burgeoning field of evidence-based design -- backed by science that studies the effect of built spaces on our brains and bodies -- indicates that neither tons of space nor high-end furnishings are key to your home satisfaction. Much more important are things that may seem minor but that pack a big emotional wallop.
"Light and color have a definite impact on people's emotional response," says Alison Whitelaw, a San Diego architect and vice president of the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture, a group that brings research scientists and designers together.
Maximizing full-spectrum light during the day, matching wall color and ceiling height to a room's purpose, and placing the main seating in the "power position" (ideally with a wall at your back) -- those are just some of the tricks researchers say are proven to make houses feel better to their occupants.
Now is a great time to take advantage of these insights. According to a recent poll commissioned jointly by Money and home-improvement chain Lowe's, 52% of homeowners say they are focused on smaller projects that increase their enjoyment of their homes even if they don't increase its value.
Read more tips using this link!
http://money.cnn.com/2010/03/26/real_estate/home_fixes.moneymag/index.htm
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