What is serotonin styling?

Have you ever noticed that some homes, or rooms, give you a sense of contentment, whereas others make you feel a bit prickly and uncomfortable, and some are just, well, meh? When selling your home, you want viewers to feel immediately at home, comfortable and in a positive frame of mind. To do this, your home needs to send the right messages to those people you want to sell it to. It’s something home stylists have started to nickname serotonin styling.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter (naturally produced chemical) that carries messages between nerve cells in your brain and around your body, telling your body how to work. Serotonin plays many vital roles in your body, but you’ll probably know it best as the “feel good” chemical. When serotonin is at normal levels, you feel more focused, emotionally stable, happier and calmer. Low levels of serotonin are associated with depression and poor sleep quality. Now, we are not for a moment suggesting that the way you decorate your house will boost serotonin production in either yourself, or your visitors, but you can mimic the feel-good factor of serotonin by creating the right atmosphere – and that’s actually not hard to do.

Here are our five top tips for serotonin styling to sell your home:

1. Declutter

Yes, we’re aware we keep using the d-word, but seriously, decluttering will have an instant beneficial effect on you, not to mention cutting stress-inducing distractions when viewings take place.

2. Set the scent scene

Fragrance in an immensely powerful influencer – scent goes straight to the memory centre of the brain, which is why certain smells can trigger nostalgic memories and reminders of happy occasions. Choose light scents that don’t overwhelm, and consider scents known to create a sense of calm, such as lavender, jasmine or ylang-ylang. Just as importantly, consider what scents you don’t want in the house. If you have pets, remove the feeding bowls, or make sure they’re freshly washed, and temporarily remove their beds. Don’t cook or order in strong smelling foods within 24 hours of viewings – curries smell fabulous when you’re hungry, but not so great the next day, and never to potential homebuyers. Check your teenager’s room for that classic teenage pong (they can’t help it, bless them, but still…) and open a window or use a quick spray of a light air freshener – and then gift them a diffuser! So a scents-check, in fact!

3. Add some house-plants

So much research has been done that has proven the benefit of houseplants to both air quality and mood that this is a bit of a no-brainer. The snake plant looks great, is hard to kill (always a bonus) and adds some healthy green to any living space. Want to learn more – here are some quick and simple ideas.

4. Create softness

Yes, we’re talking scatter cushions, throws and rugs. Assess your current cushion collection and rid yourself of those that have become flat and uninspiring. Create a cosy feel with a couple of toning cushions and a cosy throw, Invest in small blankets or faux sheepskins to drape over the back of two or three of your dining chairs, or your office chair. If you have wooden floors, make sure you have added rugs in the living room and dining space.

5. Use calming colours

If you’re a fan of rich colour, make sure you don’t overwhelm those who aren’t by sticking to a limited colour palette – in a rich blue room, keep contrasting colours in accessories to a minimum. Or even consider overpainting the walls with a neutral shade of cream or grey. People respond to soothing shades such as blue, white and grey, so if you are planning to repaint your purple bedroom, this would be a good colour scheme to consider.

Eddie Friday 21st April 2023 – (Picture used from Napier Road, Chorlton).