“…the enjoyment of scenery employs the mind without fatigue and yet exercises it, tranquilizes it and yet enlivens it; and thus, through the influence of the mind over the body, gives the effect of refreshing rest and reinvigoration to the whole system” 

~American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, 1865

Ventilation is at the top of everyone's minds these days thanks to COVID.

And while a lot of attention is being focused on commercial ventilation systems, there is less talk about home ventilation systems.

We're in our homes more than ever before.  And there's more people in the home at one time than ever before since so many of us are working from home and our kids are schooling from home.

We did it!

It's finally done.

Three years later, my husband, Pieter, and I finished our DIY healthy home renovation.

Who doesn't love a wood floor?!⁠

⁠It's comfortable to walk on, it looks beautiful, it can come in so many different styles, and it can last a very long time.⁠⁠

But what is the best type of wood floor for a healthy, sustainable, wellness-focused home? What types of finishes are safe? Do you need an underlayment?

⁠⁠I'm digging into all things wood flooring in today's Healthy Home Design podcast episode.

This week wraps up the Components of a Wellness House series, and we're going outdoors.

A wellness house merges the indoor and outdoor environments, so it's important to consider all the outdoor spaces early in the design process.

We're diving into all things outdoor for this episode.

In a sustainable wellness home, we're striving to use as many passive design strategies as we can.  Strategies like natural heating from the sun, natural cooling from wind, natural lighting, and natural ventilation.

But in most places in the world, these passive strategies aren't quite enough to keep a house comfortable year round, so mechanical systems need to be added.

This is especially true for ventilation systems.  Mechanical ventilation is a must in a well-insulated and air tight house.