Believe it or not, the idea of “Dopamine Décor” has slowly become a topic of discussion over these past few years. More and more people are looking up ideas for some incredible dopamine décor for their homes, offices and workspaces and it’s with good reason!
When it comes to decorating rooms specifically, being able to create an environment that can lift your mood, encourage motivation for whatever goals and tasks you’re striving towards or stimulate a learning environment, can be greatly influenced by whatever décor you use. This is the beauty of dopamine décor!
In many ways, decorating your room to help enlighten your mood and inspire productivity through the creation of dopamine can be a rather exciting activity. Some would argue that decorating a room in general makes for an exciting hobby, just like painting art!
Being able to create a dopamine-rich environment takes time to do however. Like art, you need to take care in your decision making and logically decorate the place you’re working on with logic and reasoning. Remember, the products and décor you use needs to satisfy YOUR needs and have a purpose!
These are just a few dopamine-infused décor ideas to consider for the space you’re working on:
Colour psychology – Think about what colours would work well for boosting your productivity and enlightening your mood. For example, lighter colours work better for lifting the spirit of the space you’re in!
Nature – being in a space with flowers, plants and a bit of forestry can also impact your mood and make you feel better in general.
Lighting – Consider what kind of lighting you want in your room. How many LEDs do you want? Maybe you want to expose more of the space to natural lighting for outside!
With these in mind, here’s some dopamine décor that you could incorporate into your space to enlighten your mood and enhance your productivity…
Colour Psychology: Paint Your Space Happy
Colour is everything when it comes to dopamine décor. Different colours will have different effects on your mood and productivity, which is why it’s important to consider when decorating your room or workspace!
Blue – Looking for a sense of calmness, concentration, and serenity? Then blue colours are ideal because they can help to relieve your stress and create more focus. This is exactly the reason why when you stare out at the sea or ocean, you feel calm and relaxed. It’s all to do with colour psychology!
Yellow – If you’re trying to lift your mood, and energy levels and release that dopamine that’s been stuck within you, yellow colours are the way to go. This is a fantastic colour to incorporate into your workspace if you’re looking to engage your creativity, innovative thinking, and brainstorming, all of which can help boost your productivity!
Red – Red is a colour that you should be cautious of when using in your dopamine decor. Too much red and you can often feel agitated and stressed, just like how a bull gets angry when it sees red. I’d highly recommend using red if you want to boost your energy and enthusiasm, but for most people, it’s ideal to not go bonkers with it when you’re decorating your home, rooms, or workspace!
Green – Blue can help you feel calm and collected, but green can help you feel refreshed. Like blue, it’s a great colour for inducing focus and calmness, because of it’s connection to plants and nature as a whole. It’s fantastic for minimising eye strain too!
1. Colourful paintings and artwork for walls
It’s safe to say that a gorgeous, colourful painting or piece of artwork was going to be up on this list of ideas. They are the go to when it comes to decoration and the design of a room, office, space or home in general for numerous reasons, one being the aesthetic pleasure.
The way dopamine is released is through the activation of certain areas in our brain, particularly the nucleus ventral tegmental area.
When we view an item, image, object or in this case a piece of artwork as beautiful or stunning, this area is generally activated as this sensation of visual stimulation has activated our brain’s reward system.
What does this mean? Well dopamine is released! Generally, art work that incorporates numerous colours or is spontaneous for example can work great as dopamine décor. However, the artwork you choose can be entirely up to you! Dopamine isn’t just released through visual stimulation from an incredibly colourful and spontaneous piece of art…
These are some other ways artwork can release dopamine:
Emotional connection – They could depict scenes of joy or bravery for example
Novelty and surprise – They could offer unique art techniques or styles that are simply outside the box! For example, I have seen paintings where coffee has been used instead of acrylic paint!
Personal significance – They could depict moments or situations which you can relate to or personal moments that you might glorify or celebrate!
Telling a message/story – They can serve as reminders of key messages or quotes which you might look up to!
Whatever type of artwork you believe will stimulate your dopamine production the most and you believe will enhance your productivity, artwork as a whole is certain something special that you can certainly rely on when it comes to dopamine décor.
Are there specific art pieces that can help improve my mood?
Undoubtedly, art pieces are pretty effective when it comes to enhancing your mood. Here’s a couple of cool art styles and ideas which can seriously lighten your mood…
Abstract Art: The fluid shapes and vibrant colours found in abstract art can stimulate the mind and evoke positive emotions. Just think of some pieces that play with bright hues and mesmerising geometric patterns!
Nature Scenes: Art depicting natural landscapes, such as forests, oceans, and fields of flowers, can get you feeling incredibly calm and relaxed. They truly act as a mental escape to a serene setting right in the comfort of your own home.
Bold Typography: Words have power, and seeing uplifting messages regularly can boost your spirits and motivation. Simply having words on your walls can be the most effective way to lighten your mood. Whether it’s positive or inspirational quotes portrayed in bold typography, they can remain as permanent reminders of your personal goals and values that you’re striving towards!
Whimsical Art: Playful and quirky pieces can seem quite funky or over-the-top at times, but can still inject a dose of fun into your space. Art that features elements of whimsy, such as imaginative characters or surreal scenes, can spark joy and creativity. Give it a try!
Photographic Prints: High-quality photographs, particularly those that capture moments of joy or stunning visual perspectives, can have a powerful impact on your mood. Choose photos that resonate with you emotionally for the best effect.
Go for art that will resonate personally with you. At the end of the day, art is subjective, and a piece that might lift one person’s mood could leave another person indifferent. Experiment with different styles and artists until you find what truly makes you feel happy and inspired!
2. Your personal photo wall display
A huge photo wall display or photobomb is a fantastic way to enlighten your mood!
Perhaps you have thousands and thousands of photos in your photo gallery on your phone, or maybe you have digital camera that has stored some of your most memorable moments from many years ago.
Printing these out and sticking them on your wall, cupboard door or a large whiteboard to store in your room or space can be an awesome way to release dopamine.
Just like artwork, having a large photo wall display can allow you to admire all these photos, whether it be for emotional connection or aesthetic pleasure as you look back at incredible memories or moments to remember.
It could be you at your wedding, funny times with your friends and family or that time you met a special idol who you look up to for admiration and motivation!
Whatever it is, a competent photo wall will certainly help to enlighten your mood.
In fact, they may potentially enhance your productivity as they could serve as a reminder for you work hard and continue creating new memories and moments in the future!
3. An aromatherapy diffuser with oils
Aromatherapy can be overlooked when it comes to decorating a room. After all, what good is it to have a colourful, fancy room when it doesn’t smell nice?
A nice smell to a room is equally as important as the physical appearance when it comes to dopamine décor. It’s a great way of adding to the appeal to a space, especially when it comes to feeling more comfortable in that space, whether it be for enhancing your productivity or relaxing with friends or family!
So how could a nice smell release dopamine?
Interestingly, different aromas have been proven to activate different emotional responses in us!
This has in fact been proven through numerous scientific techniques, whether it be technologically through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) which scans what areas of the brain associated with certain emotional responses are activated depending on what aromas have been smelt, or through psychophysiological responses such as heart rate and blood pressure.
If you’re curious these are just a few aromas and what emotional responses they trigger:
Citrus scent (orange or lemon) – Associated with energetic and positive feeling moods
Lavender – Can help relieve stress and increase calmness and relaxation
Whatever emotional responses you intend to pursue, whether its for enlightening your mood or making you feel more determined, the range of aromatherapy oils out there to suit your needs is simply in abundance.
You can check out some more aroma oils and what emotional responses they trigger right here!
4. Funky, colourful pillows, rugs and blankets
Pillows, rugs and blankets can come in all shapes and sizes. Choose what you think will suit you the most and what makes you feel happy!
This kind of dopamine décor works great if your looking to create a space for relaxation and lifting moods. Like artwork and photo walls, having funky and colourful pillows, rugs and blankets can trigger an emotional response of calmness and stress relief, all of which work amazingly for enlightening your mood.
Don’t forget as well that texture and material can certainly play a huge role in your dopamine levels!
For example, consider trying out incorporating fluffy, furry rugs or blankets which can be very comforting and have a considerably significant level of stress relief and relaxation on your body.
Perhaps, swapping out your current pillows with larger, softer ones can also help with your dopamine production while also adding to the relaxing aesthetic of the room!
With the shear number of pillows, rugs and blankets out there, with many being unique and outside the box, the opportunities to make your space feel unique and out of this world are endless.
5. Nature's Touch: Incorporate Greenery and Plants
You can always rely on beautiful plants or flowers to really liven up your room and stimulate your dopamine levels. In fact, they’re so reliable for your mental well-being that they can reduce stress by 37%as opposed to if they weren’t present in your workspace!
A lot of rooms these days are enclosed with minimal ventilation and dull colours. Plants are fantastic for helping ensure your room or personal space has clean air while also adding a sense of freshness and liveliness to your room.
As a matter of fact, plants can make for the perfect desk accessories, especially in spaces which you are using to work and stay productive! Check out some of these awesome plants that you can use…
The snake plant – Feeling stressed? The snake plant has got you covered! This beautiful plant has some of the best air-purifying qualities, as it can remove unnecessary toxins in the air. It’s also pretty elegant and can really liven up your room with its long, pointy leaves which can add a touch of elegance – A true example of dopamine decor!
Jasmine plants – Offers the perfect combination of aromatherapy and liveliness through its beauty. Its sweet scent is fantastic for promoting a sense of calmness and relaxation.
Rosemary plants – Also offer great aromatherapy which can sharpen your memory and concentration. The perfect plant both aesthetically, and for enhancing your productive potential!
6. A vision/inspiration board
A vision/inspiration board may be one of the best ways to increase focus, motivation and productivity!
Like the majority of items and products on this list, vision boards are great for trigger an emotional response of determination and a personal drive that will encourage your productivity.
Here’s a few things you can add to your vision/inspiration board:
Quotes to live by and motivate you
Personal goals, targets and missions
Images depicting moments that inspire you and motivate you to work harder!
Dopamine décor is all about living, feeling, and reenergizing your lifestyle!
Living and embracing your dopamine décor ideas and creations is a fantastic way to liven up your mood. From enhancing your creativity with mood boards, artistic rugs, wall designs, and vibrantly coloured pillows to livening your mood with fresh flowers and living greener you can truly take advantage of dopamine in livening up your lifestyle!
Don’t hesitate to make dopamine déco a big part of your living!