The Architecture of  Wellbeing: When Homemaking Becomes Wellness

By Sarah Marielle: June 9, 2025

Wellness  and homemaking go hand in hand, like twin pillars of the same graceful structure, together they form a sort of architecture of wellbeing.

When practiced consciously and in parallel with each other they shape the emotional, physical, and even spiritual environment in which our health either thrives or quietly struggles.

This isn’t just about whether you make your bed every morning, or whether you drink your daily herbal tea.

This is about curating and cultivating a holistic atmosphere that promotes the most optimized version of your healthiest self.

Not to be crass, the way I see it, it's killing two crucial birds with one stone

A Sanctuary for the Body

A clean, well-maintained home is more than an organized living space, it is a sanctuary for the body, a physical environment that supports your health on every level.

For example: air quality. A home that is aired out regularly, kept free of excessive dust or mold, and filled with plants or essential oils becomes a space where your lungs can truly rest.

Make this true of your own space, it is truly accessible. 

When you open your windows and allow the fresh air to circulate, it does more than refresh your room, it lifts any energetic or mental stagnation trapped in your body and helps you to feel more alive and safe.

 Now I know that sounds like a far stretch, but argue it with the natural processes and needs of your human body, as always, look it up.

Tidying routines also offer unexpected wellness benefits, when we engage in gentle acts like making the bed or clearing a table, the body actually begins to regulate itself.

 These movements communicate a sense of comfort to the nervous system because they are rhythms and routines that we are used to, they send signals of safety.

 Routines are very calming and regulating to the nervous system of comfort oriented creatures, Psychologically, this reduces cortisol levels and prevents the slow buildup of overwhelm that cluttered environments throw at us.

Physiological calm is directly linked to order, we are pattern-oriented beings. The brain registers disorder as potential chaos, even if we don’t consciously recognize it.

 By contrast, a tidy space, no matter how small, can create an almost immediate drop in mental tension.

Homemaking becomes a stabilizer, a kind of invisible backbone  that holds us together in small but vital ways.

Rituals of Nourishment

There is perhaps no clearer intersection between homemaking and wellness than in the kitchen, cooking and actively nourishing the self are literal wellness rituals wrapped in domestic clothing.

 Let's not even mention the quiet grace of seasonal eating, that's a juicy blog post for a later date. (stay tuned) 

The part of this that relates to wellness is clearly evident, but in terms of homemaking, personally I've noticed that when I take the time to make nourishing and comforting high quality meals for myself, it creates a sense of calm and belonging.

 I feel as if I've taken the time to carve out a nice little place for myself, somewhere closer along the lines of Home. 

I also subconsciously feel more safe and at home in my own care because I know that I can take care of myself, not just for the sake of survival, but for the sake of creating luxury and a home for me.

Even if I am alone, I am not untended, I am not rushed through survival, I am dwelling in care.

This sense of domestic rhythm and ritual becomes its own emotional and subconscious self care.

Knowing I can take care of myself with my standard touch of luxury helps me root into my space with calm confidence.

It gives my body permission to release its guard because I've cultivated an emotional response of being truly at home. That, my dear cultured guest, is wellness as well as homemaking.

There is an ancient set of values in home rhythm and its interpersonal relation to personal wellness that modern life often flattens.

And my desire in this post and even in part of this gazette is to bring them to life and hopefully spark something that can be passed down again.

Mental & Emotional Atmosphere

The atmosphere of a home is invisible, but it is deeply felt. It is in the silence between your song choices, the quality of the morning light, the scent in the hallway, the texture of your favorite chair.

“Atmospheric curation” I call it, a forgotten but essential aspect of wellness, details which actually impact us just as much as diet or exercise.

Music, aromatherapy, light, and beauty within your home environment all influence your brain’s activity, emotional regulation, and sensory balance.

Soft instrumental music can support your focus and soothe any momentary anxiety when you're locked in on your latest must-get-done work pile.

The practice of home aromatherapy can lower heart rate and quiet stress hormones, (a fave of mine is Arabian lavender jasmine).

Lighting that mimics natural sunlight can lift seasonal depression, something like a Hatch alarm clock, especially when waking up on dark dreary mornings.

When you curate your home environment with intention it becomes a holistic sanctuary, your very own wellness hub.

Sometimes that's the best wellness tip to jump-start positive emotions or declutter your mind.

Mental clutter is often mirrored by environmental clutter, and yet, the reverse can also be true, and so it's important sometimes to just sit back in the space that is yours and declutter your mind through journaling or meditating etc...

A thoughtfully arranged mind can indeed power and inspire a thoughtfully arranged space A home where order and beauty are not only routined but also restorative, allowing one to both focus and rest.

This is a home that supports long-term creativity, emotional nourishment, and fulfillment 

Homemaking, in this sense, is not just about order and cleanliness, it's about emotional architecture.

I want to inspire you to  create moods through your surroundings. Indulge in cozy restful corners, meaningful decor, and music filling your space as energetic sanctuaries for your nervous system.

Wellness as a Domestic Philosophy

At its highest ideal, or maybe just my own, homemaking becomes a philosophy of living well.

It is the art of responding to life’s rhythms with presence and intention, it teaches us to slow down, to observe ourselves in all our needs, and to honor our desires without shame.

I believe that true homemaking isn't about becoming perfectionists, it's more along the lines of becoming attuned, meanwhile we can learn how to:

• Live in harmony with the seasons

• Respect the body’s’ fluctuating energy (especially as women)

• Respond to stress by creating grounding rituals 

• Prepare the home environment for restoration, not just for practicality

Whether it’s an entire house, a bedroom, or a single chair in the corner of a borrowed room, a well-tended space offers you sanctuary from the world, done with the obligation of wellness in mind, it also becomes a form of retreat.

It's a true luxury to have a space all to yourself to recharge your batteries in silence…silence can be so intoxicating and healing.

More than that, when you learn the skill of holistic homemaking, you develop the ability to create home wherever you go.

You carry that energy with you, whether you're traveling or in transition, you know how to recreate the elements that keep you grounded.

Remember that home is not just a place, in its essence its the raw uncut self that feels safe to come out and just be.

This is where homemaking truly intersects with wellbeing, it gives you portability. The home is no longer just a physical place but an energetic imprint, a rhythm you know how to return to.

In Conclusion: The Home as Healer

Wellness is not just green juices and proper nutrition, it is deeper than a routine.

It is a response to your own vitality in its spiritual, emotional, mental, and beyond sense.

And so, homemaking, when valued and done with caring intention, is one of the most profound ways to practice that response.

Whether you're cleaning a countertop, getting down to your latest meal prep, tackling laundry, or selecting a song to play while you fold clothes, you are shaping a sacred space, not just for your body, but for your holistic spirit.

When I began viewing homemaking as an architecture of wellbeing, everything changed for me, they can for you too!

The mundane can be meaningful, the routines can actually become restorative, your home  can become a living organism that supports your deepest needs of fulfillment and belonging.

I believe THAT is a royal art worth mastering.

Written for The Royal Art of Homemaking, part of the Salon Gazette.