There are numerous ways to make your residence homey, one of the main ones being coming up with the right design. Sometimes even the simplest—yet important—design choices can turn it from mere walls to the place equivalent of a hug and make you feel welcome.

“Good design resides within the hearts of the individual,” architectural psychologist Dak Kopec told Bored Panda in a recent interview. “Some of the design elements that will contribute to a person's sense of self and well-being are the quality and appearance of appliances. The appliances we choose have become akin to the cars we drive; they say something about us.”

“Visual intrigue is another element of good design,” Dak Kopec suggested. “Visual intrigue includes those things that bring joy such as foliage outside a window or interesting artwork. A key to intrigue is that it never gets boring. You can admire the elements for hours every day and still find enjoyment.

“I also have to say that bathrooms and kitchens are important elements of good design. Strong personal appeal combined with ease of maintenance and clean-up are strong indicators of good design,” he added.

The Professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Nevada Las Vegas also told Bored Panda that proper design should support what the homeowner enjoys doing. For instance, a music lover might benefit from a good sound system integrated in the design of their home.

Adjusting the home to accommodate an individual's hobbies can encourage them to engage in them more actively; and doing that is proven to have a positive effect on one’s well-being. In a piece for Psychology Today, psychiatrist and brain researcher Srini Pillay pointed out that hobbies can help protect against dementia later in life and positively influence one’s life expectancy and physiology as well.

“Good design allows for positive reinforcement of one’s place in the world and pride in one’s achievements. The design and adornment of our spaces, homes, offices, etc. should reflect who we are, or aspire to be. When the design fails to achieve this, we tend to lower our expectations and sometimes drift into apathy or melancholy,” Kopec told Bored Panda.

According to the architectural psychologist, the main things that should be taken into consideration while designing one’s dream home are the people who will occupy it and their preferences, how they will use the home, and what they want it to say about them.

“Preferences include those contemporary or traditional features,” he explained. “Some people like new and modern and others prefer homes that have unique styling that often adds to the level of ornateness.

“Home use is an important factor because people who work from home will have more demands from it than someone who spends 60+ hours in the office. Also, many people these days find their entertainment indoors as opposed to being outside. The home will therefore need to satisfy the diverse activities the occupants enjoy.”

“One’s home, its location, and the way it is designed says a lot about the occupants. People who are more fastidious need homes that will be easily cleaned and allow for refined displays of valued artifacts. Others prefer a cozier feel but still want that touch of class,” Prof. Kopec pointed out.

He suggested that the important thing is that one’s dream home doesn’t become boring and mundane; it must continue to inspire and support its occupant’s desires.

“I can not emphasize enough that good design means that it satisfies the functional, aesthetic, and spiritual needs of the occupant. Hence, good design really starts with a good introspective look at yourself.”

In order for the home to be the right fit for its occupants and continuously inspire them, it’s important to try to avoid certain common mistakes. For instance, trying to create an environment that doesn’t represent them in the hopes that it will make them happy.

“I can’t tell you how many times I have seen people say they want contemporary when they really wanted something warmer and homier,” Kopec told Bored Panda. “Trying to make a contemporary home feel French country or industrial will cost a lot of money and will always seem amiss.”

“Another mistake is buying artifacts for the sake of filling up space,” Dak Kopec said. “Take your time and acquire items with greater quality and meaning. Sometimes having one or two amazing and unique pieces is better than having a bunch of generic or mass-produced pieces.”

Lastly, another problem according to the expert is people moving too fast and acting without thinking. “Baby boomers, for example, often look at aging-in-place standards and think they do not want stairs. In many cases, this will hold true, but in some cases, people find that they lose mobility faster because they stop working their bodies to the fullest while they still can.”

Posts shared by the ‘Somewhere I would like to live’ Instagram account cover all sorts of styles, from contemporary to French country, and beyond. While the dwellings in the images might not be representative of you personally, they can surely provide inspiration for the design of your dream home. So, if you enjoyed browsing the pictures on this list, make sure to give Bored Panda’s previous edition on ‘Somewhere I would like to live’ a go next.