Antiques and Wellbeing: The Health of Things
- Alexa Chiroussot
- Oct 28, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 5
In a world obsessed with the new (new finishes, new trends, and new “wellness” essentials) antiques offer a quieter kind of progress. They are proof that beauty and health can be slow, that time itself can be restorative. What begins as an aesthetic choice often ends as a physiological one: the body exhales in the presence of materials that have already settled into stillness.
The Sensory Weight of the Real
The human nervous system responds differently to what is real. Studies in Frontiers in Psychology (2020, 2022) found that natural materials such as wood, stone, and linen lower heart rate and cortisol when touched or viewed, a phenomenon often called “biophilic calm.” The WELL Building Standard’s Mind and Materials concepts echo this: spaces with visible texture, natural irregularity, and honest materials consistently support reduced stress and improved cognitive comfort.
Antiques, almost by definition, are made of the real; waxed oak, burnished brass, clay glazes, vegetable-dyed linen. Their tactile unevenness diffuses light and sound, creating micro-environments the body recognizes as safe. In contrast, synthetic gloss and chemical finishes tend to overstimulate the senses. The warmth of a 19th-century wood grain is more than nostalgic, it’s neurological.
Continuity and Belonging: Emotional Ecology of Antiques and Wellness
Objects with history calm us because they locate us.
Environmental psychology research in Journal of Environmental Behavior (2019) shows that continuity, the presence of familiar or storied objects, strengthens emotional resilience and identity coherence. Dr. Anjan Chatterjee’s work on neuroaesthetics at the University of Pennsylvania demonstrates that the marks of use and imperfection activate empathy and care centers in the brain’s limbic system.
To live among things that have lasted is to feel, subtly, that we can too. The indent of a stair stepped on for generations, the sheen of a chair’s arm polished by touch, both remind us that the measure of good design isn’t how long it stays new, but how well it receives life. Each mark is a conversation between human and material; a reassurance that presence, not perfection, is what holds a home together.
Slowness as a Health Practice
Modern interiors can be visually noisy. Too much gloss, too many screens, too much perfection. Research published in Building and Environment shows that moderate visual texture, the kind you find in natural or handmade materials, helps people relax and focus for longer periods of time.
Antiques create this softness. Their worn finishes absorb light instead of bouncing it back. Their proportions come from the hand and the eye, not a digital rendering. You don’t just see an antique piece, you sense it. And in that pause, the nervous system gets a rare break from the rush of modern design.
Sustainability as part of health
Keeping what already exists is good for the planet, but it’s also good for our bodies. The European Environment Agency has shown that reusing furniture dramatically reduces carbon emissions. It also reduces exposure to the chemicals that come with new products. Many modern furnishings still release traces of formaldehyde, flame retardants, and other compounds into the air for years after production.
Antiques, long past their off-gassing stage, bring nothing toxic into your space. They carry only the quiet scent of beeswax, aged wood, or linen, materials that once came straight from the earth. Choosing to live with antiques is not just an aesthetic decision. It’s a healthy one.
Living well with what lasts
A healthy home isn’t the newest one on the street. It’s the one that feels alive and cared for. The patina on an old chair, the slight unevenness of a handmade bowl, the gentle wear of a rug under bare feet, these are small proofs of a life being lived.
Antiques remind us to slow down, to care for what we have, and to surround ourselves with things that carry time rather than chase trends. When we do, we build homes that support us not just visually, but emotionally and physically too.
A life well-lived is not one that’s staged. It’s one that’s sustained.
To see how these ideas resolve in both space and object, explore Maison Unet’s interiors and Antiques Editions.
References
Frontiers in Psychology (2020, 2022): “Wood Touch and Stress Response”
WELL Building Standard v2 — Mind & Materials Concepts (IWBI)
Journal of Environmental Behavior (2019): “Continuity and Identity in the Home”
Chatterjee, A. (2021), The Neuroaesthetics of Architecture, University of Pennsylvania
Building and Environment (2021): “Material Texture and Visual Comfort in Interiors”
European Environment Agency (2020): “Circular Economy in Furniture Production”
EPA Safer Products Program (2023): “Indoor Air and Chemical Exposure in Furnishings”