3 Ways Interior Design Can Help You Quit Smoking

It may seem like a leap to say that interior design plays a role in quitting smoking, but celebrity interior designer and former smoker Nate Berkus makes a convincing argument that it does. "I really believe in the power of design and the power that our spaces have to make us feel and behave in certain ways, and as any smoker knows, there's a ceremony around smoking. It typically always happens in certain parts of the home," Nate told us. "When you have a space in your home, an area in your home that you smoked in, when you quit, that area needs to change." Nate shares his three biggest design tips for making that change below.

"Look at the opportunity you have in your home to use your rooms in a different way," Nate said. "If you always paid bills at the kitchen table and you smoked while you did it, why not buy yourself a beautiful writing desk and a pretty chair, position it in front of a window so you're looking out at something?"

"Have some framed photos of your family and people that you love or places that you hope to go or places that you've been that you adore," Nate suggested. He says decorating with things that remind you of why you made the decision to quit, aside from your own health, will help give you the resolve you need to stick with your decision.

Smokers' homes have an undeniable odor, and since smell is the first thing Nate says people notice when they enter a home, he advises changing it ASAP. "It doesn't matter how much money and time you spend on your throw pillows if your house smells like athletic socks or cigarettes." Once you've quit, it's important to replace that stale smoke smell with something else. "Your home should have a signature scent, and that's something you can easily do by going to any candle store or try different room sprays."

Want even more motivation to kick your smoking habit? How about a $5,000 room makeover designed by Nate? He's partnered with Nicorette and NicoDerm CQ on the Refresh Your Room contest running now through Jan. 31. "It's very straightforward; I'm asking for a photo of the space in their home that makes them want to smoke, why they want to quit, and why that area of their home is a trigger for them. The winner is going to get a consultation from me and some new pretty things to change up the space," Nate said. Visit Quit.com for all the details.