Leona Lewis on Why Having a Calming Outdoor Workspace Is So Important

Welcome to Oasis Spaces, a Health video series where inspiring people share an area in their home that brings them peace and positivity.

This year has forced all of us to think about ways we can redefine the spaces of our homes—whether that's converting a spare bedroom into a home office or turning the living room into a yoga studio, for example. If you're hunting for tips for incorporating the outdoors into a part of your home, look no further. British singer-songwriter Leona Lewis pulled this off with her recording studio, which opens up onto a gorgeous backyard with outdoor seating.

"I decided to create an indoor-outdoor writing space where I could record, I could write, I could get all of my ideas out, and I could still feel inspired and have greenery around me," Lewis tells Health. Her piano and recording equipment—which are decorated with soothing plants—sit right inside the glass doors leading to the backyard of her Los Angeles home. These doors let in a lot of light and fresh air from Lewis's beautiful backyard.

Lewis said she put her recording studio right at the edge of her home because she likes to write and spend time in the outdoors. "I set it up here because it leads to the outside, which is this space that's really lovely and calming for writing, for gathering thoughts, and I just love how it incorporates the greenery from outside, bringing it inside so I feel like I'm just surrounded by a beautiful inspiring garden."

Lewis says her oasis space has helped her relax during the uncertain times of 2020, explaining that the pandemic taught her to show herself kindness. She hopes others follow her lead. "We're all feeling it in different ways. Yeah, maybe you've eaten the extra chocolate bar or you slept in until 12 o'clock or whatever it is that you don't usually do," Lewis says. "But we are in an unusual situation, so give yourself some grace and don't treat yourself too harshly during this period."