What is Holistic Interior design?
Holistic interior design also known as: Mindful Interior Design, Integrative Interior Design, Conscious Interior Design, and Wellbeing Interior Design is a multidisciplinary approach to interior design that infuses mindful design, wellness, ancient wisdom, principles to create spaces that nurture your well-being.
Unlike traditional design, which often prioritizes visual appeal and functionality, holistic interior design considers the whole person throughout the entire process. The central goal is most often to create a space that satisfies the physical and aspirational needs of the primary users of the space.
Environmental movements in the 60s paved the way for holistic design, influencing the establishment of certifications like LEED and WELL that champion sustainable practices in the built environment. Holistic interior design builds on these foundations, aiming to create spaces that not only look good but also contribute to overall health and well-being.
Holistic interior design builds on these movements and industry standards. With an integrative approach holistic interior design infuses techniques and philosophies like:
Biophilic design
Ergonomics
Neuroscience
Color psychology
Feng Shui
Human Design
Ancient Wisdom and Spiritual Wisdom
Human Biology
Sacred Geometry
The physical act of re-imagining a physical environment can be a reflection of or an embodiment of transformation, reconnection, and remembrance. Moreover, Holistic interior design or Wellness design has become part of the next frontier in wellness because it acknowledges the importance and impact on us and the way we feel in our inner and outer lives.
Evidence based studies from the science and medical communities have proved that there is a relationship between healing and place. In her book, Healing Spaces, Dr. Esther Sternberg states:
“And we can measure how molecules of the immune system that are released when we are sick change our ability to form memories of place and space. We can show that these molecules change our moods, especially when we are sick. And finally we can show how, when we reencounter a place that evokes a certain mood, an emotional memory can revive in full force and change the brain’s hormones and nerve chemicals to help or hinder healing.”
Holistic designers embrace the complexities of the built environment and seek to create balance within the physical space with the understanding that physical environments are a reflection of personal and organizational beliefs, goals, priorities and habits. It’s necessary to work closely with clients to understand their unearthing conscious and unconscious needs that can be sustained through design.
The Beginner’s Guide to Holistic Design below examines some of the fundamentals:
1. Intention and Purpose
The physical act of re-imagining a physical environment can be a reflection of or an embodiment of transformation, reconnection, and remembrance. Therefore subtle energies like gratitude and intention play an important role in multidisciplinary interior design, which addresses the nonmaterial aspects of interior spaces and explores the spiritual aspects of design along with beauty, form, and function.
Purpose, story, emotion and memory that hold significance to the client are connective pieces that are woven into the design and interpreted through immersive elements that positively stimulate the senses.
2. Community and Kinship
How does the space promote social connection? Is social cohesion and communal identity addressed within the environment?
Assertion of the interconnectedness of all life on the planet is integral to holistic architecture as a practice. It informs the decisions that are made throughout the design process. The belief that humans or the needs of the individual overshadow the needs of the whole or other forms of life result in extractive and design methods that are harmful in the long-term. This article on kinship and it’s role in design examines ways to integrate this theory into a project.
Negotiation in the selection of materials and furnishings is essential if the aim is to create harmonious spaces that also support the delicate balance of relationships in the human, natural and spiritual world.
The Braveheron Studio Anchored 6TM is a methodology that incorporates the nonmaterial elements into the design process to ensure that these questions are asked and addressed resulting in a balanced, generative environment.
3. Layout and Object Placement
Planning the space so that the placement of objects and furnishings enhances the experience of those using the space is vital for wellbeing. Display of objects, art, furnishings, and books can have a revolutionary impact on the mind, body and soul.
Ancient design and placement philosophies like Feng Shui, Vastu Shastra, Wabi Sabi teach that objects and symbols are imbued with energy. The positioning of such objects must be done thoughtfully and with conscious intention in order to have a positive effect on the people living and working in the environment along with the environment.
Your Space Is a Portal is a guided 1:1 design offering that explores placement, and incorporates ancient philosophy to craft healing and sacred surroundings.
4. Color and Mood
Color and color psychology - the study of how colors affect thoughts, feeling, perceptions and behaviors - guide the selection of much of the furnishings, finishes and fixtures.
Sophistication, sacredness, relaxation, excitement and other reactions and emotions are heavily influenced by our surroundings. Thoughtful consideration for the color palette of the project is essential when designing for any interior, and integral when crafting surroundings purposed to inspire health, community, comfort, and relaxation.
Determined the mood staying mindful of the impact of color and asking questions like:
What emotions should the space evoke?
What experience is desired in this environment?
How should users understand and navigate the spaces?
5. Lighting
Lighting in the built environment, or lack thereof, can trigger a wave of reactions in the mind, body and spirit.
Use, type and placement of lighting ties back to the purpose of the interior space discussed earlier. As with color, lighting communicates the function of surroundings and illicit conscious and unconscious emotional and physical responses.
Holistic interior design speaks to layers of detail within a space, so all aspects from choice of light temperature - warm or cool, to amounts of natural light spill and use of dimmers will impact the mood of the space.
6. Align with Nature
Biophilic design is a concept within design that aims to increase and enhance the connection to the natural world within interior environments.
Beyond the incorporation of plants and moss, biophilic design infusion can include:
Use of earthy or natural color palettes
Natural textures, materials and fabrics
Views of landscapes through strategic window placement and art
Sustainability is also an important consideration. Evaluating objects, furnishings and materials for their impact on the health of occupants of space is crucial for creating spaces that promote healing and wellbeing.
Sustainability that honors the true spirit of the concept which comes from the indigenous Iroquois people is significant because there is so much “greenwashing” or “healthwashing” marketing spin that deceptively convinces consumers that products are environmentally friendly even though they aren’t.
7. Create Sacred Space
When designing spaces for home or workplaces, defining spaces that are designated for mindful moments and quiet contemplation for individuals and/or the community are vital.
The medical and science communities have finally come out in support of what ancient wisdom has maintained for millennia - meditation, mindfulness and quiet moments can aid in the transition from “fight / flight” a stressful state to “rest and digest” in the human body.
Nurturing wellbeing for clients as holistic interior architects includes encouraging clients to support their wellbeing by addressing this need through project design.
By definition, a holistic philosophy acknowledges that everything is connected - that there is a symbiotic relationship between humans and the other types of life on the planet.
To design in a way that supports the individual holistic interior designers must always consider the effects of our advice, suggestions and choices on the whole.
The places that we inhabit have as much of an influence on us as we have on them. With conscious design in praxis we can be more thoughtful about the way we approach our surroundings. We can reimagine and redefine our perspectives and relationships by changing the way we engage with our physical environments.