Our goal for any space we are designing is that it becomes a place where you will gravitate.

Here are our top five (simple yet effective) wellness tips for creating a space that is bound to make your guests want to stay longer.

1. Inject color – How do you want to feel in this space? Our client wanted this room to energize her as it’s also her home office. So we used saturated oranges and electric blues to do just that. Fun fact: orange is associated with joy and radiates warmth. In the body, it’s associated with circulation and the nervous system.

2. Material selections – Use materials that can alter your guest’s experience of warmth – when people are physically warmer, their levels of interpersonal warmth increase.  Because who needs a cranky guest? Simple additions include adding a warm throw and a few colorful pillows on the bed. Soft fabrics on upholstered pieces such as the chair in this space add to the comfort of this room.  (teaser for our next post!)

3. Lighting control – Lift your guest’s mood with natural sunlight but also give them the ability to control the amount of sunlight the room. Window treatments should not only be operable but also have black out lining to ensure a good night’s rest. (Did you know that direct access to daylight and views reduces blood pressure, lowers the incidence of headaches, and in healthcare setting results in the need for less pain medication and shorter stays in the hospital?)

4. If you have bare wood floors, adding a throw rug serves two purposes: added warmth to the space (who wants to wake up and put their feet on a bare floor?) and also addresses any acoustical challenges. The bold, large scaled striped throw rug that we used for this project injects personality and warmth to this space.

5. Artwork – We chose artwork that energizes…that “sparks joy” in our client. Artwork personalizes the room and becomes the perfect finishing touch.

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I love when clients already have artwork that is the inspiration for a space because they’re typically personal pieces that tells a part of their story.   The challenge is when we seek out artwork for our clients. It needs to be approached in a thoughtful, creative, and authentic manner that lends itself to sharing their narrative.  


This is why, in our process, the art always is the “last piece of the puzzle”.   It’s after we’ve learn about what our clients love…and hate. Discovering to where they have traveled and how they spend their weekends and which books they’re reading and what shows they’re seeing.  It’s how we can choose pieces that truly reflect them. And oftentimes, we create original art for them.


The importance of art in a room not only adds beauty to a space but intrinsically meaning to the homeowners. It connects us.