What is Holistic Design?

You’ve probably heard the term holism or holistic. As it relates to a persons health, it’s the treating of the whole person, taking into account mental and social factors, rather than just the physical symptoms of a disease. A more philosophical term of holism (Marriam-Webster) is a theory that the universe and especially living nature is correctly seen in terms of interacting wholes (as of living organisms) that are more than the mere sum of elementary particles. I like that, it feels comforting to me, it reminds me we are all interconnected beings in this universe, connected to each other and with nature.

The definition of holistic is relating to the idea that things should be studied as a whole and not just as a sum of their parts.

Holistic Interior Design considers the health of the mind, body and spirit of people when it comes to designing the interior of a home with the goal of achieving a state of overall wellness. It takes into consideration all of your five senses and how to nurture and support them for optimal wellness in the home.

Yes, a pretty space can make you feel good, but if we look at it on a deeper level, it’s a combination of different healing modalities that support your physical, spiritual and mental wellbeing. There are no rules, it’s about whatever makes you feel supported and comforted. It’s not about white walls and a neutral palette, although it could be if that’s what speaks to you. Holistic Design is about spaces that support and connect your identity and purpose in harmony with your lifestyle.

Functionality/Energy Flow

How you use your space predicts how it should be arranged, each room has it’s own function, energy and flow. As each room is thoughtfully designed it contributes to the whole and enhances the overall flow and energy of the entire home. A good space plan depends on experience, intuition and lifestyle, it’s all about how you use the space, if it doesn’t flow well it will become frustrating very fast.

The ancient art of Feng Shui, goes way deep into this topic. The orientation of a space, whether it’s the location of a building, a floor plan, or furniture placement, determines how energy (called chi) moves through it, with some arrangements being more favorable, and others blocking the natural energy movement. If you’re interested in learning more, this article by Feng Shui expert Anjie Cho describes the basic principals of Feng Shui.

Connection to Nature

Biophilic Design is the practice of connecting people and nature within our built environment and communities. Research shows that having contact with nature every day can have great benefits on our well-being which leads to stress reduction, boosting positive feelings, increases our problem solving skills, helps us focus and improves creative abilities. For the home that means a visual and physical connection to nature. Not all of us live in a house on a mountaintop with huge windows facing the ocean (#goals), but we can make the best of what we have by opening up our windows to let as much light in as possible. Also bringing natural elements indoors like plants, fresh flowers, water features, natural materials, crystals and artwork are all very nice ways to capture nature indoors.

Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you. - Frank Lloyd Wright

Bizmarck House by Andrew Burges Architects

Sustainability

Sustainability umbrellas many concerns; conservation, deforestation, global warming, toxic pollutants, indoor air quality, health & wellness, local economy, social equity, extinction, and yes pandemics. There’s so much to talk about here but let’s focus on indoor air quality and the health and wellness of your home.

According to the EPA, the average American spends 90% of their life indoors (yikes). Those numbers may have changed since that research study, but we all know it’s a very large percentage these days and I’m guessing the U.S. is at the top of the list worldwide. It’s so important now more than ever to make sure we are creating healthy indoor environments that support our overall wellbeing.

There are many hazardous chemicals in the manufacturing process of the furniture and finishes in our homes. We need to be aware of what is in our carpets, furniture, curtains, kitchen counter, bedding, mattresses, paint, tile, upholstery, pillows, shower curtains…the list goes on. The chemicals in our homes are abundant and are linked to so many health issues. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are chemical compounds found in products such as furnishings and paints that can evaporate (or off-gas) into the surrounding environment at room temperature. Unfortunately our homes are full of them, if this scares you it should.

The good news, there’s more awareness now and socially conscious companies that are making eco-friendly & environmentally safe products that go easy on the earth. As a designer and a Green AP, I feel it’s my responsibility to educate my clients on this issue and provide them with sustainable and environmentally safe options.

Lighting

Lighting is so important when it comes to a well designed home. Getting as much natural light into your space is the optimal solution for wellness as it connects us to the outdoors while also conserving energy by using less artificial lighting. Unfortunately, not every space in your home is going to get ideal light and so we have to be conscious of the artificial light we bring into the home, like using energy efficient LED lighting. There are a few companies right now (Dyson & Bios Lighting) that are developing new light bulbs that adjust to our natural circadian rhythm. A cool blue white light in the morning which increases our alertness during the day, turns into a warm glowy orange-purple in the evening for night time wind down that ultimately help us get to sleep. This is exciting new development as we are more aware of how our modern lifestyle and screen time disrupts our natural body clock and effects our health and our ability to sleep, we all know how lack of sleep wreaks havoc on our bodies.

Santa Clara 1728 - Lisbon House by Manuel Aires Mateus

Color

There are numerous studies on the psychology of color and color therapy. Colors are either active, passive or neutral. Colors like yellow can create confidence, happiness and creativity and could be a good choice for your kitchen, other colors like blues and greens can be very calming, comforting and harmonious which could be ideal for your bedroom. There are no rules, it really comes down to what makes you feel good. Here’s a helpful blog post on color, how it affects our mood and conjures up emotion.

De-Cluttering

There’s a big movement in minimalism and decluttering and it’s caught on for a reason, because it works. Buying and accumulating objects serves as a distraction from what’s going on inside. The psychological effects of clutter can result in stress and increased cortisol levels, feelings of shame that can lead to depression and a distraction that can kill productivity. Luckily, there are plenty of great resources on decluttering and minimalism like Marie Kondo’s book The Life Changing Habits of Tidying up and the Netflix film The Minimalists, both highly recommended.

Reduce it down to what’s necessary, keeping only your most meaningful objects that create a sense of comfort and belonging, which will ultimately create a sense of physical ease. Listen to your inner self and recognize what makes you feel good, what you decide to keep in your space should mean something to you, it’s a reflection of you and unique to your lifestyle. I also believe our living spaces should inspire and encourage us to slow down our consumption rate.

Sometimes the only way to figure out what is really important is to get rid of everything that isn't. -Courtney Carver

Sound

Sound therapy covers a range of treatments, from music therapy to sound baths. Music elevates our mood and having music playing throughout our home can be extremely comforting, mood lifting and healing. In my home there’s never not music playing, even when I’m concentrating I put on focus music.

And sometimes we need silence, it’s so important to find a dedicated area for silence and concentration in your home. Is your office and bedroom located in areas of your home that are quieter? away from street noise? You need a sense of refuge, a place where you can go that you know you will have quiet and not be disturbed.

Listen to silence. It has so much to say. - Rumi

Healing Elements

Feng Shui, Crystals, Aromatherapy, all of these modalities are excellent healing elements if they speak to you. They are all quite detailed and there’s much to learn if you want to dive into any of these to incorporate into your home.