Ongoing research & borrowed photos with the goal of discovering “Design For Wellbeing,” which includes elements of Biophilic design, Sustainable design, Sensual design, and Feng Shui.

LAST UPDATED OCTOBER 7, 2024

**PLEASE NOTE: This page is a work in progress that I add to over time - not a complete research project. Check back for periodic updates :)

DESIGN FOR WELLBEING

A study on the environments + rituals that foster wellness, culture, healing

Born out of a deep passion for wellbeing and for beautifying my environment through art and design, my blog, Design For Wellbeing, aims to amalgamate the ancient art of Feng Shui, principles of interior design, and health and healing to expand upon what Design for Wellbeing means.

I am similarly interested in Sustainable Design and Biophilic Design - and moreover, driven to research the crux at which all of these concepts and practices combine.

As an artist and experienced textile designer, I am naturally interested in textures, colors, and shapes that help create a beautiful space. Textiles are an especially crucial aspect in interior design for their ability to bring a tactile element to the space and evoke Sensual Design, or design that calms us through utilizing the five senses.

Perhaps what propels my unquenchable thirst for knowledge in all things “Design for Wellbeing” related is the intangible aspect of what truly brings someone peace. At what point do we feel “well” and “at peace” in our homes (or offices, or art studios…)? What fosters this? As a dedicated yogi, a certified Reiki Level 1 practitioner, 11 years and counting tarot card reader, astrology fanatic for over a decade, acupuncture and chiropractic patient, therapy and life coach client, and much more… I am dedicated to personal growth and healing. Come join me on this adventure of learning, fascination, and epiphanies!

MYSIG

Through my hobby of baking, I learned a new word, mysig. In Swedish, mysig means cozy, and it’s a way to describe a space as well as the rituals that create coziness. According to the book, Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break, the word mysig is originally derived from mysa, translating to, “‘to smile with contentedness,’ but has come to be used as a verb indicating enjoying, relaxing, and even cuddling.” I love this phrase.

“Whether it’s a rainy day in March or a sunny afternoon in July, creating a space that’s mysig is almost as essential to enjoying your coffee as serving a delicious baked good.” -Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break

What’s lovely about mysig is the ritualization of efforts created to induce a space that is supportive for relaxation, contemplation and rest. According to the ritual of fika in Sweden, coffee and homemade pastries represent “a pause in the day, a time to slow down.”

PRINCIPLES OF SENSUAL DESIGN

In the book, SOFT MINIMAL - A SENSORY APPROACH TO ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN by NORM ARCHITECTS, the guiding principle to their design sensibility is sensual design. The meaning of sensual design is myriad, but mostly importantly it directly relates to the five human senses - touch, scent, sight, hearing, and taste. “For human-centric architecture and design to reconcile our relationship with the world and enhance the quality of life, they should engage all senses holistically,” (P72). Sensual design ignites our senses without overloading them. Sense stimulation helps us relax and become in tune with our surroundings.

In anxiety management, there is a technique called “5-4-3-2-1.”

• 5: Acknowledge FIVE things you see around you. ...

• 4: Acknowledge FOUR things you can touch around you. ...

• 3: Acknowledge THREE things you hear. ...

• 2: Acknowledge TWO things you can smell. ...

• 1: Acknowledge ONE thing you can taste.

This exercise mitigates derealization and helps to ground your body in the moment. In my experience, this technique helps to distract myself from anxious thoughts and engage with my environment, as well as provide life-changing relief to the threat of an oncoming panic attack. What 5-4-3-2-1 and sensual design have in common is the use of our senses to decrease stress based on our environment.

In my research about sensual design, I found it interesting how Norm Architects criticize movements in art and design, namely Modernism and its limitations. “Movements from Rationalism to Modernism - while cultivating many valuable ideas - protest the cycle of life, insisting on uniformity, order and progress over diversity, spontaneity, and patina,” (P41). Sensual, sensory, or even essentialist (as Norm Architects refer to it) design emphasizes Nature and its rhythms. In nature, seasonality, decay, beauty, peace, destruction are all part of the process.

From material choices to the use and absence of light, it’s all about returning to the sensations and tangibility that define the human experience - “…through human-centric design, we attempt to accept the facts of life and use them to inspire beauty rooted in truth. We listen to nature’s story of artistry, optimism, imperfection and impermanence, and bring these poignant qualities into the work,” (P41). I appreciate this earnest, almost humble approach. It is a vastly different approach than what the commercialized “fast-fashionization” of our design industry offers, one that begets materialism over resourcefulness.

Furthermore, natural materials increase our haptic awareness and provide a sensory experience through touch. “Human-centric design is necessarily haptic, treating the skin with a spectrum of smooth, textured, hard, soft, warm and cool sensations. By harmonizing tactile qualities, a space or object can imbue intimacy…” (P75). It’s this diversity of textures and sensations, offen found in nature, that can ground us.

Seaside Abode by Norm Architects