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A World of Wellness

DESIGN A SANCTUARY WITHIN YOUR HOME THAT MAKES EACH DAY FEEL RESTORATIVE AND REJUVENATING.

BY ASHLEY RYAN

In recent years, there’s been an increased focus on health and wellness. Whether driven by the high levels of stress in our everyday lives, concerns about the toxins that infiltrate our food and beauty products or something else entirely, this movement reflects a collective shift toward prioritizing our well-being.

Because we spend so much time in our homes—sleeping, eating, relaxing or working out—it’s important to create spaces that optimize our health on every level.

“As the world becomes increasingly complex and divided, research is showing that this is causing more and more distress in our daily lives, leading to increases in addiction, violence and mental health decline,” says Robert F. Esterley III, an award-winning interior designer and founder of Sacred Living.

“Wellness-inspired design supports a person’s ability to thrive—from realignment of circadian rhythms to psychological and very intentional connections to nature to the use of healthy finishes and

means of construction,” reveals Summer Jensen, CEO and principal designer at Laguna Beach-based Hawk + Co. “Humans now live our life 90% indoors, so [I have to consider] how can I, as a designer, make sure that all aspects of your being are considered.”

Discover how to transform your home into a haven of wellness with thoughtful design choices—both large and small— that leave a lasting impact.

Built for Well-Being

When it comes to designing spaces for wellness, layout is incredibly important as it can completely alter the look and feel of the space. “People want uncluttered, organized looks in wellness spaces,” Jensen notes. “Words like harmony and balance come to mind, which speak to the space’s ability to visually flow and make sense to the eye.”

In addition to simplifying spaces, one of the best ways to create flow and harmony in the home is with a very specific type of floor plan. “The space has to function in a way that doesn’t stress you out,” says Julie Laughton, a general con-

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tractor and CEO of the eponymous Julie Laughton Design Build.“Like all modern designs, it focuses on good space planning that opens everything up — you’ve got the open kitchen, open family room, which is open to the backyard.”

Air flow can also be a painless way to completely alter the feel of your space. Stagnant air can contribute to everything from unbalanced humidity and bacterial growth to sick building syndrome, Jensen says.

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Creating home environments that can be handled with ease helps residents shut off their minds for deeper relaxation. “I speak to clients a lot about how repetitive design elements allow your mind to relax with familiarity when you see the same detail repeated,” Jensen says. “Right now, I am designing a home where, in each room, you have a single wood-paneled control station next to the door with all of your electronic interfaces for the room located there. … Whether it is the [guest’s] first time to the home or 100th, the user knows exactly where and how to operate the room—plus you don’t see gadgets littered across the walls. You may not consciously know that it’s the contradictions in a space that your mind picks up.”

Especially here in Orange County, the view can be a pivotal part of design as well. Laughton suggests positioning windows somewhere that overlooks beautiful scenery as looking at nature

can be one of the greatest pathways to calm. This can be something as simple as a picturesque garden filled with colorful flowers and vibrant produce or as intricate as a rock-adorned swimming pool or scenes of Laguna’s ocean waves, intimate coves and rugged coastline. Jensen agrees that nature should be a focal point for any design project where the goal is to emphasize well-being. And this isn’t restricted to the home either. “Just as Renzo Piano is shaping hospitals in Greece around the concepts of the temples dedicated to Asclepius, the god of medicine, I stress the biophilic, healing properties of nature,” she says. “We can bring the same principle into our homes on an everyday occurrence for health and vitality.”

Materials That Matter

Choosing the right materials is part of home design no matter what aesthetic you’re aiming for. But when trying to create tranquil spaces that lend themselves to rest and rejuvenation, natural finishes are crucial. “I’m a biggie on natural stone, natural marbles, natural travertines, warm wood floors [and] wood cabinets,” Laughton notes. “Everything’s easier on the eye with organic colors.” In addition to finishes that are stylish and high-quality, look for items that are also sustainable. This can be a tricky topic to navigate, Jensen says, as biodegradability directly challenges durability. “But replacement of goods fills

Photo: Credit: Hawk + Co

our landfills,” she explains. “For me, the ability of the items to be returned to the earth is big. … I love the look of raw wood or seeing modeling and aggregate in plaster. I make texture and pattern out of raw materials … so I don’t rely on what a manufacturer is offering. It’s a little different when you think of these not as finishes, but as blocks to create with.”

Similarly, she says upcycling can be beneficial as well. “You have no idea how many projects need a 24-by-60 piece of marble,” Jensen adds. “But buy an entire slab? My friend Josiah [Lilly] at Epic Ceramic & Stone has started to make available his remnants. You can find great deals on pieces that would normally be going into a dumpster.” Keep in mind that, while choosing finishes, you’ll also want to educate yourself on what to skip. Avoid plastics, human-made PFAs, irritating volatile organic compounds and man-made carpets. “With technology advancing and also with human intention to look back on ancient wisdom for better ways of living, we can choose to make health a priority over a builder’s convenience,” Jensen says.

She recommends planning things out in advance for a healthier home and smoother design experience. “Most … [wellness-focused] products have to be sourced in advance given their smaller demand. If the general contractor isn’t prepared ahead of time to source the eco-drywall, they will just buy what’s available. So, planning and communication with your general contractor on

your goals is imperative.”

When selecting colors that cultivate calmness, consider neutrals or hues that can be found in nature, such as camel, olive, burnt orange, chocolate brown or a simple gray. However, the lighting in your home may shift the entire mood of the room depending on how each shade looks.

“The sun is also an absolutely free and amazing gift for our homes if we harness it in the right way,” Jensen says.

“The sun’s rays also provide us with natural light throughout the day. By incorporating skylights and light tubes in the space, you would be amazed at how little you turn on your lights.”

In addition to impacting the look of the space, lighting can also affect how we feel within it. According to Jensen, lighting can help put our bodies more in sync with the natural world. “Circadian rhythm lighting, specifically Rania by Lutron, is what I have my eye on,” she notes. “Using the same technology as their Ketra devices — radio frequency wireless architectural lighting — Rania matches the color of outside light to your indoor environments.

“In the morning, the best way to activate the senses is with cooler, brighter white light: the color of light in the morning,” she adds. “Then, as the sun sets, it becomes warmer, like candlelight. This is an ingrained trigger for humans to know that the end of day is nearing. By matching that color of light with the sun, we can reproduce the same physiological effect, letting our bodies relax into slumber.”