Heart and Soul
Make your home a happy place —here’s how Design Intervention crafts stylish abodes that make wellness a priority
Our homes are our sanctuary; a place that puts us at ease and helps us create precious memories. “Just like good nutrition and exercise, our home environment can affect our health and well-being,” says Nikki Hunt, founder of Singapore-based practice Design Intervention. “At Design Intervention, we begin each project by considering basic human needs such as happiness, comfort, conviviality, beauty, and mood.”
Andrea Savage, CO-CEO of the firm, agrees. “As designers, we harness the power of design to craft happier homes and healthier lives,” she says. “The right design choices can make the most of who we are and reveal the best versions of ourselves.”
The dynamic duo helm Design Intervention, and are the creative minds behind the award-winning interiors of many beautiful houses in Singapore and beyond. They elaborate on why it’s vital to craft your abode as a highly sensorial environment, and the crucial elements that make a house a home.
HOLISTIC HAVENS
“We experience our environment through our senses; changes in light, space, geometry, scent, colour, texture, and sound impact us in real physiological ways, inf luencing our mood, our health and overall senses,” says Hunt.
This is why the Design Intervention team aims to engage all the five senses in their projects. Adds Hunt: “Neuroscience has demonstrated real and measurable metabolic and hormonal reactions to our habitat, proving that design can impact our health, behaviour, mood and even how we interact with others. Simply put, targeted changes we make in our homes can improve both mental and physical health in real and measurable ways.”
The team starts each project by learning more about the owners’ unique tastes and lifestyles, to craft a bespoke interior tailored specially to the client. “We consider behaviour and how people will use their rooms, striving to achieve both
the ambience and functionality that make best use of the spaces,” says Savage.
Design Intervention then handpicks the most suitable colours and materials to use, while proposing the styles and custom furnishings that best match the owners’ brief. The result is an interior that possibly anticipates and even addresses needs their clients may not have thought of. “We take a personalised, multisensory approach to design that goes beyond aesthetics, crafting sensual and liveable homes that nourish the soul and soothe the body,” says Hunt.
REST AND RELAX
Spending time with our loved ones is equally important to our well-being, and the dining room is often the spot where such cherished moments are shared. “Targeted design choices can make us more creative or more friendly; so dining spaces that foster interaction will bring us closer to our loved ones,” quips Hunt.
Among a home’s most significant areas are the bedrooms, which should be designed as settings conducive to relaxation and restful slumber. This can be achieved through a thoughtful mix of hues and materials, such as a sunny yellow for clients who are “morning people”, or dark, moody hues such as navy blue for night owls.
The bathroom is another key space that could foster wellness. More than just a functional space, a well-crafted bathroom can make the daily bathing ritual a more enjoyable and relaxing experience. “Spa-like bathrooms that promote relaxation will help to alleviate stress, soothe our spirits and improve our mood,” says Savage.
All together, these elements contribute to an environment that encourages owners to prioritise their overall well-being. “The true power of the home is its role as a platform for wellness,” says Hunt. “A home should be a place that provides us with security, love, familiarity and privacy; all of which are essential to our well-being.”
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