Mastering the Art of the
Sensory Experience
Whenever someone new comes over to my house, they always walk in and say something along the lines of: “This is exactly how I pictured your home would look,” or “it’s so cozy,” or “your home just feels happy.”
This truly happens every single time someone comes over.
And these, my friends, are the best compliments I could ever receive. Forget how stylish and well-designed my house is; if you pick up on how my home makes you feel the minute you walk through the door, that’s my equivalent of winning an Oscar.
Learning how to develop a positive sensory experience is an art form. Art is about paying attention. It’s about noticing. Seeing the nuances of light, being able to capture an emotion, and communicating all of the inside feelings we need to express on the outside.
It’s abstract and sometimes intangible, but when it works, a well-developed sensory experience feels like magic.
01 | Creating a strong, sensory foundation
Whenever I start a new project, I always start with how I want the room to feel. It’s important for me to define the feelings before I consider layout or colour because I see space planning, colour theory, and styling as tools that bring the feeling to life – not the other way around.
Developing the sensory experience of a room comes shortly after defining the goals for a space, because I want to make sure that I’m imbuing the senses into every decision. I typically analyse the existing sensory experience when I’m taking measurements and doing my initial site visit so that I can understand the work that needs to be done to elevate the room.
For example, air quality is a huge element of the sensory experience. If I’m working with a client to design a clean and airy living room in their new house, but the room smells like stale cigarettes, then I need to prioritise air quality and safety before the aesthetics. If I try to mask the smell at the end as an afterthought with a diffuser or a candle, I’m not giving my client the clean and airy space they’re looking for.
This is a pretty extreme example, but it’s worth noting because even though thinking about air quality isn’t exactly the sexiest part of the design process, it’s part of the fundamental sensory experience of a room. Another fundamental aspect of the sensory experience is sound. Are the street sounds really loud in the bedroom? Does the fridge buzzing drive you nuts in your kitchen? Does your bathroom fan whistle? For some people, these sounds might disappear into the background, and for others, they can be grating and cause tension and stress over time.
02 | The textural experience of a room
Texture is so interesting because we experience it through two senses: touch and sight. The textures in a room give us clues to the intended purpose of a room before we’ve actually touched anything.
I’m going to describe two rooms, and I want you to guess how they’re supposed to be used.
Room Number One is a bright room with glossy tile floors, rolling blinds, vinyl-covered bench seating, and shiny wood tables.
Room Number Two has wide-plank rustic wood flooring, slubby linen curtains, velvet-covered bench seating, and a pine table.
Consider the visual cues of those textures and the feelings associated with the combinations, and then imagine how each space should be used. Got your answer? Great.
Both rooms are meant for dining. But for Room Number One, I was describing the qualities of a fast food joint (specifically Five Guys, for some reason?), and for Room Number Two, I was describing a dining room at home. The experience of dining in each of these spaces is vastly different, even if the primary intention of eating a meal is the same.
Even just the descriptions of the visual cues of these textures give us an idea of the intended use and the atmosphere of a room. Glossy, tiled, vinyl, shiny – these words feel easy to clean, commercial, contemporary, and a little impersonal. Rustic, slubby, linen, velvet, pine – these words feel lived in, comforting, homey, aged.
03 | The art of noticing
Some elements of the sensory experience, like scents, have universally accepted connotations. Like the smell of lemon, which makes most people think of cleaning, baking, or the warmth of the Mediterranean. These associations are helpful starting points when we’re brainstorming elements that engage our five senses, but I always encourage my clients to dig deeper.
Our lived experiences are so much more valuable than falling into common tropes. When we ground our decisions about design elements in our memories and interests instead of what the world tells us, we create a unique experience. But first, we have to start noticing how our minds and bodies react to the world around us.
If you’re designing your home and you want to develop the sensory experience, I would encourage you to put Pinterest and magazines away for a period of time (I’d suggest a week) and just notice what happens around you. What smells do you notice? How do those scents make you feel? How about textures? Sounds? What are the little parts of your life – both at home and out in the world – that make you feel really good or really terrible?
Write all of these little discoveries in the notes app of your phone. You might be surprised to find that you actually really hate the feeling of your hand towels or that you always choose the same throw blanket to cuddle up in. Outside of the house, you might start to notice that you love the feeling of the cutlery at your favourite restaurant, or the soft lighting of your local cafe.
All of these little shimmers of joy, comfort, safety – or the inverse – provide so much information about what makes your senses come alive or shrink back. We can use this information to choose fabrics, scents, colours, and lighting that makes you feel amazing, and to get rid of the things in your home that make you feel tense, uncomfortable or itchy (itchy as in a physical sensation, but also that icky, gross feeling you get when you hear a bad sound or touch something unpleasant).
Bringing It All Together
You can buy expensive furniture, collection-worthy art, and stunning accessories and still feel flat and uninspired in a room. You could also open a window, change out your bedsheets, and put on some soothing music and feel as pampered and relaxed as if you were at a luxury spa. Simple, nuanced changes make a big difference.
We all need a safe place to land, but safety feels different to everyone. What works for me might not work for you, which is why it’s helpful to spend time reflecting and noticing what specifically makes you feel good.
Sometimes the shifts feel monumental, like getting rid of a scratchy sofa for something that feels like a hug. Sometimes, the shifts are more subtle, like bringing in an air purifier to freshen the atmosphere in your home.
These shifts signal to your subconscious mind and your nervous system that you’re okay.
Let your senses guide you home. They know the way!
If you’re curious about how to explore your five senses to create a home full of soul, I’m giving away my entire design process for free (yes, free!) through my newsletter. My guidebook, Secrets to a Soulful Home, takes you through exercises, prompts, and templates to help you design a space that’s rooted in your truth.
I hope it helps you discover your truest and most beautiful self.
Need support transforming your home into your personal sanctuary?
My virtual holistic design packages are here to help. We will work together and consider style, function, and lifestyle to ensure the end result is not only beautiful, but also supports your mental, physical, and emotional wellness.
