Creating Spaces That Heal: The Connection Between Design and Wellness
Your body responds to environments with remarkable sensitivity. The proportions of a room, the way light moves through it, the colors that surround you, and even the arrangement of furniture all affect your nervous system, heart rate, and energy levels in ways that science is only beginning to understand. Interior design isn't just about creating beautiful spaces; it's about crafting environments that either drain or restore your physical and emotional reserves.
In fact, everything you see, feel and touch (and indeed everything you don’t) - are all simply arrangements of molecules in particular patterns. Our day to day environments should match our energy in order to facilitate optimum health. In fact, it’s what inspired Memphis TN interior design company - Tara Felice Interiors to begin in the first place. Tara Engelberg knows first hand how thoughtful design can directly impact your physical and emotional health (read her story here.)
The Physiology of Spatial Experience in interior design
Your body reads spaces constantly, processing thousands of environmental cues below the threshold of conscious awareness. Ceiling height affects how expansive or compressed you feel. Color temperature influences alertness and calm. The flow of a room—how your eye moves through it—can create either visual stress or visual rest.
Working with energy-aware, health-conscious clients means observing these physiological responses. A client might report feeling tired in their own living room, only to discover that poor lighting creates eye strain that leads to whole-body fatigue. Another might experience anxiety in their bedroom, later realizing that the furniture arrangement creates a sense of visual chaos that keeps their nervous system on alert.
These responses aren't psychological quirks—they're evolutionary adaptations. Humans developed in natural environments with specific proportions, light qualities, and spatial relationships. Modern interiors that deviate dramatically from these patterns can create subtle but persistent stress responses that accumulate over time.
Light as Life Force
Nothing affects the energy of a space more directly than light. Natural light doesn't just illuminate—it energizes, regulates circadian rhythms, and supports fundamental biological processes. Rooms flooded with natural light feel alive in ways that artificially lit spaces cannot replicate.
But it's not just about quantity—it's about quality. Harsh, shadowless lighting creates flat, lifeless environments that drain energy. Layered lighting that mimics natural patterns—brighter task areas, softer ambient zones, strategic shadows that create depth—supports the body's natural energy rhythms.
The direction of light matters too. Side lighting creates dimension and warmth. Top-down lighting can feel harsh and institutional. Light that changes throughout the day—morning brightness shifting to evening warmth—keeps spaces dynamic and supportive of natural energy cycles.
Energy Flow and Spatial Arrangement
The way energy moves through a space—how your eye travels, how your body wants to move—profoundly affects how you feel in that environment. Rooms with clear pathways and logical focal points feel calming and supportive. Spaces with blocked sightlines, awkward furniture placement, or competing visual elements can create subliminal agitation.
This isn't about following rigid feng shui rules, but about understanding basic principles of human spatial cognition. We naturally seek balance, flow, and visual coherence. When these elements are present, we feel more relaxed and energized. When they're absent, we experience subtle stress that manifests as fatigue, restlessness, or difficulty concentrating.
Simply moving a sofa to face the room's natural focal point, clearing pathways, or creating better visual balance can shift the entire energy of a space—and its effect on the people who inhabit it.
Color and Nervous System Response
Color affects the nervous system in immediate, measurable ways. Warm colors can literally raise body temperature and energy levels. Cool colors promote calm and lower heart rate. The right shade of green reduces eye strain and promotes focus, while certain blues trigger relaxation responses that can lower blood pressure.
But color psychology isn't universal—it's deeply personal. Color and mood theory involves helping clients identify hues that energize or calm them rather than drain them individually. Some people feel restored by warm, enveloping colors. Others need the clarity of cooler tones. The key is matching color choices to each person's unique nervous system responses.
Overstimulating color combinations can create visual stress that manifests as physical fatigue. Understimulating palettes can feel depressing and energy-draining. The most supportive interiors find the sweet spot—engaging enough to feel alive, calm enough to be restorative. Uniquely - Tara Felice Interiors is talented at curating patterns that can have similar effects.
Tara’s Personal Story: Healing Through Environmental Awareness
Tara Engelberg's path to founding Tara Felice Interiors began with a profound realization about the connection between physical spaces and physical wellbeing. During her battle with breast cancer, she became acutely aware of how different environments affected her energy levels and healing capacity.
This experience sparked a deeper investigation into how interior design affects not just mood, but actual physical vitality. "I realized that our environments are either feeding our energy or depleting it," she explains. "And if you're dealing with health challenges, that can make a real difference in how you feel and heal."
This understanding became the foundation of Tara Felice Interiors' approach: creating spaces that don't just look beautiful, but actively support the physical and emotional wellbeing of their inhabitants. Tara aims to design spaces that feel the most “you” as possible. She wants you to feel sentient in your space with texture and whimsy. Any time she can add a touch of vintage or a unique lighting fixture - that’s a bonus too.
The Nervous System and Spatial Calm
Your autonomic nervous system—which controls heart rate, breathing, digestion, and stress responses—responds constantly to environmental cues. Cluttered, chaotic spaces trigger fight-or-flight responses that keep the body in a state of subtle stress. Calm, organized environments promote the parasympathetic nervous system activation needed for rest, digestion, and healing.
This doesn't mean spaces need to be minimal or stark. Rich, layered interiors can feel deeply calming when they're thoughtfully organized. The key is visual coherence—when elements relate to each other harmoniously rather than competing for attention.
Professional interior designers observe that clients often report sleeping better, digesting food more easily, and feeling less anxious after creating more visually coherent spaces. These aren't placebo effects—they're physiological responses to environments that support rather than stress the nervous system.
Texture and Tactile Energy
The materials we surround ourselves with affect us through touch, sight, and even subconscious associations. Natural materials—wood, stone, cotton, wool—often feel more energizing and comforting than synthetic alternatives. This isn't just aesthetic preference; it's a deep, evolutionary response to materials that have supported human life for millennia.
Rough textures can feel stimulating and grounding. Smooth surfaces might feel calming or, alternatively, cold and unwelcoming. Soft textiles invite touch and create psychological comfort that translates to physical relaxation. The most supportive spaces layer different textures in ways that provide both visual interest and tactile comfort.
Memphis interior decorators working with wellness-focused clients pay particular attention to textile choices. Natural fibers breathe better, feel more comfortable against skin, and age in ways that add character rather than appearing worn. These seemingly small details can significantly affect daily comfort and energy levels.
Proportion and Scale
Rooms with good proportions feel inherently supportive, while spaces with awkward dimensions can create subtle stress. Ceilings that are too low feel oppressive; those that are too high can feel intimidating or cold. Furniture scaled appropriately to room size creates visual harmony that translates to psychological comfort.
This is why some rooms immediately feel "right" while others never quite work, regardless of how much money is spent on furnishings. The underlying proportions either support human comfort or work against it.
Interior designers in Memphis increasingly use proportion as a diagnostic tool. When clients report feeling uncomfortable in a space, examining scale relationships often reveals the issue. A room might need larger furniture to feel grounded, or smaller pieces to feel less crowded. Windows might need different treatments to balance their size with the room's other elements.
Sound and Acoustic Energy
The acoustic quality of a space profoundly affects how energizing or draining it feels. Hard surfaces that reflect sound create environments that can feel harsh and stimulating in negative ways. Soft materials that absorb sound create acoustic comfort that allows the nervous system to relax.
This is particularly important in open-plan homes, where sound bounces between hard surfaces and creates constant low-level stress. Adding textiles, upholstered furniture, and other sound-absorbing elements can transform an energetically draining space into a supportive one.
The absence of sound matters too. Spaces that feel too quiet can seem lifeless, while those with appropriate ambient sound feel more alive and comfortable.
Creating Restorative Environments
The most supportive interiors actively restore energy rather than simply avoiding draining it. This might mean positioning seating to take advantage of natural light, incorporating plants that purify air while adding life to a room, or creating quiet zones where the eye and mind can rest.
Water features add negative ions and masking sound that can improve mood and focus. Natural materials provide subconscious comfort that supports relaxation. Views of nature—whether through windows or in artwork—have been shown to lower stress hormones and promote healing.
Professional interior designers increasingly think about homes as environments for restoration, not just activity. This means creating spaces that help inhabitants recharge from the stresses of daily life rather than adding to them.
Seasonal Energy and Adaptive Spaces
Your energy needs change with seasons, weather, and life circumstances. The most supportive interiors can adapt to these shifting needs through flexible lighting, moveable furniture, and seasonal textiles.
In winter, warmer colors and textures might feel more supportive. In summer, lighter, cooler elements might be more energizing. The ability to adjust a space's energy through simple changes—different pillows, adjusted lighting, rearranged furniture—keeps environments responsive to human needs.
Sleep and Restorative Design
Bedroom design particularly affects energy levels, as poor sleep quality impacts every aspect of physical and mental wellbeing. Bedrooms that feel chaotic, overstimulating, or uncomfortable prevent the deep rest needed for physical restoration.
Interior decorators in Memphis, TN report that bedroom redesigns often produce the most noticeable improvements in clients' daily energy levels. Creating environments that promote restful sleep—through appropriate lighting, calming colors, comfortable textures, and organized layouts—can transform not just nighttime rest but daytime vitality.
The most restorative bedrooms feel like sanctuaries: calm, comfortable, and disconnected from the stresses of daily life. This doesn't mean they're boring or sterile—they're environments carefully calibrated to support rest and restoration.
The Long-term Impact (Hint: It’s good for you.)
Living in energetically supportive environments has cumulative benefits. Better sleep, lower stress levels, improved mood, and greater daily comfort all compound over time, contributing to better overall health and life satisfaction.
Conversely, spaces that consistently drain energy—even subtly—can contribute to chronic fatigue, low-level anxiety, and reduced resilience over time. The investment in creating truly supportive environments pays dividends in daily quality of life and long-term wellbeing.
We're beginning to understand that our homes aren't just backdrops for our lives—they're active participants in our wellbeing. The spaces we inhabit daily either support our vitality or deplete it, affect our sleep quality, influence our mood, and shape our physical comfort in ways that extend far beyond their visual appeal.
Creating energetically supportive interiors isn't about following rigid rules or expensive renovations. It's about understanding how environmental elements affect human physiology and making thoughtful choices that honor both beauty and wellbeing. In a world that often drains our energy, our homes should be places that restore it.
Memphis Interior Designers: Meet Tara Felice Interiors
Founded by Tara Engelberg after her personal experience with how environment affects healing and energy levels, Tara Felice Interiors is a Memphis Interior Designer company designing interiors and outdoor spaces that actively support physical and emotional wellbeing. Tara Felice Interiors focuses on curating spaces that restore rather than drain energy, recognizing that our physical environments profoundly affect how we feel, sleep, and thrive in our daily lives. Learn more and start your interior design journey today.