Page 31 - Decor and Lifestyle Issue 2 2025

For some, calm comes from less. For others, Simple swaps that change lives
from texture, grounding scent, and a view of life The most transformative design ideas are often invisible.
happening just nearby. The science now supports
what empathy has always known: comfort is • Replace buzzing overheads with warm, diffused lamps.
personal, but design can help everyone find it. • Trade cold tile for cork or wood that softens footsteps.
• Add textured wall coverings that absorb echo.
Inclusive design: supporting ADHD, • Use scent intentionally — lavender for calm, citrus for focus.
autism, anxiety • Choose handles, switches, and fabrics that invite touch.
Inclusive design doesn’t mean building different
homes — it means allowing different ways of A “neurodiversity-friendly” home isn’t a specialist build — it’s a
being within them. human one.

For people with ADHD, movement helps focus. It’s about letting the nervous system rest so that personality, not
Create circulation routes that flow, not trap. Offer overwhelm, can lead the day.
a standing desk or a flexible workspace with
minimal distraction points. Designing for empathy
Design has always been about solving problems. The next
For autistic adults or children, predictability is frontier is understanding people. When we begin to see
key. That means clear layout logic, consistent neurodiversity not as exception but expression, we design better
lighting, and familiar textures. Harsh contrasts for everyone.
— like bright white next to black — can trigger
discomfort or disorientation. A calm nook helps a child with ADHD — and a parent after a long
day. Soft lighting helps someone with sensory sensitivity — and
For anxiety, light control and acoustic privacy deepens intimacy for anyone.
matter most. Dimmable lights, layered
warmth, and quiet corners can instantly Design that listens creates belonging, and belonging is the truest
reduce sensory load. form of comfort.

These principles echo the best of universal That’s what inclusive design really means. Not “different.”
design — spaces that are not clinical, but kind. Just human.