Sensory positive home: VIsual considerations
This is the fourth ‘Sensory Positive Home’ post to guide you through creating a neurodivergent-friendly home. If you have sensory issues, your home has a big impact on your wellbeing. The way your home looks, feels, sounds and smells is really important, and it’s crucial for the rooms in your home to support the way you need to feel and behave in those spaces. The right interior design decisions will give you a home that reduces overwhelm, is uplifting, and provides a place of retreat for you to regulate and be your best self.
This week we are looking at the visual impact of your decor. There is a bell-curve of comfortable sensory input, with the neurotypical population sitting in the middle. Neurodivergent people are more likely to be on the extreme ends of this scale – either under-responsive (sensory seeking) or over-responsive (sensory avoidant) to sensory input.
At one end of the scale we have visual complexity: this is a busy interior, lots of things to look at, lots of visual stimulation, maximalist, rich or vibrant. This could be energising to visual Sensory Seekers but overwhelming to visual Sensory Avoiders.
At the other end of the scale we have visual simplicity: this is a sparse interior, fewer things to look at, reduced contrast, minimalist, soft or muted. This could be soothing to visual Sensory Avoiders but draining to visual Sensory Seekers.
Note that I haven’t described these interiors in term of the emotion they elicit, because to a Sensory Seeker a vibrant interior might counter-intuitively be calming and help their nervous system regulate, whereas to a Sensory Avoider a neutral interior might counter-intuitively allow them to feel joyful and upbeat.
The take-home is that there is no one rule for how to decorate a room to be sensory-positive for neurodivergent people, but the perfect room is likely to be one extreme or the other. Middle-ground rooms are unlikely to suit a neurodivergent person, they will be simultaneously draining and overwhelming and lack the stimulation or tranquility needed!
A note on existing studies:
There is a relatively well-known study about the best colours and interior features for autistic brains – but I urge you to take this with a pinch of salt. It contains advice like avoiding corridors where an autistic person might feel encouraged to run and therefore be difficult to control – i.e. making an environment which supports the needs of carers, regardless of the autistic joy they might be denying. Any research for autistic people should be centred around the autistic experience. The simple truth is you need to understand your own Sensory Profile to make an interior which brings you joy. I have written about colour psychology before, and I will be writing more about colour for neurodivergent wellbeing in an upcoming blog so make sure to check back soon!
Visual ideas for sensory-seekers:
Use contrast to create focal points. This is a useful trick for more maximalist spaces where there might be a lot going on. Contrast between light and dark or bold and muted makes a feature of something. Use it to create rhythm and places for the eye to rest, rather than all-over equal-impact which can feel chaotic.
Tame your colour palette. If you have a scheme with lots of different colours, this needs tonality to avoid it looking messy. Choose up to 3 hero colours which will appear in multiple tones (lighter, darker, muted, vibrant) throughout the room. This should be about 80-90% of your decor. You can then layer other colourful accents over this.
Natural light and fresh air are also really important for your wellbeing and dopamine levels. To make the most of natural light, ensure you don’t block your windows by buying curtains poles that are too short – they should be around 1.5x the width of your window so that you have room to stack back your curtains. If you are a Sensory Seeker and you have a room without a lot of natural light or with cool-north-facing light, painting the window reveal yellow can make the light that does come in feel sunnier!
Having things in your home that are meaningful to you will create an uplifting environment to be in. The trick is to do this without creating clutter, which can be visually overwhelming! Give special objects space to breath to create a focal point rather than a mish mash. For example, collections are best displayed in a single layer so that you can create visual rhythm, rather than in a deep display cabinet which reads as a single visual lump. If you don’t have a lot of room, consider a shelf above head-height all the way around the room.
Meaningful objects displayed in a single layer
Visual ideas for sensory-avoiders:
You don’t have to forgo all the interesting bits to reduce the overwhelm in your living space! Beautiful patterns are essential for creating an uplifting interior – personally I love patterns inspired by nature which show the mark of the maker, such as block printing or crewel embroidery. Using plain colour on every surface – walls, sofas, curtains, rugs, etc – makes a ‘colour blocked’ interior which can be quite visually harsh. Using patterns and decorative details soften the look.
Use a tonal colour scheme and add interest with different materials and textures. Low-sensory input doesn’t have to be beige, it just has to be low-contrast. Tap into colour psychology and use a colour that makes you really happy, calm, energised or relaxed (however you need to feel in that room). Then use different shades of this same colour throughout. Be mindful of avoiding accidental high-contrast such as a white ceiling against a darker coloured wall.
Used diffused and indirect lighting. Opal glass bulbs are much better than Edison bulbs if you are sensitive to light, as they diffuse the light and they don’t produce hectic shadows if you have something like a rattan or patterned lampshade. Picture lights are a good indirect lighting option, as are directional spotlights shining towards a feature such as a fireplace or bookcase.
Make sure your storage matches the amount of stuff you have. It’s all very well saying, “I’m going to be a super tidy minimalist!” but if you have executive function difficulties it’s very difficult to live up to that. True minimalism means living with only what you need, but if you have lots of Stuff you will need lots of Storage which isn’t hard to use, in order to keep your home serene. Features such as reeded glass cupboard doors can be really helpful if you struggle with ‘out-of-sight, out-of-mind' but also struggle with visual overload.
Reeded glass cabinet and tonal colour scheme
Are you a visual sensory seeker or avoider? How has that impacted you interior choices? Let me know in the comments or over on Facebook. If you’d like support making your home more neurodivergent-friendly, please get in touch!