Sensory design begins with understanding what works for you and for your family personally as we all have sensory needs to be met. Many families are a combination of both Neurodiverse and Neurotypical minds. Neurodiverse loved ones, have a heightened awareness to their sensitivities and find it more challenging to filter sounds, smells, visual stimulation, touch and taste.

Throughout this series of Sensory Home top tips, I'll be sharing with you some areas of sensory design that are regular topics of discussion and questions `I am often asked.

We'll cover subjects such as, zoning and layouts, use of light, scent and sound. Ways to work with colour and pattern, also general home practices by room that aid sensory living.

Modern day homes present the opportunity for families to live together, in more open plan areas. This works well for utilising the space and natural light available. However, open plan living presents other challenges that some may find difficult to regulate themselves in.

Neurodiverse Adults and Children, can live with quite chaotic and busy minds. Often flitting from one thought or action to another, or being frozen into inaction as its hard to focus. When an environment is overstimulated, without designated zones fit for purpose, it can spiral heightened sensitivity.

Picture a family needing to use a living space, all at the same time. There may be young children wishing to craft and play with toys, teenagers chilling on the sofa listening to music but getting irritated by the noise of siblings, and then parents trying to catch up with work, organising life administration and getting ready to prepare meals, or they just simply need some down time to unwind. Creating calm in the chaos, helps us to individually regulate all this sensory input.

Sensory design in a home is vital to meet these needs, so learning ways to create and control our home environment is key to managing how we feel in it. There are several ways we can do this and it can be cost effective. If you are currently in renovation stages and can design with sensory consideration at the outset thats great and could save you having to rejig things later, but most families are already living in homes that are already finished that they own or rent. So using daily household items, furniture, and purchasing with more understanding for our home, means you can easily make positive changes without to much hassle.

There's a time and place for everything. This series begins with Zoning, so... Lets get in the ZONE!

Could shelving be more useful?

Shelving can be used as non-solid walls, creating storage and display space but equally zoning two separate activities, such as Rest and Focus, Eating and Play.

Rather then placing them parallel to a wall, try putting them perpendicular, fixed securely so they stand into the room, for a shallow, see through divider . Shelving display units are available in so many styles, sizes and finishes such as, modular, angled, horizontal, vertical, wall hung or floor standing.

Keep displays streamline and orderly to avoid a cluttered look. Shelves can also be used to position indoor plants on and well placed, considered scents for your home. Scent can evoke very strong emotions and set the tone of a room, we'll discuss more on this later in the series.

Can colour zoning divide my space?

The use of colour to create zones is extremely quick and effective. Using the correct tone of colour in a Neurodiverse household is also vital. This will vary from home to home but it's advised to decorate in a mid tone- across the colour spectrum. Solid colour saturation is highly stimulating and lighter saturation is more soothing. Solid colour creates stronger contrasts and is high energy, whereas lighter tones create a more blended palette, and this is calming and lower energy. Shapes we create with paint zoning are also an important consideration. A Neurodiverse mind is more at ease with softer, organic shapes like curves rather than hard line edges or geometric edges.

Do you just need a moment?

Creating zone 'moments' helps channel individual focus, and provide that much needed thinking space. Somewhere free from charging points and devices and away from the main activities and walk through areas of the home. In these areas it's good to have items nearby that you find inspiring, making you feel happy and help you switch off from the normal day to day.

Flexibility is key to Zoning! Light and easy to reposition furniture that can double up with dual purposes, for example - seats with inner storage, a small Side table that can also be a foot rest or somewhere to place a dimly lit, rechargeable able lamp with no trailing cables.

The use of side/smaller coffee tables is very helpful as opposed to a main large centre table. Not only is there more to go around for sharing, they can be positioned to create walkways through a room. Being smaller in size means even a nest of 3 can be easily stored in between furniture and used from room to room as needed. Helpful for when the main dining table is being used for hobbies, homework or eating!

Nature knows best!

There is a deep connection between nature and our sensory wellbeing! this connection is hugely important to include in our homes. Plants not only look beautiful and provide a softening edge to any room, they also keep our environments and us healthy! Granted not everyone has the green finger touch but with so many varieties of minimum care air plants and succulents, there is a plant for your home too! However, even if that still a no for you, artificial plants create a similar effect and natural vibe to a space with the benefits of feeling like your bringing the outside in.

House plants and trees provide a perfect zoning solution for every room. They can also be used to break up display areas, create the divide between Kitchen/dining and lounge and family rooms. positioned in pots, floor standing, shelves, mantels, window cills and even hung in showers. With countless sizes, shapes and colours out there, could you create a space for 'at least' one in each main area of your home?

How can I make the furniture work better for us?

Lets talk about furniture positioning. Do you feel compelled to have your sofa up against a wall? In some homes this may be necessary, however, this can naturally create a 'void space' in the centre of a room, and when positioning furniture in your home, try to move away from the walls where possible, bringing sofa's/armchairs into the room. If you must position furniture against the wall, try considering a chaise style or corner sofa as these automatically help you zone the lounge area. A flexible option is also to have a straight sofa but with a movable foot pouffe that compliments it, this is easier to move around as needed.

Being flexible with your furniture opens up new opportunities, such as using a sofa in the centre of a room with a console table positioned back to back with it. This creates an entirely new space behind it.

There is no doubt that zoning also maximises the use of our homes, no matter what the size.

This can also be achieved by creating 'areas' using RUGS! For example, a rug positioned under a table, automatically creates more of a considered dining experience, an area with a purpose to step into. Sensory needs are also met here by having something textured and natural under foot to sit with. Where possible always go with the biggest rug you can manage in the space, positioning furniture on it rather than next to it. Rugs are an anchor in a room. We will discuss Rugs and positioning in much more detail through this series.

Whats coming next?

The use of LIGHT in our homes has a direct impact on how we feel. We can create zones using light by managing the shadows we create! In Part 2 of this series we will discuss Light and ways we can use it flexibly in our homes to be considerate of our sensory living.

If you have any questions and would like to talk through your own Sensory Home journey,

please contact me via my website, I'm here to help!