How to Use Interior Design to Create a Healing Space

These restful, rejuvenating rooms by a psychotherapist-turned-interior designer — and the science-backed tips they illustrate — will inspire you to make your own living spaces more restorative.

By: Lauren Oster

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Photo By: Adam Murphy

The Art and Science of Creating Supportive Spaces

There’s a just-so aura of warmth and ease that emanates from the professional spaces we visit to unpack our feelings, both in real life and Hollywood’s versions of real life — think of the iconic, curved wood paneling and creamy vintage area rug, for example, in the fictional analyst Dr. Melfi’s office in The Sopranos. That’s no accident: Sigmund Freud himself advised fellow practitioners to think about their spaces in terms of how those spaces made their patients feel. “Flowers are restful to look at,” he once said. “They have neither emotions nor conflicts."

Tulsa designer Jill Croka has a rare skill set for cultivating healing spaces. She’s got a background in psychotherapy, and she now uses her expertise to foster comfort and confidence in non-clinical settings. What’s useful in therapists' offices can be therapeutic in our own homes — and Jill’s design work and the research that supports it are proof. Follow along for a look at some of her loveliest residential projects — and to put elements of their design to work in your rooms.

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Limit Window Coverings and Visual Distractions from Natural Scenes

Study after study has demonstrated that visual exposure to nature can increase our positive emotions, enhance our attention and even bolster our problem-solving abilities. The simplest way to reap those benefits, if you’re lucky enough to have access to a view like this one, is to get out of the way. “The black wall covering has an embossed crocodile pattern and is meant to have interest and not just a wall separating the cabinets and the window,” Jill explains. “Although I wanted the wall covering to be interesting, the desire was to make your eye travel outside, so the wall covering recedes.”

See More Photos: 10 Mental Health Benefits of Spending Time in Nature

To Style Shelves, Aim for Soft, Personalized and Orderly

When it comes to arranging and displaying books and curios we already own, focusing edits around a few key items can make all the difference. According to research from an urban planning expert and an environmental psychologist who analyzed psychotherapists’ offices, potential therapy patients prefer spaces that are soft, personalized and orderly. That principle applies when it’s time to arrange built-in shelves like these: a well-curated pastel color palette, minimalistic arrangements and evocative pieces that suggest without shouting the homeowner’s personality add up to a harmonious vignette.

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Crank Down Emotional Responses by Cranking Down the Lights

“The architecture of this house is very linear," says Jill. "I wanted to use a light that was a juxtaposition to all the severity of the lines."

“The glow of the light is very soothing.”

That soothing glow, in turn, can calm us down as we make choices. Consumer research has shown that extremely bright light can activate our “hot” emotional system and spike our responses to aggression, sexiness, even spicy foods. Turning ambient light down, in turn, can reduce the emotionality of our decision-making.

Skip High-Gloss Surfaces and Opt for Matte Finishes

To enjoy the calming effect of natural patterns like the veining in this kitchen’s spectacular island and backsplash, resist the urge to polish materials to a high shine. “Organic lines, as you see in wood and stone, when they have a matte finish, lower one’s blood pressure,” Jill explains. “They are cues our body reads from the natural world. I prefer all stone to be honed or leathered to aid in the contribution of resting our senses.”

Speaking of spit-shined surfaces, a 2012 research review of healing environments (such as healthcare facilities) found that materials with glare can quite literally be problematic for patients. In other words, you have expert permission to stop fretting about your non-dazzling floors.

Combat Stress With Flowers in the Bedroom

Here’s a strong argument for extending floral decor beyond dining and living spaces to the ones where we turn in for the night. A 2020 environmental psychology study found that viewing flowers provides automatic recovery effects — like reductions in emotion, blood pressure and cortisol release — after psychological stress. An arrangement like the one Jill perched on this sleek modern nightstand, then, is both a splash of organic beauty and part of a solid sleep hygiene routine.

Choose Lighting That Doubles As Art

This shapely alabaster column features a central LED rod that turns it into a glowing sculpture once the sun goes down. “It is the first thing you notice upon entering the room,” says Jill. The fact that it’s beautiful is just as important as the fact that it’s illuminating: Research has demonstrated that experiencing art can have a positive impact on our brain wave patterns, emotions and nervous system.

Lean Into Furniture and Accessories With Curves

Though there’s undeniable design drama in punctuating our homes with spiky, architectural pieces, scientists are discovering that we unconsciously prefer curved objects — possibly because sharp transitions in contour convey a sense of threat that would have life-or-death significance to our evolutionary ancestors. In this cozy bedroom, Jill explains, “the neutral textures (wool boucle and a woven blanket textile on the bedding) add to the sculptural quality (rounded and curvilinear) of the furnishings and create a restful space.”

Calm Down With Cool, Blue-Tinged Hues

“The stone in this principal bath is a quartzite with a lot of blues and violets,” Jill says. She chose those soothing undertones to create a sense of serenity, and studies have demonstrated their effectiveness. Italian researchers found that among six college residence halls and more than 400 students, cool, blue living spaces were linked to calmer moods and focused study. “These results can be explained considering that the color blue is often associated with openness, peace and tranquility,” they explain.

Soften Slick Surfaces With Area Rugs

The area rug Jill chose to anchor this light-filled foyer both tempers the effect of its stone floor (so visitors’ eyes have a place to rest when they step inside) and introduces the color story she tells throughout this home. “The custom wool rug was made with the blue hues in the large scale painting in the space and repeats the colors of the pool in the backyard, all creating harmony,” she says.

Find a Canvas That Makes Your Heart Sing

In terms of brain chemistry, loving art is a bit like loving other people: scientists report that both are associated with the release of dopamine. Treat yourself to the experiential pleasure of a statement piece that speaks to you — and your home itself can impart some of the positivity your friends’ company does.

Strive for Symmetry

Scientists have long known that we have a universal aesthetic preference for symmetry. Balanced visual information is relatively easy for us to understand and recall. To create a space that’s literally and figuratively easy on the eyes (like this guest suite), layer paired accessories like these angular floor lamps and rich hardwood nightstands.

Embellish Your Space in More Than One Way

Textural abstract art is lovely; textural abstract art + a sculptural vase with feathery ornamental grass and intricate wildflowers is even better; and art + vase + aerial landscape photos (in the open book on the coffee table) is fabulous. Just as we’re drawn to layered elements in individual artworks that engage our interest for a sustained period of time, we’re most pleased by interiors with varied art. “Having art that is more three-dimensional and varying in mediums is always desired and should always be considered when selecting art for a space,” Jill says.

Prioritize Natural Light

We know that our bodies use sunlight’s UVB radiation to synthesize vitamin D; we know that exposure to it can reduce our risk of myopia; and we’ve even been able to measure how much our work output improves when we’re near windows. Sunlight has a "a unique non-physical property which induces psychological wellbeing,” as researchers put it — and though we aren’t entirely sure what it is, we know that soaking it in is the simplest therapy there is.