Sensory Safe Spaces

A room is never neutral. The height of a ceiling, the quality of light, the rhythm of a floor plan—these aren't just design choices. They're nervous system inputs.

Most spaces are designed for function or aesthetics. I consult on a third dimension: how a space feels to the body inside it.

This matters most for environments that serve sensitive populations—or that want to welcome them. Healthcare settings. Retreat centers. Festivals. Workplaces that want people to actually be present.

What I Offer

Site Consultations

I walk your space and deliver a report on flow, sensory load, rest zones, and regulation opportunities.

Design Collaboration

For architects, producers, and planners building something new, I consult on the somatic experience from concept through build.

Workshops

Teaching teams to see their environments through a nervous system lens.

Selected Work

Balloon River

Private Party, San Francisco

Detail of balloon clouds with LED chase lighting creating a flowing water effect

A long hallway in a comercial venue—high ceilings, hard surfaces, noise bouncing everywhere. The space needed to feel intimate, not industrial.

I designed an overhead river of illuminated balloons that ran the length of the hall. Lavender, magenta, and purple. LED strips with a slow chase effect created the sensation of water flowing overhead.

The installation did several things at once: it lowered the perceived ceiling, absorbing sound and softening the acoustics. It cast a gentle, diffused light that was easy on the eyes. And it transformed a transitional corridor into a destination—a place people wanted to linger. The effect was whimsy and wonder, a feeling of being held under something soft and alive.

Outdoor Meeting Space

NGO Headquarters, Nepal

Group gathered in the outdoor meeting space during a teaching session

We needed a gathering space that was outdoors but contained. Somewhere a team could meet, work, and teach without sitting in the dirt.

I designed a low bamboo wall that encircled the space—just high enough to offer seatbacks for those sitting on the ground, and to keep dust out so we could lay down tarps and carpet. The structure was cheap, fast to build, and used the bare minimum material to achieve the necessary function.

What we got was an outdoor living room. A place that felt held without being enclosed. The teaching space had its own ceiling and walls—an office that breathed.

Interested in working together?

Get in Touch