Designing with Heart: When Tones, Textures and Scents Turn Spaces into an Intimate Act of Self-Care That Reconnects Us with Who We Are and Who We Long to Become.
By Diana Stjepandić
Hoylunes- There’s a moment, after a long day, when the front door clicks shut and silence embraces you. The bags fall to the floor. You kick your shoes off. You breathe out – home at last. It’s more than walls and furniture and a roof over your head. A well-designed home can be a spa, a compass, and a silent therapist. And one of its most powerful tools is colour.
I remember the time when I moved abroad. After several months of shared flats, I had a place just for myself. It had a kitchen, a table with two chairs, and grey carpets. The building itself was old, and there wasn’t much I was allowed to do. So I painted the walls. I chose vanilla for the living room.
The ceiling was low and there was a huge tree in front of my windows, so it was always in shade. I added yellow curtains with a large floral pattern to give it some life. Two silver armchairs from IKEA, a round glass table, a bookshelf in light oak, and a second-hand sideboard I painted in reseda green. Without realising it at first, I created a minimal, mid-century space. I was quite pleased with the outcome.
But what to do with the bedroom?
I tried a pale blue first – soft and calming, like early morning skies. Or so I thought. It looked like an empty swimming pool. Take two, try olive green. This looked much better, especially with a Venetian plaster finish I somehow managed to create. Add heavy drapery to the windows, and there I had it – a quiet, soothing corner to dream in.
Colours, I came to realise, carry emotional weight. Warm tones, like my vanilla walls and flowers on the windows, have a way of gently lifting the heart. Cool tones quiet the nervous system. A few shiny items add that visual interest to the space. And beyond individual colours, it’s the harmony they create that soothes or energises our spirit. It was intuitive at the time and throughout the following years, while I was trying to create that same atmosphere wherever I moved, until the idea popped in my mind to pursue it in another way. All because I saw an ad for interior design school.
There’s a kind of magic in creating intentional spaces. Not just for me, but for other people, too.
Because I believe we all need that special moment in a day, just for ourselves. Sitting in a corner under a window with a comfy chair and a cup of coffee, reading a book. A bathroom painted a gentle pastel, making even a 10-minute shower feel like a ritual. A bedroom where lighting is low and fabrics are soft, as if the room itself whispers: “Come, lay your head down and rest”.
Interior design isn’t just about what looks good – it’s about what feels right. And it doesn’t have to be expensive. Sometimes all it takes is a rearranged shelf or a fresh coat of paint. More importantly, it takes listening to us, to that inner warrior who sometimes gets tired and needs nurturing. What colours invoke a feeling of peace? What textures remind you of home? What scent brings to mind a happy memory? In a culture obsessed with trends and perfection, we sometimes forget that our homes should be designed not to impress guests, but to support us. A home that reflects our inner world becomes a refuge. A place to pause, reflect, heal, and start new each morning. Design becomes healing when we treat it like a form of self-care, not self-display.
Of course, healing isn’t linear. A new couch can’t solve heartbreak. No wall colour can erase bad things that might have happened to you. But a home can hold you while you move through life. It can offer stability when the world feels chaotic, and slowly help restore your joy. There will be days
when you can’t face the world. But take a look around you, this place you made your own. A place
that was a blank canvas once and is now a shelter that keeps you safe, where every little thing has an origin and a purpose, just like you. It’s smiling at you, quietly encouraging you to go on.
In the end, design isn’t just about space. It’s about the soul. Our homes can do so much more than shelter us. They can remind us who we were, who we are, and who we’re becoming. They can support us through the hardest seasons and help bring joy back into our lives, one quiet moment at a time. Like good friends who are always there for us. Let them be that.
Diana Stjepandić: Owner / Interior designer (D S design studio)
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