At Nicola Holden Designs, our ethos is to design for wellbeing.
There is an increasing awareness that our wellness is inherently linked to many aspects of the world around us, including how we design the spaces we inhabit.
Using the four pillars of Colour Psychology, Biophilic Design, the Aesthetics of Joy, and Sustainable Design, we strive to create interiors that are healthy for both people and planet.
While we perceive colour with our eyes, its effects go much deeper. Each wavelength of coloured light stimulates a different part of our physical being, triggering a physiological response that leads to a psychological reaction.
We don’t just react to individual colours but to the entire palette within our field of vision. This is why achieving a balance of colour in a design scheme is so important—balancing cool and warm tones, contraction and expansion, sedation and stimulation, yin and yang. Without this harmony, a home might look beautiful but, for reasons you can’t quite pinpoint, it won’t feel right, leaving it unable to truly support happiness and well-being.
But colour is more than just hue (the characteristic that allows us to classify colours as red, blue, and so on). Our personal relationship with colour reflects the natural rhythms of the seasons, and it’s essential to choose tones that align with your own unique “colour personality.” Surrounding yourself with colours that clash with your natural palette can feel subtly but persistently stressful over time.
By understanding each client’s individual colour preferences, we’re able to create homes that feel balanced, harmonious, and deeply supportive of their well-being.
It’s what draws us to the crackle of a fire or the crash of waves, why a garden view can boost our creativity, and how animal companionship has such restorative and healing effects.
In today’s urban world, where technology dominates and our connection to the natural world is diminishing, biophilic design has never been more important. Scientifically proven to reduce stress, enhance creativity and focus, improve well-being, and even speed up healing, it’s essential for creating healthy spaces where we can truly thrive.
Biophilic design goes beyond simply adding plants to a space. It incorporates elements like water, breezes, natural sounds, and earthy scents, as well as colours, shapes, and patterns found in the natural world. It also considers spatial design—balancing open views with cosy, intimate areas and adding a touch of mystery to draw us in.
The result is a space that feels inspiring, restorative, and deeply supportive of our health and happiness—a place where we can feel truly at home.
Research shows that the aesthetics of joy—those qualities that shape how a space or object looks and feels—can evoke powerful emotional responses that bring joy to life.
By tapping into our subconscious, elements like colour, texture, shape, and movement transform the ordinary into something extraordinary, infusing our spaces with energy and delight.
Without joy, we may get through the day, but we’re not truly living. If we don’t laugh, feel moments of surprise, or experience freedom—if our surroundings lack vibrancy, abundance, and harmony—then even the most beautiful home can feel empty. The pursuit of joy is deeply intertwined with the essence of life itself.
At Nicola Holden Designs, we weave these aesthetics of joy into our designs to create spaces that don’t just look good but make you feel alive, happy, and truly at home.
We are increasingly mindful of where materials come from, the people and processes involved in their creation, and the impact they have on our world. With this awareness, we work closely with our clients to craft spaces that minimise environmental impact, guided by principles that we also integrate into our business practices:
We believe that designing for wellbeing and sustainability go hand in hand—creating spaces that nurture people’s health also supports the health of the planet.
Our founder, Nicola Holden, is proud to serve on the steering committee for Interior Design Declares, a collective movement of practices and suppliers advocating for transformative change in the interior design industry. Nicola frequently speaks on panels, sharing her expertise to help accelerate the shift towards regenerative design practices that benefit both people and the planet.
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