🌿 Designing Homes and Workspaces That Support Neurodiverse Minds

Because our environments should help us feel seen, safe, and supported, not overstimulated.

Have you ever walked into a space and felt instantly calm… or completely overwhelmed?
For many neurodiverse people, and honestly, for most of us at some point, our surroundings can make a huge difference to how grounded, focused, and inspired we feel.

Neurodiversity is a hot topic these days, and for very good reason.
We’re finally recognising that every brain works differently, and that’s something to celebrate, not fix. Understanding neurodiversity helps us create homes, schools, and workplaces that are more inclusive, calming, and supportive for everyone, not just those with a diagnosis.

In my 10-week Wellbeing Interior Design Course, we explore this deeply in the Wellbeing Module. It’s one of my favourite weeks, because it’s where design and humanity truly meet. This is where we look beyond “pretty interiors” and ask-

👉How does this space make me feel?
👉Does it support my mind and my nervous system, or does it drain me?

Over the years, I’ve worked with several clients whose families include children or adults with neurodiverse challenges, including autism, ADHD, sensory processing differences, and anxiety. What I’ve learnt is that small, thoughtful design changes can make a world of difference. It’s never a one-size-fits-all approach; it’s about tuning into each person’s unique sensory and emotional needs, and helping their environment become a source of comfort, not stress.

Because neurodiversity isn’t about labels, it’s about honouring difference. We all experience the world through our own sensory lens, and a truly nurturing home or workspace adapts to that.

So today, I’m sharing my top 5 design tips, a 10-step guide to creating a neurodiverse-friendly environment, and a few daily wellbeing habits you can use to keep your space, and your mind. in balance.

🌸 Top 5 Design Tips for Neurodiverse-Friendly Homes & Workspaces

1. Soften the Senses

Light, sound, and texture all impact how we feel.
Use soft lighting (avoid harsh overheads), natural textures, and gentle colours to create sensory calm. Layers of light, like a dimmable desk lamp or salt lamp, can transform how you feel in a room.

2. Create Calm Corners

Even if you love vibrant energy, everyone needs a little retreat.
Add a small nook or chair for quiet moments, a reading corner, meditation spot, or even a cosy seat by a window. It’s your pause button in the day.

3. Bring Nature In

Plants, natural light, and biophilic materials like wood, stone, and linen reduce stress and increase focus.
Even a small potted fern or a vase of garden cuttings can help us reconnect with nature’s slower rhythm.

4. Colour for Comfort

Colour has a powerful effect on our emotions. That's why I have always loved colour.
Soft greens and blues soothe; yellows uplift; pinks and corals nurture. Choose what feels good to you, not just what’s trending. Your palette should feel like a deep breath out and personal to you.

5. Design for Choice & Control

The ultimate form of wellbeing is autonomy.
Allow flexibility, adjustable lighting, moveable furniture, and quiet options (like noise-cancelling headphones or soft furnishings to absorb sound). The ability to adapt our space supports emotional regulation and creativity.

So that is my top 5 design tips, but how do we create a space that suits our neurodiverse brains?  Let's have a look in more detail and step by step.

🌿 10 Steps to Create a Neurodiverse Home or Workspace

Remember - we’re all unique, so tweak these steps to suit you. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s ease, comfort, and flow.

1. Observe
   Spend a week noticing what feels good (and what doesn’t) in your space. Pay attention to your energy, focus, and mood in different areas.

2. Declutter with Compassion
   Release what no longer supports you. Don’t rush, this is about creating space for calm, not minimalism for its own sake. I am definitely not a minimalist as I love my things around me, they bring me joy, connection and tranquillity.

3. Define Zones
   Create distinct areas for rest, focus, creativity, and connection. This helps your brain know what to expect in each space. Every space should be working for us, not the other way around!

4. Light the Way
   Use natural light whenever possible. Add warm, layered lighting for evenings or focus work.

5. Sound Soothing
   Notice noise triggers - ticking clocks, buzzing lights, traffic. Use rugs, curtains, or gentle background music to soften the space.

6. Choose Calming Colours
   Pick tones that comfort and ground you. Test samples and notice how you feel around them before committing. You may find it's the same colours you chose and have in your wardrobe!

7. Add Texture & Touch
   Think about how your space feels under your hands and feet, smooth, soft, cosy, natural. Texture brings emotional comfort. Again, check your wardrobe for textures you already love.

8. Bring in Nature’s Balance
   Add plants, flowers, wooden elements, or nature-inspired art. They remind us to breathe and reduce toxins in the air we breathe, too.

9. Personalise & Empower
   Display items that tell your story - artwork, quotes, objects from nature. It helps you feel seen and anchored. As I have said many times before, this is your space, it is an extension of your uniqueness and personality. It should reflect this.

10. Check the Flow
    Walk through your space. Does it flow easily? Do you feel supported? Make small tweaks until your space feels like a friend, not a critic. This is so important as this can cause blocks in our way of movement and thinking, causing frustration and more!

Like all of these things in life, whether it's exercise or diet, we can not achieve our goals without the right mindset. Creating positive mindsets and habits is key to all we do, including our home and work spaces.

🌼 5 Daily Habits for a Neurodiverse - Friendly Home & Mind

These little rituals help maintain calm and focus every day-

1. Morning Light Reset - open curtains, step outside, or sit near a window to balance your body clock.

2. Mini Reset Moments - pause every few hours for a sensory break: stretch, breathe, sip water, look at something green.

3. Tidy with Intention - a 5-minute tidy-up can reset the nervous system. Think of it as clearing energy, not chores.

4. Sound, Scents & Silence - play gentle sounds, light a candle (if you enjoy scent), or take a moment of quiet reflection.

5. Evening Wind-Down - dim lights an hour before bed, turn off screens, and let your space signal safety and rest. Our bodies and brains are very clever and pick up on the messages we are sending them. So creating an evening routine and getting a great night's sleep is also key to managing what we do every day.

💚 Final Thoughts

Creating a home or workspace that supports neurodiverse minds isn’t about rules; it’s about responding to your own needs.
When we design with care, curiosity, and flexibility, our spaces become gentle companions that help us flourish.

If this topic speaks to you, we dive much deeper into it inside my 10-week Wellbeing Interior Design Course, where we explore sensory design, emotional connection, and how to create spaces that truly nurture you.

Your space has the power to heal, inspire, and remind you who you are.
Let it be your sanctuary.

🌿 Ready to Design a Space That Truly Feels Like You?

Join my 10-week Online Wellbeing Interior Design Course - a creative, heart-led journey that helps you reconnect with your home and design spaces that calm, comfort, and inspire. We’ll explore colour, pattern, flow, and emotional wellbeing - including a full module on supporting neurodiverse minds and creating environments that work for everyone in your home.

✨Find out more and join the next course here →