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For the final episode of From Brain to Home, we spoke with design psychologist Amber Dunford—someone who quite literally helps people think through their interiors. Her work sits at the intersection of mental health, neuroscience, and interior design. What results is not just a home that looks beautiful, but one that supports how we feel, think, heal, and connect.
Amber invites her clients to approach their homes the way a therapist might approach care: through a thoughtful intake process, followed by a custom treatment plan. She begins by asking: What do you need from this space to support your mental health? Then, like a good practitioner, she returns with a mood board and proposed design plan—attuned to nervous system regulation, sensory cues, and the unique history of each client.
When we think about designing for wellbeing, Amber’s question reframes the process: not What should this room look like? but How should this room feel—and why?
One of the most surprising findings from our conversation was just how physiological good design can be. Amber draws from studies in biophilic design, which show that natural textures, organic shapes, and elements of greenery can do more than soothe us—they can help us heal faster from pain, resolve conflicts more easily, and lower stress hormones.
She also pointed to scent as a powerful but underused design tool. Because scent is processed in the same region of the brain as memory and emotion, it’s often the fastest way to root someone in a place. A signature scent—whether floral, spicy, or mineral—can become a nonverbal way to say “welcome home.”
Amber offered a beautifully nuanced take on clutter—what she calls “maladaptive comfort.”
We often hold onto excess as a way to soothe ourselves, but she reminds us that cluttered environments replicate chaos, especially for those with unresolved stress or trauma. Our brains, she explains, are constantly scanning for threats. When a space is overfilled or disorganized, we exhaust our cognitive resources trying to make sense of it.
Curating your space doesn’t have to mean minimalism—it means choosing with care. Especially for families with children, Amber highlights that “our nervous systems regulate best when everything has a place.”
Color, Amber says, is deeply personal. Blue may feel peaceful to one person and sorrowful to another. A good designer doesn’t just follow color trends—they listen.
For energizing spaces, she recommends using colors on opposite sides of the palette. For soothing rooms, go tonal—choose hues that share a common undertone.
Lighting also plays an outsized role in how we experience our homes. As a psychologist, Amber noticed how different lighting setups affected her therapy sessions—how people opened up, withdrew, or relaxed under various conditions.Designing for the five senses, Amber reminds us, means thinking beyond the visual.
Amber ended our conversation with a gentle reminder not to lose ourselves to staging or trends. A beautiful home isn’t one that looks like a magazine—it’s one that looks like you. Her work honors that tension: how to balance curation with character, stillness with soul, beauty with lived-in memory.
As we close out this series, we’re reminded that home—at its best—is not just a reflection of our lives, but a support system for them.
