Home Therapy: Interior Design for Increasing Happiness, Boosting Confidence, and Creating Calm

Therapist turned interior designer Yokota delivers a program for turning one’s home into a “safe space” in this refreshing approach to design. As Yokota writes, “the problems we face typically begin in the home—and they can be resolved in the home.” To help create a calm and organized living space, Yokota walks readers through four “domains.” The “Individual Domain” comes first and starts with a “look inwards” to get past “limiting beliefs.” The “Organizational Domain” requires making storage solutions throughout one’s household to keep clutter at bay (Yokota suggests murphy beds and a “holding box” for odds and ends). The “Communal Domain,” meanwhile, focuses on a home’s functionality for the whole family, such as by setting up furniture in a circle to encourage conversations. And the “Renewal Domain” features tips on color psychology (warm colors are “energizing” and good for creativity) and inspiring decor (“seeing art in your home ignites your imagination”). Drawing on her roots as a therapist, Yokota also offers an “intake form” that asks readers about their homes, emotional well-being, and aesthetic preferences in order to land on a “Core Desire,” or guiding design principle. Yokota’s calming charm makes for an original approach to domestic bliss. (Dec.)