Did you know that we spend 90% of our time in buildings… either sleeping, entertaining, eating, or, more recently, working remotely? Therefore, our quality of life is directly impacted by the design of our domicile. Designing healthy environments and bringing longevity and well-being to our built environment is critical.
My wife Nancy and I are architects specializing in wellness design and regularly integrate health-minded design strategies constantly into our own homes. This one is located within the Hotel des Artistes on 67th Street in Manhattan, steps away from Central Park West.
Wellness design has become our ‘signature design style’ where we integrate the following criteria:
- abundant natural light,
- natural ventilation,
- HEPA air filtration,
- acoustic mitigation,
- spa bedroom suite, and
- biophilia integration
- healthy natural materials
After watching our children grow up in the Hotel des Artistes, we sold our Loft to Damon Horowitz, a Columbia professor and former Google executive who practices a healthy lifestyle. He hired us to convert the 3-bedroom into a “Philosopher’s Loft,” integrating his extensive library and his passion for music. He appreciated the wellness design features and requested that we further tune up the master bedroom suite to provide complete black-out at night. We also added a HEPA air filter that provides “white noise” in addition to the air filtration, which drowns-out city noise, further enhancing a good night’s sleep.
The apartment recently received a green makeover by a horticulturist, Summer Rayne Oakes. This edited video captures the “power of nature.” How is it that nature enhances our well-being? Is it our harmonious natural balance with nature or an associative psychological benefit? We are not sure of the exact scientific evidence, but its impact on our human body is undeniable. Let’s join Damon and Summer for a journey thru the Loft, where Summer will add a layer of biophilia to bring additional “well-being” to this healthy home.
Read Wellness Architecture and Interior Design: The Rumson Residence
