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Designing a Home Office for ADHD (or simply a Busy Mind)

🖊 (an article from the founder)

Emails are piling up, your phone won’t stop buzzing, and the to-do list feels endless. If you live with ADHD, or simply juggle the pace of a hyper-busy life, focus often feels like a luxury. But here’s the truth: the design of your environment directly shapes your ability to concentrate.

At Joline & Flo, we believe Your Space is Your Temple. And if your temple is cluttered, overstimulating, or disconnected from your needs, it will reflect in your mind.

Let’s explore how sensory design, tech wellness, and intentional interiors can help create a workspace where focus and calm coexist.

#1 Simplify the visual field

Clutter is a thief of focus. For ADHD minds, too many competing elements can become an instant distraction.

  • Furniture with clean silhouettes, creates visual calm.
  • Choose closed storage over open shelving, so objects don’t become visual noise.
  • Keep the desk surface sacred: laptop, lamp, one notebook. Nothing else.

Design Tip: A neutral rug under the desk (Rezas Nordic Collection) visually “zones” the office, creating a boundary between work and the rest of life.

📚 In case you haven’t quite caught the gist yet, but you’re a fan of Netflix shows or design books, we recommend starting with Marie Kondo’s series or her book, “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” It’s a masterclass in how simplicity shapes peace of mind.

Personally, it helped me back in 2017 clear out non-essentials, from clothes to keepsakes, even down to how I packed clothes. Some of those habits I still carry with me today. As a lifelong book lover, one of the hardest parts was letting go of books I had bought but never read. But decluttering before moving to London taught me that space holds more value when it’s intentional.

And if you don’t have time for books or shows? Just call your mom, or a cleaning service. Most moms are natural experts in decluttering, or at least mine is one!

#2 Sensory anchors for attention

ADHD brains often crave stimulation, but the right kind. Sensory design provides gentle cues that regulate mood without overwhelming. By engaging all five senses intentionally, you turn the workspace into an anchor, not a distraction.

  • Sight (Lighting): Circadian lighting (Fabbian, DCW Éditions) keeps energy aligned with your natural rhythm, bright and cool in the morning, warm and soft in the evening.
  • Touch (Texture): Velvet pillows, a wool throw, or a travertine tray offer grounding tactile feedback, creating a subtle sense of calm during restless moments.
  • Sound (Audio): A curated playlist, white noise, or a subtle water feature provides auditory rhythm, supporting flow without overstimulation.
  • Smell (Scent): Essential oils like rosemary (focus), lavender (calm), or citrus (energy) can transform the air into an invisible mood-setter. Pair with a discreet diffuser for continuous balance.
  • Taste (Rituals): Small moments of taste: herbal tea in the morning, mint, lemon water, coffee during focus blocks, anchor the body in ritual, signaling the brain to transition into or out of work mode.

Design Tip: Keep a multi-sensory kit in your office: a small diffuser, a textured object, a warm lamp, a curated playlist, and a favorite mug. Together, these create a holistic environment where your senses pull you toward focus rather than scatter you away.

#3 Integrate Tech Wellness

Smart technology can support focus by quietly taking care of the environment.

  • Air quality: Maintain clean, oxygen-rich air, which directly improves cognition.
  • Automation: Adjusts light and blinds automatically, so you’re not pulled away by micro-tasks.
  • Reminders & Rituals: Smart assistants can be programmed for “deep work” blocks, dimming lights and reducing distractions.

Design Tip: Treat your smart home not as a gadget, but as a wellness coach quietly keeping your rhythm intact.

#4 Colour Psychology & Mood

Colour is more than style, it’s an emotional cue.

  • Warm neutrals reduce overstimulation.
  • Muted greens and blues promote calm focus.
  • Rich textures (velvet, wood, wool) provide depth without noise.

Design Tip: Use color zoning: a deep green accent wall behind your desk signals “focus mode,” while neutral tones elsewhere signal relaxation.

During COVID, my own perception of colour shifted completely. I realized that even the smallest changes, swapping a blanket on the sofa, moving a lamp, layering a new colour shade pillow, had a huge effect on how I felt in my space. I found myself changing things every week: different throws, different textures. It was my way of keeping the environment fresh, playful, and emotionally alive while the world outside felt still.

Sometimes the simplest seasonal shifts can spark a surprising sense of renewal. Interior design doesn’t always need big moves; it’s often the micro-adjustments that sustain focus and joy.

Among the reasons I founded Joline & Flo is precisely this: how space affects you. My own experiences, working from beautifully designed hotel venues where focus felt effortless, where I could slip into a flow state taught me that interiors shape more than aesthetics. They shape energy, clarity, and the way we live. That’s why sensory interiors sit at the heart of my company’s philosophy.

#5 Design rituals, not just rooms

An ADHD/or simply a Busy-Mind-friendly office is more than functional furniture, it’s a ritual space.

  • Start the day by opening blinds (or letting your smart system do it).
  • Place a mug on the same tray every morning, anchoring your brain in routine.
  • End with lighting rituals: soft, warm glow signals closure and rest.

Design Tip: Pair a statement chair, or a sofa with a reading lamp. Even if the desk gets chaotic, the ritual corner offers reset.

For me, that ritual space is a blue velvet sofa with a small beige ottoman to rest my legs. After 6–7pm, I can no longer focus at the desk, the sofa signals my brain that it’s time to relax, or shift into a slower, lighter kind of work. And yet, it’s also where my day begins: in the same spot, with a coffee in hand, meditating or simply sitting in stillness. It allows me to start the day slowly before I jump into my running exercise (on a good day, even HIIT), and later, it gently guides me back into calm. One furniture piece, two rhythms, shaping the way I live.

Research shows ADHD affects about 3–4% of adults worldwide (World Health Organization). It’s linked to differences in dopamine regulation due to various reasons, which influences motivation, reward, and attention.

But even for those without a formal diagnosis, our digital, always-on culture creates ADHD-like conditions, fractured focus, restless minds, and over-stimulated nervous systems.

Environmental design is not a cure, but studies in environmental psychology show that minimalist, organized, and sensory-balanced interiors reduce stress and support executive function (Journal of Environmental Psychology, 2022).

Space is powerful, but it’s only one piece of the puzzle. To truly thrive, especially with ADHD/or with a Busy-Mind, the foundation might include:
- Medication or supplements (if prescribed, under medical supervision)
- Nutrition that stabilizes energy (balanced proteins, low sugar spikes)
- Movement & sport to regulate dopamine and serotonin
- Sleep hygiene to restore the brain’s executive functions

And if you love big spaces as I do, focus on one and keep it minimalist. Big spaces help create the impression of expanding the mind. They breathe for you when life feels too tight.

When combined with intentional interior design, big, open, clutter-free spaces become a canvas for focus. They remind you that the mind, too, has room to stretch.

At Joline & Flo, we don’t just design for beauty, we design for how you want to feel.

Because ultimately: Your Space is Your Temple 🖤

In your own practice or daily life, how have you seen interior design impact focus, wellbeing, or productivity? I’d love to hear your perspective.