PERSONALIZATION THROUGH EMOTIONAL DESIGN
At Studio Thomas, we believe your home should feel like you, a space where your unique personality and lifestyle are reflected in every thoughtful detail. Our ethos is rooted in intentional living and emotional design. In this blog, we will explore why personalization in a home isn’t just a design choice, it’s essential to creating an environment that feels meaningful.
The best homes are layered — not just with things, but with meaning. As Kristen Thomas says, “You should live with things you love, all the time.” A home should reflect the people who live inside them, and tell their story through each intentional detail. Design is innately emotional. For example, when you look at a piece of art and you feel connected to it, it’s more than admiration, it stirs something deeper. Kristen explains,
“When you look at a piece of art and it connects with you on an emotional level, that’s a state of calmness, a state of happiness, a state of feeling safe in your environment. It is a state of wellbeing.”
This is the feeling we strive to create in every space we design. We collaborate closely with artisans to bring this vision to life - choosing not just what’s aesthetically pleasing, but what’s meaningful to our clients. We admire unique perspectives of artists like Dammon, Sunny, and Monica — each with their own way of seeing the world. At Studio Thomas, we are always looking at different artists who can create emotionally connecting pieces.
“Art is such a cool thing—it’s an individual’s rendition of how they see the world.”
Personalization doesn’t need to be loud, but it should always leave a lasting impression. Some of our favorite types of personalization have included:
A shadow box of baby clothes in No. 026, preserving an early chapter for this family
A commissioning painting of the building where a couple first met
A reupholstered heirloom chair, passed down from our client’s parents
We often treat mirrors as a form of artwork. In project No. 022, we layered different shapes across the home—placing a shield-shaped mirror above the bed in the primary bedroom to anchor the room with elegance, and another in the back entry to create a moment of unexpected depth. Bathrooms, of course, are a natural home for mirrors, but we always aim to go beyond utility—using scale, shape, and placement to elevate them as design features. Our approach to mirrors was recently featured in Living Etc, where we shared how reflection can add both beauty and emotional resonance, bringing light, depth, and a quiet moment of stillness into a space.
These are quiet gestures, but are deeply meaningful to our clients. Each detail like these creates a home that is profoundly theirs. As Kristen often says, “We’re always looking for ways to add depth in an artistic way.”
Emotional design isn’t about the accumulation of things, but rather the curation of them. We believe in layering a space with objects that matter and are full of meaning. This is what brings humanity into a home. One of Kristen’s favorite quotes is, “The elegance of selection, not of accumulation,” and is a philosophy we design by. A home should feel like a snapshot of you: your memories, values, and aspirations.
“Your home should tell the story of who you are, and be a collection of what you love.”
So, what does your home say about you? Take a moment to reflect: what are the objects or memories that make you feel most at home? What stories do you want to tell? At Studio Thomas, we believe design should reflect your life - because the best design isn’t seen, it's felt.