What is a Shine Healthy Home?
In the winter of 2020, we were approached by our clients and their architect to assist with a new construction residence that would provide a healthy living environment. Our client had been diagnosed with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome - a rare condition in which the body’s mast cells release an inappropriate amount of chemicals into your body, causing severe allergic reactions. In this case, one of the worst offenders was latex/rubber products. Which, in home building, is in almost everything.
So we set on a task to walk through their building process from foundation to finish as their interiors team. We built on many foundations learned in design school and through LEED and other design education regarding health and wellness in our home. It was a learning journey for each of us on the team and has inspired us to go deeper and fully develop the Shine Healthy Home concept.
Through the design process of the #FalstoneNewBuild project, we learned and established these principles that provide a foundation for our Shine Healthy Home projects.
Help to Determine Goals for Healthy Home.
Not every single harmful thing can be avoided. Chemicals make up everything and what might be harmful to you, might not be to someone else. In the #FalstoneNewBuild project, our client had been diagnosed with Mast Cell Disease—a severe autoimmune disorder that causes serious allergic overreactions. In her case, latex is the most serious , often leading to anaphylaxis, offender.
Everyone is a part. It takes a team.
It takes a team. The architect, builder, homeowner, design team, and so many other partners came together to make this project happen. Everyone had to play a part and take their role in providing health and wellness seriously. We will show examples in our series on how we worked as a team from the plan layout to the finishing touches to ensure safety and health in the home.
Ask Questions.
From paint reps, to our furniture reps, we had so many wonderful people answer our questions on “what’s in your product?” For those who wouldn’t provide answers, we passed on those and worked with those who had better transparency. We met almost every week to visit the site, review what decisions were being made and how they influenced the outcome of the project.
Learn.
Look for opportunities to learn. We requested and read Material Safety Data Sheets. Look for cues—what chemicals are you trying to avoid. At what stage are they problematic? We read and listened and continue to seek education opportunities to learn about how we can incorporate better practices into our design process.
Think of Creative Solutions.
As designers, we are trained to problem solve, and designing a healthy home is a great opportunity to stretch those skills.
Have Fun.
A positive outlook goes a long way. Don’t forget to have fun and enjoy the process. We can’t wait to show you the #FalstoneNewBuild project’s fun side.
We are going to walk you through a project and show you some practical examples of how a project can be well-designed, beautiful and HEALTHY!
-The Shine ID Studio Team