Deconstructing High-End Rooms Using Real-Life Recipes for Intentional Living

In this week’s Glow-Down, I selected a design featured on the Arch Digest Instagram account by NoNo Studio. This space is a master class in balance, warmth and intentional design, leaning into an Organic Modern theme with a Mid-Century influence.

Image by NoNo Studios via Arch Digest Instagram

Now let’s break it down so you can recreate this look in your home.

The Foundry Formula: Step by Step

Step 1: Clearing Space

This room makes excellent use of negative space through:

· White, mostly bare walls create visible openness and breathability

· Thin-leg chairs and a pedestal table allow for air flow at ground level

The spaces we don’t fill speak just as clearly as the spaces we do fill. Intentionally using space to amplify your style is great for people tend to lean toward minimalism or prefer less visual busyness.

Step 2: Color Curation

The color palette is simple but deeply intentional.

· Warm wood tones and creamy whites form the foundation, creating an inviting, organic feel.

· Shades of green layer in softness and contrast.

This space is a clear illustration of using color intentionally in an otherwise neutral space. Shades of green prevent this space from becoming monotonous without overwhelming the senses.

Step 3: Foundational Furniture

The foundational furniture here centers around the dining set.

· A round pedestal table introduces movement into an otherwise linear room.

· Open-back woven chairs bring in texture and a sense of casual ease.

· A solid wood sideboard and boxy storage unit quietly ground the space- seen in the background.

Mixing pieces that feel “heavy” and “light” is one of the oldest tricks in the book for balancing a room. Looking at the selection of furniture here, we see our “heavier” pieces anchored to the wall, and our “lighter” pieces front and center, maintaining visual flow.

Step 4: Tangible Textiles

In this space, texture is layered with subtlety and intention.

· An oversized paper lantern floats above, softening the ceiling’s visual weight.

· Woven chairs and a deep green rug add natural texture underfoot, grounding the room without overwhelming it.

Texture is important for softening a space both visually and in the tactile sense. It can be helpful to add textiles in layers, one at a time, noticing along the way what adds balance and what starts to feel like “fluff.” Pun intended.

Step 5: Luminous Lighting

While much of the lighting in this room remains just out of frame, what we can see speaks volumes.

· Natural light is clearly doing the heavy lifting, flooding the space with a golden glow.

· The paper lantern overhead offers a diffused, ambient wash.

· A simple white globe sconce adds just enough eye-level glow to carry the space into evening.

Break lighting into categories: natural, ambient, task and accent, and introduce a mix of these into your space to create a balanced overall light-scape. This creates variety and balance, allowing for flexibility of mood and function.

Step 6: Artful Decoration

Art and decor in this space are intentionally understated, enhancing the room’s tone without pulling focus or interfering with functionality.

· A stone vase holds a loose spray of branches- an organic gesture that adds movement and life.

· A low-profile ceramic bowl offers subtle contrast and form.

· To the right, a tonal framed artpiece leans casually against the cream wall, adding quiet dimension without demanding attention.

· Just above the built-in storage, a clay pitcher sits on an open shelf- a nod to the space’s grounded, earthy aesthetic.

Art and décor should be meaningful to you. Collect slowly as you feel connections to shape, color, texture, message and mood.

Step 7: Elemental Magic

This space is a conversation between the elements of Air and Earth- literally and symbolically.

· Air: White walls, paper pendant, and open-frame furniture- all contributing to a sense of breathability and ease.

· Earth: Woven textures, warm woods, and natural branches in a stone vase.

The use of natural elements in our home, even through symbolic representation, can profoundly impact our mood and nervous system. Think about how you want to feel in your body and bring those elements into the home- physically or symbolically- to harness a little of nature’s magic.