Calm Living: Simple Design Transformations to Fill Your Spaces with Tranquility
At the start of the pandemic, I decided that it was time to write my first book. After practicing design and innovation for over a decade, and teaching design thinking workshops and webinars to thousands of people, I knew it was time to put everything together in a book so that people could have their very own design handbook at home.
My first book, Calm Living, is a guide to making simple design changes to feel more inspired, clear, and energetic. To accompany and “activate” the book, I founded the lifestyle company Airis Mer to help individuals and companies transform their spaces into the most calm and productive environments using proven design methods and practices I outline in Calm Living.
The book is rooted in design thinking and the content inspired by my many years of experience as a designer. After graduating from the Stanford design school, I became a design consultant for Fortune 500 companies, and built centers for innovation and creativity around the world. I’ve studied how different environments, cultures, norms, and rituals foster deliberation and calm. My conclusion is that there is no single aesthetic of calm, but there are underlying principles that can empower anyone to create spaces that bring out the best in themselves and others.
In this book, I introduce you to these foundational principles of designing a calm space — whether it’s a small apartment, an office, or a large house. My goal is to help you create spaces that offer peace and clarity (even amid chaos), enable your mind to flow, and give you room to learn and grow effortlessly. It isn’t about sparse white rooms where everything is in its place; it is about filling your space with intention. Calm is not static.
Calm Living distills these principles in a practical and inspiring guide that offers easy-to-follow tips and exercises. I reveal how to use light, color, sound, furniture, and more to make simple, intentional changes for a profound impact on your mind, body, and spirit. It’s a lovely self-purchase or gift for creatives, design enthusiasts, at-home workers, and anyone looking for simple, proven ways to design a soothing space.
Please follow Airis Mer on Instagram for design resources and inspiration for calm living (and working), and subscribe to the newsletter for upcoming workshops and events. I’ll be sharing exciting announcements and offerings for activating your calm at home and at work in the coming months!
Calm Living is available for Pre-Order now (Release Date: March 2023).
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