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Design Psychology is on the table today!

Rounding out our From Brain to Home series, we are joined by Amber Dunford, a former mental health clinician turned interior stylist and one of only a handful of design psychology consultants with expertise in the connection between space design and mental health. Amber spent years in private practice as a therapist before merging her passions for design and psychology by developing a college course on the relationship between the two. She joins Ashley to discuss the powerful and often underrated, correlation between our mental wellbeing and the spaces we inhabit.

Amber talks about her work as a “design psychologist”, explaining how she pulls from her background in counseling psychology to design a space. From treatment plans to client intake sessions, she understands the way a space makes her client feel as the foundation for her designs. Amber peels back the layers on our subconscious, acutely tying our childhood memories, our comforts and discomforts, and our familiarities to the ways in which we interpret our four walls. What results is an eye-opening conversation that is about so much more than interior design. It’s about our past, our emotions and the ways we interpret the world around us.

Follow Amber Dunford on Instagram.

Explore Amber Dunford’s website.

Listen to our conversation with Dr. Anjan Chatterjee

Listen to our conversation with Dr. Yvonne Jewkes

Listen to our conversation with Dr. Mariana Figueiro

Learn about The Church of Bones in Czechoslovakia

Listen to the Business of Home Podcast

Read The Great Indoors: The Surprising Science of How Buildings Shape Our Behavior, Health, and Happiness by Emily Anthes

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On the Table with Ashley is presented by Âme Atendre, a luxury home goods and tableware brand with a mission to connect people to all that matters.

If you have ideas for new episodes or guests, or just want to share feedback, email us at [email protected].