Sara Elise's Brooklyn Apartment Is Designed For Minimum Stimulation — But Maximum Joy

Coming home has a unique meaning for city dwellers. Returning to our (often very tiny) spaces is a way to disengage from the hustle and bustle outside and give our nervous systems a much-needed break.

This element of home is particularly important to Sara Elise (@saraelise333), an author, soon-to-be shop owner, and self-proclaimed pleasure doula living on the parlor floor of a brownstone in Bed Stuy, Brooklyn. "As an autistic person, I already have a wild clanging and clashing inside my head in response to the stimulation of the world around me, so I wanted to create a space that allowed me to breathe, rest, and think peacefully—a place to 'be' effortlessly," she tells mindbodygreen.

I intentionally designed my Brooklyn home space to be a serene, low-stimulation environment because I wanted a place that felt soft and slow, in contrast to how the city often feels for me.

Also, I grew up with several siblings in a bustling, chaotic household. My parents' home was beautiful—but also loud, tense, and confining. I always knew that eventually, when I was ready (and had a care team in place with enough support), I would want to live by myself in a space that felt like the opposite of that—a space that felt open, light, and free.

I love designing interiors because having agency over the choices in the design process reminds me that I have agency over the choices in my life: I can intentionally choose to create spaces (and a lifestyle) that soothes rather than activates.

I have an earth-toned palette for this space, which allows me to get really creative with textures, opacity, and shape of objects. Because my brain is super detail-oriented, maximalist design initially excites me—but eventually overwhelms me.

I realized that if I keep the color palette in more earthen browns and greens and incorporate mostly materials found in nature (oak hardwood floors, mixed metals, organic linen bedding, alpaca wool couch and pillows, etc.), then my head space feels calm and clear, and my mental health and overall well-being benefit.

Finding a [home] with so many preexisting details already built in was a real treat. I wanted to have the original aspects of the brownstone, like the wall and ceiling moldings, continue to be some of the main focal points of the space. So, I decided to keep my furniture pieces more minimal.

This also means that I can bring in beautiful temporary items (like fresh-cut flowers or handmade soaps) without making the space feel overfilled or too cluttered. These things get consumed or die, and I can change the temporary items I bring in based on my mood, the season, etc.

Yes! Just as I change my eating, I also change my home in small ways based on the season and time of year. This design practice (like most of my practices, I'm realizing) helps me feel more aligned and in flow with the rhythms found in nature.

One of the most impactful ways to bring feelings of pleasure and abundance into your home is to host a celebration for people you love.

I talk a lot about the art of hosting and gathering for celebrations in my book A Recipe for More. Creating spaces for celebration is such an essential artistic practice and ritual for me.

I always say that my home would be perfect if I could soundproof it because despite living on a one-way street and doing my best to intentionally curate a low-stimulation environment, I do still hear the sounds of the city from my front room! The young people next door coming home from school, the guys on my block riding their motorbikes, car music...

I'm very particular and picky about scent but love fresh air, so I'm sometimes in a battle with the city when the winds bring unpleasant smells my way. But I use an air purifier and often burn a variety of herbs, candles, weed, and incense to cleanse the energy in my space. If you're stopping by, you might smell onions and garlic softening in butter or olive oil since that's how most of my cooking begins.

One of the most sentimental things in my home is the milky pink mid-century modern grape clusters that I have on display.

I found them in a vintage shop with my partner when we were beginning the initial stages of creating our vintage store (again Vintage Homewares + Interiors, which will be opening this year in Brooklyn!).

I love the cartoon Steven Universe Future because (spoiler alert) it depicts a world outside of the war that the characters are fighting in the foundational plot of the series. My partner pointed out the brilliance in this writing: Usually, shows/most media depict the protagonist defeating the bully or the monster or the enemy, and then the show ends—that's it. But Steven Universe shows you how to imagine a world beyond just defeating the bully/monster/enemy/systemic structures that be. In this world, everyone can decide for themselves what they want for their lives, who they want to become, what feels like home.