A hand resting on natural material samples in raking light

Our approach

Every project begins with a person, not a palette. We read the sensory profile first, draw the home to it, and build it so the process is as calm as the result.

Listen. Draw. Build.

Listen

A deep listening session: your sensory profile, your routines, and the specific moments your current home makes hard. No diagnosis is required.

Listen

Draw

Shell Li, AIA and the team draw a complete plan: light, acoustics, materials, storage, and the flow between rooms, calibrated to the profile.

Draw

Build

White-glove design-build with trusted contractors, no bidding, one point of contact, and transition support for children while the work is under way.

Build

What we calibrate.

Light

Light

Where it enters, how it is filtered, and how it dims through the day. Light is the first thing a sensitive nervous system notices.

Sound

Sound

Acoustic felt, heavy drape, wool underfoot. A room that absorbs instead of reflects lets a mind calm down.

Texture

Texture

The finish that meets the skin: boucle, oiled oak, lime plaster. Chosen by hand, never by catalog.

Air

Air

Ventilation, temperature, and materials screened by a professional so the air itself is part of the design.

Flow

Flow

How rooms connect, where decompression lives, where a routine begins and ends. The plan is the quietest instrument we have.

Flexibility is part of the design.

For clients with a PDA profile, we intentionally build flexibility and choice into the design process. For nonverbal children and other clients navigating a move, we provide complimentary social stories. Consultations are offered in English and Chinese Simplified.

PDA-sensitive design process
A craftsman smoothing lime plaster

Then we build it, quietly.

Skip the bidding process by working with our trusted affiliated contractors. The designer acts as project manager throughout, coordinating directly with contractors, building management, and community requirements so the project comes to life with minimal stress and maximum peace of mind.

White-glove design-build
A single lamp glowing against a dark plaster wall

Begin with a listening session.

Tell us about your home and how you experience it. No diagnosis required.

(917) 275-7996hi@highlysensitive.design