More Than Function: Designing a Home That Feels Like an Escape

When you walk through your front door, what greets you first — a feeling or a thought?

For many of us, our homes quietly mirror where we are in life, what we value, and what we quietly long for. Yet we rarely pause to ask: Is the vibe of my home intentional, or did it just… happen?

This question came to mind recently while I was styling a corridor and added a framed print of a strawberry-harvesting rabbit. It’s simple, soft, and just whimsical enough to make you smile without trying. What surprised me most was how such a small piece transformed the entire stretch of wall. The corridor felt lighter, more welcoming — almost as if the space itself exhaled.

It reminded me how subtle design choices shape not only how a space looks, but how we feel moving through it.

Around the same time, I was working on another corridor leading to the children’s bedrooms. There, I placed two dreamy artworks — one illustrating a fox sleeping under night lights, and the other echoing that same gentle, imaginative tone. Together, they shifted the atmosphere instantly. The space began to feel like the opening lines of a bedtime story, a soft transition from the practical rhythm of the day into a calmer, more magical world.

How does this shape the way we work at SM Home Staging?

These moments reaffirmed something I return to often: all spaces, including your home or your property that you let, send a message. They either energise, calm or make you smile, or they are just a continuation of one's functional self, deprived of any playful, light nudges that will help you to chill.

So, let's remind ourselves that homes aren't only for living- they’re for escaping. We spend so much of our day in a fast-paced, hyper-efficient, grown-up mode. Ideally, our homes or properties should offer the opposite. They should slow the tempo, soften the edges, and remind us that imagination doesn’t have to be reserved for childhood.

Every space communicates something. Here are some prompts I often share with clients to evaluate whether their property offers this essential dimension that will captivate their future occupiers who are looking for some space to retreat from the world when they come back from their fast-paced daily life:

• What is the dominant colour in your interiors — and what complementary colour is paired with it to make the space more dynamic and alive?

• What emotions greet you when you walk down your hallway?

• Are there any elements that create softness, magic, or possibility in the air, including furniture layout, artwork, textures or colours?

  
  

In letting, every detail matters because you’re not just showcasing a property — you’re offering an experience. When a space feels welcoming, imaginative, or calming, it captivates potential occupiers in a way that goes far beyond square footage or location.

The real question isn’t just whether a property works — it’s whether it feels right. As a stylist, my goal is to ensure it does: functional, yes, but also thoughtful, inspiring, and ready to provide the kind of gentle, enchanting escape we all crave after a busy day.