phil spade
@Phil · 1:24
#AskAnExpert | Ask Jamie Gold, Wellness Design Consultant, how to improve your home workspace!
With all that you do, I am so glad that you found the time to discuss your latest article here on Swell. Thank you very much, Jimmy. There may be some listeners here who have not heard of what a wellness design consultant does, but according to your website, your professional focus is really the connection between your home and your health. And that is something that I think certainly everybody can understand
Jamie Gold
@JGWellnessDesgn · 1:30
For me, I focus on the places where people live. What is a wellness design consultant? That's a little bit tougher, so I can really only answer for myself. I write and blog and speak and consult on wellness design, particularly again in the home space
phil spade
@Phil · 2:52
Thank you, Jamie. This is really fascinating, the whole concept of wellness design, and it just brings out so many more questions that I have for you. I'm going to ask a few questions here, and you can either respond in one swell or separate swells here. But the first is, what do you think are the most important aspects of wellness design? And I'll split that up into what I think are two kind of main buckets
Swell Team
@Swell · 0:15
Jamie Gold
@JGWellnessDesgn · 5:00
Hello. I'm going to start with your first question. You put wellness into two buckets, aesthetics and functionality. I put it into what I call the five facets of wellness design, and those are health and fitness, safety and security, accessibility, functionality and comfort and joy. And since you use the example of tile, let's look at those from the standpoint of that material, particularly porcelain tile. And by the way, there are overlaps between them and tile fits into all five facets
phil spade
@Phil · 0:42
So it has come a long way and it's been a long, long journey. So after breaking it down with tile, I was wondering what other wellness features do you like besides porcelain tile?
Jamie Gold
@JGWellnessDesgn · 2:20
And then handheld shower heads are super easy to add. And replace that standard fixed shower head with something you can use to clean yourself, clean your shower stall afterward. Wonderfully convenient on the comfort and joy end. We'll add massage to that showerhead for a wonderful comfort and joy. And then you'll personalize details in your home like art with meaning. Don't try to match your sofa, match your soul. Choose art that speaks to you
phil spade
@Phil · 1:00
I'm the one who has to spend the majority of time in here, and so I'm going to do something that reflects me for my wellness. And I think that segues well into my last question here before we open it up to the rest of the swell community for the questions they may have
Jamie Gold
@JGWellnessDesgn · 3:38
You? I'm glad you asked that question. I came across a survey recently that I included in my Forbes.com Wellness Design coverage this week. It said that 95% of the respondents believe that a home impacts its occupants health. I don't know what that number was pre COVID, but I'm pretty sure that it was much lower. And like you, I think it's absolutely tragic that it took a global pandemic to drive that point home, literally