Sue is joined by designer and author Vera Blouin to explore the powerful connection between our homes and our personal identity. As life changes, our interiors often stop reflecting who we are. Whether through divorce, grief, children leaving home, career shifts, rediscovery, or simply entering a new phase of life, many of us suddenly look around and realise… this space no longer feels like me! Together, Sue and Vera discuss how redesigning our homes can become part of the emotional healing process — helping us move forward, regain confidence, and create environments that truly support the person we are today, not the person we used to be. Sometimes changing a room is really about changing how we live, feel, and see ourselves, and we discuss how reclaiming rooms and redefining comfort, can help us embrace life’s next chapter. Vera Blouin explains the concept of the "reincarnated room" as spaces evolving alongside us.How emotional memories and past phases influence our current living environments.The five-step process for achieving emotional and spatial alignment: assessment, clarity, diagnosis, redesign, and implementation.The importance of design karma—how accumulated decisions shape our current spaces.The role of materiality, colours, and light as expressions of our inner states and how they can be intentionally chosen.Strategies for recognising and releasing emotional clutter and visual noise.The intersection of design, wellbeing, and spirituality, and future trends like biophilic and minimalistic designs.Practical tips for maintaining a supportive home environment through seasonal and intentional updates.The crucial role of trust and clear intent in the designer-client relationshipBio Vera Blouin is the Founder and Design Strategist of BLOU INK, a residential design studio focused on defining how a home functions, flows, and is experienced through intentional design. Working across renovations, residential concepts, and spatial strategy, she structures environments around behavior, wellness, and identity rather than surface decoration. She is the author of The Reincarnated Room: Modern Design as Spiritual Renewal and The Structure of Space: Before Design is Executed, it is Defined, frameworks exploring the relationship between spatial psychology and transformative living. Through BLOU INK, Vera works with homeowners and developers in Miami, Dallas, and Atlanta creating environments organized around clarity, sequence, and intentional living. Social + Links Instagram: www.instagram.com/blouink.studio/ (@blouink.studio) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/verablouin/ Website: www.blouink.com Google Business Profile: https://share.google/87Da6grfcU95l9Liv Featured Resource The Defined Residence™: A Spatial Strategy System by BLOU INK for homeowners who want to define how a home should function, flow, and feel before or alongside design execution. Designed as a self-directed framework, the system allows individuals to work through the methodology independently while creating greater clarity, structure, and alignment before moving forward with their home. https://www.blouink.com/the-defined-residence Find Vera Blouin's books here - https://www.blouink.com/books PLEASE SUPPORT THIS PODCAST, LIKE & SHARE IF YOU HAVE ENJOYED THE LAST 42 MINUTES! IT MEANS A LOT TO US TO KNOW YOU HAVE ENJOYED LISTENING! ❤️ email - contact@allaboutdesign.online Insta - all_about_design_podcast Novo Interiors - www.novointeriors.co.uk Insta - novointeriors_uk email - susan@novointeriors.co.uk Music Credits:- All Music from #Uppbeat Thrive - All Good Folks https://uppbeat.io/t/all-good-folks/thrive License code: XPA3DJXY7HJFSPBJ Orange Clouds - Oliver Massa https://uppbeat.io/t/oliver-massa/orange-clouds License code: EC1DTCIWKBWGY https://uppbeat.io/t/studiokolomna/miracles License code: HLDV8CZTZSWT5BI1
