Home & Garden Newsletter Issue 2: Chairside Chat – Pippa Jameson

Posted In: HOME by Jenn Ferrier,
December 4, 2025

Every issue, Chairside Chat invites a sharp industry mind to trade tips, truths, and tactical wins in the Home & Garden game.

Let’s start with The Sensory Home – how did it all begin?

And were there any big sliding-door moments that really helped shape the success of The Sensory Home?

The Sensory Home® had been bubbling away in me for years. With 25 years of experience as a stylist, creative director and former magazine editor, I’ve always had a deep understanding of the home interiors world. I’m also neurodivergent, so sensory design has quietly shaped my work long before I had the language for it. After my diagnosis, everything clicked into place.

The real light-bulb moment came in 2018, when my neurotypical daughter flopped onto the sofa and said she felt really happy at home. When I asked her why, she said, ‘I don’t know… the candles, the music you play, the paint colour – just how our home feels.’ She was describing a multi-sensory experience. I already knew how powerful our environment is for mental wellbeing, but that moment made me realise I could combine my 25 years in interiors with my understanding of sensory design. That’s when I decided to write my first book, The Sensory Home, as an introduction to sensory design

Your work puts wellbeing at the heart of design. From a brand perspective, what do you think makes a ‘sensory approach’ to interiors so powerful?

The power of a sensory approach is that it focuses on how a product genuinely enhances someone’s life, rather than relying solely on price or aesthetics. Yes, cost matters, but many consumers are willing to invest more if they understand how a piece will support their wellbeing. Whether that’s better sleep, calmer evenings or clearer focus. When brands design and communicate from that perspective, the product becomes meaningful, not just decorative

You’ve written extensively about how the home affects our mood and well-being. What signals are you seeing that brands are beginning to recognise, or still missing, in how they show up?

I think brands are starting to recognise that people don’t just buy products, they buy how something makes them feel in their home. That’s a big shift. It means asking different questions: does this light support sleep, focus or socialising? Does this bedding actually help someone rest? Will this candle calm or energise? When brands understand their audience’s genuine sensory needs, their products and messaging become far more meaningful.

Some brands are beginning to get this right, but to deliver authentic messaging, they first need to understand what sensory design actually is. We now have a clear link between environment and mental wellbeing: lighting, materials, colour and scent all have a direct impact on mood, behaviour and productivity. Once a brand understands that foundation, it can communicate in a way that’s not only more honest, but genuinely more effective.

If you could give one piece of advice to Home & Garden brands trying to move from ‘look good’ to ‘feel good’, what would it be?

 Ask yourself: how are my products going to support my customer’s well-being?

You’ve collaborated with a number of brands, what’s the secret to a great partnership?

For me, the secret to a great partnership is being the right fit from the start. You need shared values and a shared vision, so there needs to be a in-depth discovery at the beginning to ensure you’re all aligned, as that’s what builds trust and makes the work feel effortless. My long-standing relationship with DFS works because their ‘What’s Your Thing?’ messaging champions individuality, which aligns perfectly with my belief that the home should support how you feel, not just how it looks. The same goes for Zuma, whose focus on sensory lighting for better living feels deeply connected to my work, and Graham & Brown, a family business with strong values and genuine expertise in colour. They were the perfect partners in co-creating our first-of-its-kind Paint for Wellness collection. The response to our paint collection has been incredible, with over 23 press features and radio and TV coverage. Launching a collection that speaks solely to how colour can support emotionally and sensorially rich spaces at home has been a real milestone. We’re proud of the work and the message we continue to share: helping people choose colour based on how a space needs to function and feel.

What’s one brand or campaign you’ve seen recently that you think nails that sensory connection?

A brand that really nails the sensory connection through collaboration is Maison 21G. They work with hotels, fashion houses and lifestyle brands to create bespoke scents that become part of the brand’s identity. What I love is that scent is integrated into the brand experience in a really refined, subtle way. In my opinion, their collaborations show how powerful it is when a brand uses the senses as part of its identity, but in a subtle way. It’s a great example of how sensory design can feel elevated, intentional and seamless

If you could partner with any brand in the world, no limits, total dream collab, who would it be and what would you launch?

Great question. I’d love to collaborate with Spotify on a feature called Mood Stabiliser Shuffle, which responds to how you actually feel in the moment, not the playlists you made a decade ago! It would use subtle ambient cues to adjust tempo, tone and energy, helping regulate stimulation levels and create a calmer atmosphere at home or work. It’s playful as an idea, but rooted in something real and scientific: sound has a powerful impact on our state of mind…

And finally, what’s one Christmas interior design tip you would give, to find the balance of festive whilst being a sensory haven?

Get the lighting right, double up on soft furnishings to absorb the noise, and add cushions to chairs and benches – comfort goes a long way!