How Interior Design Can Improve Health Justice

When most people think of interior design, they think of wall paint, light fixtures, and decorative pillows. Although that is part of it, interior design is so much more. It can be harnessed to honor the values and traditions of Black and Indigenous communities, intentionally transforming spaces into environments of restoration and liberation. One psychologist, Desirée Gonzalez, is using her experience in interior design to do just that.

Gonzalez studies psychology with a specialty in community liberation, meaning her work focuses on systemic issues rather than individual diagnoses. One of the systemic issues she seeks to address is the exclusion that people of color experience in health and wellness spaces. This exclusion stems from a myriad of issues, ranging from treatment stigmas, linguistic limitations, and cost of care to reliable transportation. Yet, health justice advocates often overlook one important aspect of medical exclusion—the physical environment.

The Restorative Container Framework

Many people understand anecdotally that the physical environment has a profound impact on a person’s psyche and wellbeing. To optimize this impact, Gonzalez has developed the Restorative Container Framework, which is an intentional design approach that centers BIPOC principles in health spaces, creating physical and subconscious belonging.

“For me, the way that I would describe [the framework] is really creating environments of restoration, of safety—both externally as well as within ourselves,” Gonzalez said. “It really comes from the inside out.”

To Gonzalez, “from the inside out” means moving from individual emotional safety to cultural values and, finally, to the external environment. Such an approach ensures this alignment between the external and the internal and makes patients feel fundamentally safe and seen.

Colonial Versus Decolonial Design

Gonzalez notes that many health and wellness spaces use colonial design principles in their facilities. These could look like:

1. A waiting area full of individual chairs arranged in rows, emphasizing separation instead of community.
2. A consultation room with an elaborate desk for the caregiver and a simple chair for the patient, which deepens a sense of hierarchy.
3. Bare walls and muted colors, making the space feel cold and lifeless.

For organizations seeking to welcome and serve Black and Indigenous people, these design choices will not resonate. Instead, Gonzalez asserts that health justice advocates should seek to deconstruct these choices in favor of shapes, colors, and textures that pull from Indigenous and Afrocentric values. These design choices can create spaces that center on rest, community, and inclusivity.

Shapes

One of the most powerful applications of shape is in seating arrangements. Typically, healthcare waiting rooms arrange chairs in rows, forcing people to stare at walls or each other’s backs.

In contrast, the Restorative Container Framework draws from the Indigenous tradition of circle practice to design waiting areas. A circular spatial design evokes a sense of community and trust in the subconscious mind, thus, a circular waiting area can dismantle hierarchy and encourage shared vulnerability.

“From a depth psychology perspective, it’s about wholeness,” Gonzalez explained. “Even if you don’t talk to the person next to you, just being able to see them instead of their back can be healing in and of itself.”

Tip: Simply rearranging chairs could encourage connection, reduce power imbalances, and support a more communal experience.

Colors

In health spaces, color theory is most palpable in wall paint and upholstery. Health facilities often default to the sterile white color, which pulls from a colonial legacy that can feel alienating and cold.

Alternatively, BIPOC people show a higher preference for warm colors (like reds and purples) than do their White counterparts, according to a 2002 study by American Demographics and Buzzback Market Research. Thus, the Restorative Container Framework thoughtfully uses color psychology to evoke warmth, comfort, and cultural resonance for BIPOC people. The framework places an emphasis on warm colors, earth tones, healing greens, and calming blues to foster an environment of comfort and belonging.

Tip: A simple accent wall can breathe life and color into a space, making people feel more at home. 

Textures

Textures are also widely overlooked in health spaces, where providers tend to opt for materials that are easy to sanitize, like plastics and other synthetic materials.

However, people of color often see nature as healing, drawing from Indigenous practices that recognize humanity’s connection to the earth. The Restorative Container Framework uses biophilic design principles to bring in natural influences.

“I wanted to bring in the biophilic element, but in a subtle way,” Gonzalez said of her designs. “Natural wood, warm lighting, greenery—it all affects people on a deep, subconscious level. It’s about bringing nature to you if you can’t be in it.”

Tip: Natural wood, stone surfaces, and plant life can ground visitors and make them feel welcome. 

Practical Steps for Health Justice Advocates

Gonzalez asserts that health justice advocates can take these simple steps to approach interior design with a BIPOC lens, welcoming people of color into spaces where they typically feel excluded:

1. Audit the space: Reflect on seating, paint, upholstery, and lighting. Identify big and small ways of how the health facility can be upgraded.
2. Incorporate small changes: There may be simple, inexpensive changes that would implement community-based design in the space. For example, buying decorative pillows rather than reupholstering a chair, painting an accent wall rather than repainting an entire facility, or bringing in low-maintenance house plants.
3. Incorporate big changes: Choose one bigger project to invest in, like swapping individual chairs for circular couches to foster belonging, reimagining the full color scheme to change how the space feels, or replacing flooring with wood or stone to bring natural elements into a space.
4. Gather feedback: Ask visitors about their experiences in the new space. You will likely find that your efforts have been noticed and appreciated, and you might get some new ideas.

Remember that the Restorative Justice Framework is not just about rejecting colonial frameworks; it’s about creating spaces that actively welcome BIPOC communities.

Hope Through Intentional Design

Gonzalez urges healthcare professionals, designers, and policymakers to adopt these design principles to make patients feel more at home. As a result, BIPOC patients will likely feel safer speaking up, advocating for their needs, and building trust in a system that historically marginalizes them.

Health justice leaders should see interior design as an essential tool for nurturing empowerment, healing, and trust. By focusing on shapes, colors, and natural elements, the Restorative Container Framework can transform health settings from sterile to inclusive, creating a more equitable space, where BIPOC individuals can confidently engage with health services.

To learn more about Desirée’s work, check out her profile at the Centre for Conscious Design.