Wellness Meets Design: How Top Homes Are Becoming Personal Sanctuaries

By Katie Renné, Founder/Lead Designer of Wanderlust Home Interiors

Darling, the future of luxury isn’t just about gold leaf ceilings or imported marble from Carrara. It's about how a space makes you feel. And let me tell you, the elite are no longer just chasing status—they're seeking serenity. In a world that won’t stop spinning, today’s most coveted interiors are no longer just curated—they’re calibrated. For balance. For breath. For beauty. Welcome to the age where wellness meets design.

I’ve just returned from a whirlwind project in St. Barth’s followed by a quick design retreat in Kyoto (yes, I still believe in soul-alignment over spreadsheets), and the trend is crystal clear: high-net-worth individuals want more than opulence. They want oxygen.

The Wellness Rebrand: Luxury with Intention

Forget sterile "Zen" clichés. True wellness design isn't about slapping a Himalayan salt lamp on a side table and calling it a day. We're talking about spaces that restore, revive, and reveal your best self.

It starts with materials. My clients are done with toxins—if it can’t breathe, neither can they. Think: limewash walls that age like fine wine, FSC-certified woods that warm a space without screaming “eco,” and textiles so pure you could swaddle a newborn in them (though preferably, a cashmere throw from Loro Piana).

The Layout of Luxury: Flow is the New Flex

Architectural flow is now about emotional choreography. Rooms aren't just for living—they're for feeling. We’re designing homes that guide you through your day with gentle, intuitive rhythms. Picture a bedroom that whispers “goodnight” with circadian lighting and blackout drapery, then greets you with the gentle sunrise of an integrated wellness system that smells faintly of bergamot and ambition.

Meditation rooms are standard now. Cold plunge pools are the new wine cellars. And don’t even get me started on infrared saunas with floor-to-ceiling views of your private olive grove.

Technology That Heals, Not Harasses

Here’s the twist—wellness design is not anti-tech. It’s smart tech, seamlessly integrated, invisibly embedded. Systems that purify air, balance humidity, adjust lighting to your mood, and keep EMFs in check.

Clients of mine in Beverly Hills have mood-based presets throughout their home: “Restore,” “Create,” “Play,” and my personal favorite—“Disappear.” With one touch, the lighting shifts, the music pulses, the scent changes. It’s like living inside your own private wellness retreat—minus the Instagram yogis.

Sacred Spaces: The Rise of the Personal Ritual Room

The new luxury? Boundaries. I've designed more ritual rooms in the past year than dining rooms. Spaces for tarot, journaling, breathwork, silent tea ceremonies… whatever your soul needs to recalibrate. These aren’t afterthoughts—they’re shrines to self-care, exquisitely finished with tactile materials, curated objects, and lighting that flatters both your energy and your cheekbones.

Global Influence, Local Soul

I always say, your home should reflect where you’ve been—and where you’re becoming. We’re layering Moroccan tadelakt with Parisian antiques, juxtaposing Japanese minimalism with Malibu ease. Every piece tells a story. Every room becomes a passport stamp for the soul.

Wellness design isn't just a trend—it's a revolution. The top 1% are redesigning their lives from the inside out, and their homes are the first frontier. So, whether you're retreating to your Aspen chalet, floating in your Ibiza villa, or grounding yourself in the canyons of California—remember this:

True luxury is the space to exhale.