Services

What makes Wax & Wane Interiors Different?

When you live alongside people who have sensory processing difficulties, it can feel that so much of what you love about interiors is incompatible. When family members are impulsive, fixated with reverse engineering, and wildly sensory seeking, precious décor and furnishings get damaged quickly.

Simultaneously, sensory avoiding behaviours can cause relational strain within your home, especially when it comes to auditory and visual stimuli.  

I am painfully aware of how chaotic, messy and emotional life can be. My own home is set in routine; yet is unpredictable. Full of structure; yet unconventional. Built on unending grace; but also a flood of tears.

By taking an individual’s sensory behaviours and creating outlets for then within your home design, you create an environment that grounds, regulates and restores. Personalised sensory interior design creates a space for you and your loved ones to flourish, to stim and fidget in comfort, to switch off from the noise of the world, rest from the fatigue and to feel truly at home.

Your own personal sensory processing needs are as individual as you are, and whilst trends come and go, I make design and furniture recommendations that centre you on an individual level, whilst being beautifully and classically designed.

As part of the E-design services on offer here at Wax & Wane Interiors we start with a video call in which we will discuss you and your loved ones’ sensory needs. This discussion enables me to meet you where you are and take you to where you need to be, including taking into account any sensory tools and equipment you already have in your home and making it more aesthetically beautiful as well as useful. 

Together, we can create the home you need.

So come on in and welcome, to Wax & Wane Interiors.

Our Services

Take a look at the different packages I offer and see which one is the best fit for you.

  • This is for you if you need a one-off piece of furniture or design choice that will be potentially costly and expected to last for years, if not decades. Examples of such being a new bed, sofa, flooring choice and colour schemes. These are purchases and choices that are expensive to get wrong, but fabulous when done right.

    When you have sensory processing sensitivities more research needs to go into what you are purchasing and designing. We will discuss texture, size and colour alongside the sensory and ergonomic needs in order to find you the right fit. I will also explain why the design choices have been made & how they meet your individual sensory processing abilities so that you can have confidence in the furniture and design choices that you make.

    INVESTMENT FROM £125

  • This is for you if you are not looking at redoing a room in its entirety. You want to keep aspects of it, but it needs tweaking. It needs your sensory processing abilities taken into account to work with you, not against you. Perhaps you have a child with a neurodiversity and need to accommodate this into their bedroom, or a family member with PTSD and need to create a space in which they feel emotionally, physically and mentally at home.

    In this package, we look at what you already have, the colour scheme in existence, who is using the space and their needs. We look at what you need the space to give you and a budget for potential new items that would help you.

    This service gives you floor plans, furniture layouts and mood boards for you to implement the changes and investments yourself, alongside explanations on how the design meets your sensory needs.

    INVESTMENT FROM £175

  • This is for you if you are ready to start afresh – new colour scheme, new flooring, with updates to fixtures, fittings and soft furnishings. We’ll discuss your budget, your room size, shape and dimensions, as well as the sensory processing needs of everyone using the space. You will receive a copy of my design styles look book to help you figure out what you love (and what you don’t!)

    This service includes floor plans, renders, mood boards and a product-based budget breakdown to help you along your journey. The best part is that, because you then have all the information to hand, you can do this in your own time as your budget allows.

    INVESTMENT FROM £350

Which service is right for you?

  • A. You’re starting from scratch and have worked out a budget. You want new flooring, paint, furniture, window dressings and all the storage.

    You would benefit from the Complete Package.

  • B. You already have a room filled with furniture you love, but want help tweaking it to meet the sensory processing needs of those who use it and are willing to consider purchasing one or two smaller items that could be of benefit.

    You would benefit from the Hybrid Package.

  • C. You need help choosing a more costly piece of furniture or colour choices for your home that are seen as an investment, so you want to get it right.

    You would benefit from the Investment Package.

  • D. You have a family member with sensory processing difficulties and want to make the space in your home meet their needs but also accommodate for others in your home.

    You could benefit from the Hybrid Package.

  • E. Due to PTSD or a TBI, your home no longer meets your needs with a change to your sensory processing and it needs a tweak to the layout and design.

    You could benefit from the Hybrid Package.

  • F. You have an ongoing renovation project and need help with choosing the final details for colours and soft furnishings.

    You would benefit from the Investment Package.

Values

Holistic

Everyone in the family matters. It is more than just the individual, the whole house becomes the client. No-one is left behind. We move forward together.

Advocacy

Fighting for recognition, empathy and acknowledgement. Your story matters. Your voice matters. You matter.

Compassion

To come alongside and walk with clients. A come as you are, leave as a friend approach.

What are sensory processing difficulties?

Sensory processing difficulties occur when the brain does not process information from sensory stimuli in an expected (neurotypical) way.

Individuals who struggle with sensory processing difficulties either over or under respond to sensory stimuli. This is called being hypo-sensitive (under responsive) or hyper-sensitive (over responsive). Hyper-sensitivity creates a quick response and an individual will appear to over-react to very little sensory input. One easily understood example of this would be someone being very sensitive to noise. Hypo-sensitivity in individuals requires extra sensory stimuli and a craving for additional input. Basic examples being spicy or salty foods, and the desire to perpetually rock and spin.

Many people associate having sensory processing difficulties as a sign of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). In fact, 90-95% of individuals with ASD have SPD. However, whilst the vast majority of individuals who have ASD also have SPD, the reverse isn’t a given. In reality, most people with SPD do not have ASD. The STAR institute in America believes that 1 in 20 individuals have sensory processing difficulties.

Sensory processing difficulties come up in three categories: Sensory modulation disorder, which affects an individual’s ability to regulate their response to sensory stimuli; sensory based motor disorder, which affects coordination and balance; and sensory discrimination, which is the understanding of where the sensory information is coming from.

Under current guidelines in the UK, sensory processing disorder is diagnosed as part of thorough clinical assessments due to the challenges it creates on the functioning of daily life. It is seen as a subtype and not a standalone diagnosis. Sensory processing difficulties are milder in their day-day limitations and can be diagnosed by an Occupational Therapist (OT).

I personally take the view that all forms of sensory processing difficulties are to be taken seriously and with compassion. I believe that sensory processing disorder should be a recognised and diagnosable condition, and not simply seen as a subtype of neurodiversity.

I also hold to the standpoint that sensory processing difficulties following life changing events that lead to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) needs more advocating and public acknowledgement. 80% of patients with a TBI have experienced sensory overload since their injury, with a significant impact on their quality of life. This statistic represents real people and real families. If by adjusting what we use and have in our homes can help someone’s quality of life, and therefore their relationships, then that is surely something worth investing in.