The Five Secrets That Help Us to Create Joyful and Community Minded Spaces

Where does the time go? We can’t believe it’s our 5th birthday. Like any five-year-old, we’re still finding our feet in some ways, but we’re also growing, thriving, and having fun creating interiors that spark joy and support wellbeing.

In short, we’re exactly where we should be and we’re loving every second (mostly).

To celebrate this milestone, we thought we’d share some of our top secrets for creating community-minded spaces. Let’s go…

1.      Budget and good design are not mutually exclusive

It’s worth noting that some of our favourite projects are the budget-led ones, as we have to be more inventive in approach to realise our design intent. Being resourceful and using materials in unexpected ways help in making a scheme more personalised and unique. These constraints fuel creativity, that’s when a design feels original, innately human and characterful.

The Nelson and Long team come from humble roots. We’re not your quintessential glossy architecture firm, but we are creative, innovative, and grounded in thoughtful design. Our values lie in a human-centric approach, we love crafting spaces that stimulate and enrich the people who use them.

Clients often come to us with a challenge to solve. No matter the budget, we find a way - because to us, great design and tight budgets aren’t mutually exclusive. Exploring budget and good design feels very authentic to us.

In a world where money often wins, we push back. We believe with tasteful and sustainable choices; any scheme can be a worthy opponent to the next because the key fundamentals of design have been honoured. Timeless principles like balance, proportion, colour application, and lighting can be achieved at any price point – you just need the right design prowess to get the final desired effect.

Space planning, multifunctionality, and user journey are imperative factors to nail down when designing, and also aren’t budget aligned, ensuring a comfortable and supportive experience for your residents throughout the day.

Our aim always here at N+L is to design inclusive interiors, with wellbeing baked in at the heart, and that has nothing to do with budget. Wouldn’t you agree? We hope we’ve converted you on this point.

2.      Colour controls the narrative

If you know us, you know that we are advocates of using bold colours in ways to elevate a scheme. Colour is such a powerful tool, one that carries weight, can convey emotion and gives depth.  A simple stroke of green can immediately link the indoor and out spaces, whilst a splash of light blue can create a calming atmosphere. It’s these considerate choices that make a scheme holistic and wellbeing - focussed. Colour surrounds us every day, so don’t be quick to choose one, taking the time will have your residents thanking you later.

Colour shapeshifts, unfolding to tell the story of a space – that’s how powerful it is. It sets the tone and atmosphere and can help illustrate design intent and brand values.

In shared living spaces, use colour as a social tool: to create zones, moods, reinforce memory or to support wayfinding. Palettes should be coded for care, joy and consideration

Pro Tip: Really dig into colour psychology - it’s key to creating a scheme that feels curated, mindful, and inclusive. Not all greens are green; tone and hue matter just as much. The right colour choices can align beautifully with your residents’ rhythms and needs.

3.      Start with feeling not finishes

It can be easy to get caught up in the finishes - which are such an important part of a project - but let’s just rewind and take it from the top. Think about how you want your residents to feel. What will their lasting impression be of your scheme? Good interior design drives this.

Often, we start a project by spreading out ideas on our desk and thinking: what do your residents want to feel or experience in a space - and just as importantly, what don’t they want? Spaces need to be homely, cosy, adaptable, and attuned to their daily cycles.

It’s a process. For example, if you want a space to feel homely, words like relaxed, comfortable, and familiar come to mind. The next step is: how do you infuse these feelings into a space? In shared living schemes, you’d need a lounge or shared kitchen to support and facilitate those activities. It’s about instilling a sense of home within a commercial property, so residents can truly relax and unwind.

Once you nail down how the feeling will be conveyed, the next step - the finishes - will flow naturally. It’s a layered, human-centric approach that has yet to fail us. People start to put roots down in these kinds of considerate spaces, and that’s when the real community-building and sparks of joy begin.

Lastly, always remember to design spaces in an anti-trend’s way to ensure longevity - so the scheme can nourish your residents long into the future.

4.      Listening is key to unlocking a space’s potential

There is real power in community and collaboration. In meetings we often take a backseat and deeply listen – it’s one of our strengths. We need to absorb and learn to design spaces that perfectly align with your resident’s needs.

Our approach allows your visions to come to life, because we can then create people-centric designs grounded in observation and intent.

Being in the thick of it allows us to gather insights from developers, residents, and the people on the ground. We always make room for every voice in a design, as we want everyone to be represented and feel comfortable in one of our spaces.

It’s will always be about empathically observing for us. We can’t speak for everyone, but we make better choices when we listen and learn and isn’t that the goal?

5.      Don’t overlook the small spaces

Every space deserves love and a considerate design. Communal areas are often the stars of the show, but what about the unsung heroes, like laundry rooms and corridors? These hardworking spaces are, in many ways, the most connective. They deserve to feel polished and in cohesion with the rest of the scheme.

We’ve spoken to quite a few students, and one thing that kept cropping up was how these areas often felt overlooked, like they hadn’t received the same care or attention. And yet, these are some of the busiest spaces on site. They’re central to a development’s success and deserve to be invested in.

Taking extra care in designing these in-between spaces can turn them into destinations, low-pressure environments that students are naturally drawn to. Designing for unplanned connection is just as important as the big social moments.

Think hallway benches. Noticeboards in unexpected places. Interactive “lost sock” signs that make someone smile. These thoughtful touches help foster community in quiet, meaningful ways.

The above five secrets are integral to all our considerate designs and help us create happy and healthy environments that people can truly call home. Listening, being intentional and thoughtful with budget, understanding the power of colour and caring about each and every space is the way forward in our opinion. Do you agree?

If you need any help implementing our magic 5 you know where we are. 

N+LX