In wellness spaces, colour is never just decorative. It acts as emotional architecture, quietly shaping how the body feels, how the nervous system responds, and how present we allow ourselves to become. Different colours evoke specific emotional responses, which can be harnessed to create environments that promote health and well-being (Well Built Places, 2024).
Our latest custom design story explores the power of hue when paired with honest materiality. Together, colour and texture can soften the senses, reduce stimulation, and transform a space from something seen into something deeply felt.
A Grounded Collaboration at Ember Bathhouse
For Ember Bathhouse II, we collaborated with Studio Traces to craft a custom Nood Co. basin in a bespoke shade inspired by Dulux Tree Hollow. This muted, earthy brown carries warm ochre undertones and has been used throughout the space, wrapping every wall in a calming, cave-like embrace.
As Tracy & Phoebe from Studio Traces share, this tone was chosen for the interiors in order to achieve a calming, cave-like feeling of being embraced and safe, helping to down shift the nervous system into a more present state.
The result is a space that feels instinctively safe and quietly restorative.
The Psychology of Brown
In colour theory, brown is one of the most grounding hues. In its Tree Hollow expression, it symbolises stability, earthiness, warmth, shelter and safety. It evokes the feeling of a natural hollow - cocooning, protective, timeless.
Rather than demanding attention, it holds space.
The Power of Custom Colour
Custom colour has the ability to enrich the architectural experience, evoke emotion, and transform a room into a retreat. When thoughtfully considered, it becomes more than a visual choice
Where Colour Meets Materiality
Paired with concrete’s intentional patina, rich with soft variation, warmth and gentle imperfection, the palette becomes a sensory tool. The weathered finish allows the material to feel lived-in and honest, aligning naturally with slow-living, wabi-sabi and biophilic design philosophies.
Together, colour and materiality work to:
Anchor the nervous system
Reconnect guests to the earth
Reduce visual noise and invite introspection
Create harmony with timber, stone and natural fibres
Absorb light softly, forming cocoon-like treatment spaces
This is the quiet power of design that doesn't ask to be noticed, but instead felt.
Custom colour and form are considered with care. All custom enquiries are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, reach out to orders@noodco.com.au to begin the conversation.
December 18, 2025
Nood Co
