By Adam Arya, co-founder of architects Arya Douge
At Arya Douge, we’re increasingly being asked to design meditation spaces. In some homes these are fully dedicated rooms while in others they might be smaller places carved out for calm; a recessed niche, a light-filled corner or a pavilion set apart from the main house.
In such spaces, what matters is how quickly they allow the mind to slow down. The most successful meditation spots require a certain atmosphere — shaped by light, material and a clear sense of separation from the everyday rhythm of the home.
This three-bedroom cottage in Surrey, on sale for £2mn complete with gardens and a timber summer house (pictured above), offers a useful example. In a house such as this, one approach could be to reimagine the summer house as a dedicated meditation space. The same principles might be applied to a niche off a bedroom or a corner beneath a roof light. In every case, calm is created architecturally first, with products playing a supporting role.
Let natural light lead
Light is the starting point for any contemplative space. The priority should be soft, even daylight, ideally with a framed view of greenery or the sky. Artificial lighting should extend this quality rather than compete with it. We favour indirect sources and warm tones that sit quietly within the architecture, allowing the space to move gently from day to evening without a noticeable shift in mood.
In a summer house such as this, concealed warm LED strip lighting, used sparingly, can add depth without visual clutter. Alternatively, a sculptural fitting that casts a soft, ambient glow — Gallotti & Radice’s Bolle Tela vertical LED chandelier (pictured below) or CTO Lighting’s Hepworth wall light, for example — can provide warmth and presence without glare.
Create one clear place for seating
A meditation space calls for one place to sit, not a collection of furniture that turns it back into a living area. Low seating, floor cushions or a single lounge chair in natural materials encourage stillness while keeping the body supported. Timber, linen and woven textures work particularly well, grounding the space and reinforcing its connection to the surrounding landscape.
The Etcetera lounge chair, originally designed in the 1970s by Jan Ekselius and available via 1st Dibs, would work beautifully here. Its sculptural form blurs the line between art and furniture, creating a strong visual anchor while offering genuine comfort — enough to define the space on its own.
Use plants as a spatial tool
A well-placed plant can soften edges, filter views and introduce a quiet sense of rhythm to a space. Rather than filling the room with greenery we favour restraint: one larger specimen placed within the room or just beyond the threshold. Used this way, plants become architectural — shaping how the space is perceived and inhabited, rather than acting as decoration.
In this setting, a Japanese Acer would be a considered choice. Commonly associated with Zen gardens, its delicate structure and gentle movement introduce a sense of calm without visual heaviness.
Introduce water as a sensory layer
Water can be a powerful addition, but only when treated as a subtle sensory layer rather than a feature in its own right. Used carefully, it can soften background noise, introduce rhythm and gently slow the experience of a space.
In a setting such as this Surrey home, a discreet water feature could sit just beyond the threshold of the summer house — perhaps a shallow reflection bowl, a slim rill, or an elegant fountain. The sound of moving water helps mask distant noise, while light reflecting on its surface adds quiet visual movement without distraction.
For a London project we used a carefully detailed water feature in a basement. There, the gentle movement of water transformed the mood of the space — creating calm not through spectacle, but through repetition, sound and reflection.
Keep sound and technology simple
Sound has a direct impact on how a space is experienced, but in meditation rooms it’s most effective when it’s barely noticed. Rather than designing for silence, we focus on softening and filtering sound through material choices — timber linings, rugs, curtains — which naturally absorb and calm.
What we’re seeing now is a clear move away from over-engineered wellness technology. Clients don’t want meditation spaces that rely on apps, panels or layered systems to function. A single, discreet Sonos speaker, such as the Sonos Era 300, used simply to play nature sounds or gentle music, is more than enough. The less interaction required, the calmer the space becomes.
Photography: Rebecca Reid; Gallotti & Radice; 1stDibs; Arya Douge; Sonos
