The subconscious home

From prints to decorative objects, could the symbols you display in your home help to build a more supportive space that reflects the energy you want to step into?

Long before humans wrote words, visual symbols have been a way to understand their surroundings and emotions. From ancient petroglyphs on rocks or Egyptian hieroglyphics carved into stone to prehistoric cave paintings made with coloured earth, pictures have been around since the earliest forms of human existence. These days we’re surrounded by images, so how do you choose the perfect artwork to put up in your home? Olga Naiman has been applying the link between symbols and the subconscious mind to her work.

Olga is an interior designer and author whose psychology background and more than 20 years of creative expertise have helped her cultivate the concept of spatial alchemy. ‘It sits at the intersection between interior design, psychology and manifestation,’ she says. ‘Spatial alchemy increases your awareness of how your home is shaping you, and helps you to make interior design changes consciously, so that your home can support you to move in your chosen direction.’

‘You want your art to feel how you want to feel,’ says Olga. ‘If you want more motivation and more fire energy in your life, start putting that into spaces where you want to feel it. Colours are also symbolic, so add colours that are bright and active. That’s saying to the universe: I want more motivation. It’s a form of active participation where you design a room to bring your future into the present moment.’