your home by design
** New episodes every other Wednesday! **
Your home is more than just a place—it’s the backdrop to your life, shaping your mood, mindset, and overall well-being. In this podcast, Nico uncovers the powerful link between interior design and neuroaesthetics, exploring how your environment influences your brain, body, and sense of fulfillment.
From practical design tips that make your space more functional and beautiful, to the science behind how thoughtful choices can boost your mental, emotional, and physical health, each episode shows how your home can become a tool for personal growth. Nico dives deep into how small design changes can foster better habits, help you become the person you want to be, and support a lifestyle that aligns with your goals for wellness and fulfillment.
Whether you’re redecorating, renovating, or simply curious about the psychology of design, this podcast offers research-driven insights, expert advice, and heartfelt stories to help you create a home that doesn’t just look good, but feels good—and helps you thrive.
Join Nico, founder of PARO, as she blends design expertise with the science of neuroaesthetics and wellness, showing how your space can elevate your health, happiness, and lifestyle.
Episodes
70 episodes
Timeless Interior Design: 5 Ways to Create a Home That Never Feels Dated Ep #69
If timeless interiors feel intimidating, trend-driven, or reserved for heritage homes—this episode reframes the conversation entirely.Timeless interior design isn’t about freezing your home in one aesthetic moment or avoiding tren...
How to Design a Kitchen That Actually Works Ep #68
Your kitchen is one of the most used spaces in your home—but is it actually supporting your life?In this episode of Your Home by Design, we break down what truly makes a high-performance kitchen—not just from a design per...
Design a Home That Reflects Your Life—Not What You’ve Seen Ep #67
What if your home isn’t actually a reflection of you—but a reflection of everything you’ve been exposed to?In this episode, we explore the subtle but powerful difference between designing from your presented self versus your
The Small Changes That Transform Your Home (And Your Life): Simple Design Shifts With Massive Impact Ep #66
What if the biggest transformation in your home didn’t require a renovation… just intention?In this episode of Your Home by Design, we break down the overlooked power of small, strategic design decisions that radically shift how...
The Secret to a Designer Home: Mastering Pattern Without the Fear. Ep #65
What if the one thing missing from your home… is the very thing you’ve been avoiding?Pattern.In this episode of Your Home by Design, Nico breaks down why so many people feel intimidated by pattern—and how that hesitation ...
The Lost Art of Listening Rooms: Designing Homes That Slow Life Down Ep #64
What if your home is quietly training your brain every day?Not through décor or trends — but through attention.In this episode of your home by design, we explore the idea of the listening ro...
How to Choose Wallpaper Without Regret: Repeat, Scale & Designer Secrets Explained Ep #63
Wallpaper isn’t just décor. It’s visual structure. It’s rhythm. It’s atmosphere.And when it’s chosen incorrectly? You feel it — even if you can’t name why.In this episode of Your Home by Design, Nico breaks down how to ch...
Updated Isn’t Elevated: What Actually Makes a Home Feel Designed Ep #62
If you're planning to update your home, pause.Before you buy the sofa. Before you choose the tile. Before you repaint or swap the lighting.Not every design decision creates the same level of impact.In this...
Laundry Room Design: The Small Room That Organizes Your Life Ep #61
Your laundry room might be small — but it quietly organizes your entire week.In this episode of Your Home by Design, Nico breaks down laundry room design from a designer’s systems-first, neuroaesthetic perspective. This isn...
Simplifying Your Home: How Slowing Down Creates Better Living Ep# 60
This episode marks my first episode of 2026, and instead of a recap or big resolutions, I want to start the year by slowing things down.In this episode, we reflect on what our homes have been carrying — what supported us, w...
The Hidden Power of Light: Designing a More Analog Home Ep #59
Lighting is one of the most influential — and most overlooked — design tools we have. In this short exploratory episode, Nico breaks down how lighting shapes the way we feel, sleep, focus, and move through our homes… and why the type of light w...
The Man Cave Myth: Why We Retreat & How to Design Spaces Everyone Feels at Home In. Ep #58
Today we’re unpacking something light, funny, and surprisingly revealing — the “man cave.” Not the stereotype, but the psychology behind why people retreat to certain spaces and what that means for your home.You’ll learn the real reasons...
Five Design Moves to Instantly Elevate Your Home (and Your Life) Ep # 57
Thinking about changing something in your home—but not sure where to start?In this episode of Your Home by Design, Nico from Paro shares five design moves you can do this weekend to instantly elevate your home and,...
Home By Country: Children’s Bedrooms Around the World - How Design Shapes Calm, Growth, and Better Living Ep #56
In the final episode of the Home by Country series, host Nico Smutylo takes you inside children’s bedrooms around the world to reveal how design can shape calm, growth, and better living. From Denm...
Home By Country : Across the Threshold - How the World Designs Entryways Ep #55
Have you ever noticed how stepping through your front door can instantly change how you feel? In this episode of Your Home by Design, Nico explores the psychology of entryways — why this often-overlooked space has such a powerful impac...
Home By Country : Kitchens of the World. Design, Materials + Mindset. Ep #54
From Japanese kitchens to Tuscan farmhouses, today we step into the world’s kitchens, and the psychology behind how they’re designed. We unpack what Japan’s precision, France’s layered romance, Scandinavia’s light-filled calm, Germany’s enginee...
Home by Country - Through the Window: How Cultures Design Window Treatments & Frame the Light Ep #53
Windows are more than openings—they’re design tools that shape light, mood, and connection. In this episode of Your Home by Design, Nico explores how different cultures approach window treatments and what that reveals about design psyc...
Home By Country: How the World Dines Ep #52
What if you could design your table the way you design your home? In this episode of yourHOME by Design, we tour dining cultures - from Spain’s late-night sobremesa and Japan’s washoku rituals to France’s layered elegance...
Home by Country: How the World Sleeps Ep #51
Ever wondered why people in Japan sleep on futons, why Germans swear by two duvets, or why the French infuse elegance and scent into their bedrooms? In this first episode of Home by Country: How the World Sleeps, we explore globa...
5 Hidden Design Mistakes Secretly Stressing You Out - And How to Fix Them Ep #50
Is your home quietly working against you? In this 50th episode of YourHome by Design, Nico uncovers five common design mistakes that are secretly causing stress- from visual clutter to poor furniture placement. Learn how to spot them, ...
The Hidden Reason Your Home Feels Off (And What to Do About It) Ep #49
Is your home starting to feel a little “off”- even if it looks beautiful? You might be experiencing design stagnation, and it could be quietly draining your energy, clarity, and motivation. In this episode of yourHOME by Design, record...
Hidden Storage and Concealed Rooms: Design Tricks That Create Calm, Order, and Impact Ep #48
What if your clutter problem isn’t about too much stuff - but not enough smart design?In this episode of YourHome by Design, we explore how hidden storage and concealed rooms can create calm, support better daily rhythm...
Why You Should Start Thrifting for Your Home - And How to Do It Like a Designer Ep #47
Do you ever wonder how people find those one-of-a-kind vintage pieces that instantly elevate a space? In this episode of Your Home by Design, I’m sharing the art of the hunt- why secondhand and vintage decor isn’t just about style, but...
The Sofa Dilemma: Designing Around the Comfiest Piece in the Room Ep #46
You might think a sofa is just a place to sit-but it's so much more than that. In this episode of Your Home by Design, we're diving deep into the art (and science) of sofa selection. Whether you’re designing a room ar...
Layering: The Secret Design Tool to Make Your Space Look Effortlessly Polished #45
In this episode of Your Home by Design, we dive deep into the transformative power of intentional layering in interior design. Discover how to build your room’s story through carefully selected materials, textures, and shapes that spea...