Yana Darakchieva

Design - Spatial Design

Living in Softness

About the Project
This project investigates how sensory elements in interior design influence emotional and psychological well-being. It focuses on how people experience space through touch, sight, and movement, and how these sensory interactions shape comfort, behaviour, and perception.

Research
My research looks at material perception in interior environments, focusing on color, texture, shape, and material qualities.
It shows a clear contrast between hard and soft surfaces. Hard, cold, sharp, and rigid materials often feel distant, uncomfortable, and uninviting to touch or interact with. Softer materials—such as plush fabrics, tufted surfaces, knitted textiles, and cushions—are associated with comfort, warmth, and emotional ease.
This contrast became the foundation of the design approach.

Material Approach
The project begins with discarded and overlooked materials, including broken furniture, damaged wood, and found objects collected from waste.
These materials already carry strong physical qualities: rough textures, irregular forms, and visible signs of use. Instead of replacing them, I work with them as a starting point, extending their life through transformation.

Process
The transformation happens through layering and soft interventions.
Using upholstery, tufting techniques, textile wrapping, and cushioning, hard surfaces are gradually reshaped into soft, tactile elements. Fabrics, padding, and layered materials change how the objects are experienced through touch and use.
Color is used subtly to support warmth and calmness within the space.

Outcome
The project results in a handmade domestic interior composed of seating, surfaces, and objects made from transformed materials.
Rather than producing new furniture, the work reuses existing fragments and reworks them into functional, comfortable elements within a lived-in environment.
The interior becomes a sensory space where softness, texture, and material directly shape how the body rests, moves, and experiences everyday life.

Contact

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