Space Designed for Wellness

your living space will make you healthier just by living in it

A Playground, Not Just a Room

Recess believes that staying active should be an intuitive, enjoyable experience, not something you set aside time for. Recess homes are engineered to naturally integrate physical activity into your daily routine. More NEAT Calories are burned this way which are the energy you burn through everyday movements, not exercise. A Certified Active Environment (explained below) helps you move in different ways to improve posture, avoid injury, and stay active.

• Adaptive Architecture: Instead of rigid, static structures, our homes feature walls designed for climbing, exposed beams for hanging, and creative obstacles in doorways. These aren't just aesthetic choices; they're invitations to move, explore, and engage your body in new ways. Imagine casually scaling a wall in your living room, or swinging gently from a suspended chair.

• Dynamic Floorscapes: Forget flat, uninspired floors. Our spaces incorporate playful and challenging elements like ramps, slides, cargo nets, trampolines, and even fireman's poles. These features transform transitions between rooms into opportunities for balance, strength, and fun, turning mundane movements into mini-adventures.

• Designed for Natural Movement: Our goal is to promote climbing, crawling, and balancing throughout your day. This continuous, varied movement helps build strength, flexibility, and coordination without the need for traditional, often repetitive, fitness equipment. It's about making fitness an inherent part of your comfortable, stimulating environment.

Sensory and Recovery

Space that Nurtures Mind, Body, and Soul

Beyond physical activity, we understand the profound impact of environment on well-being. Our designs prioritize a holistic approach, fostering recovery, relaxation, and a deep connection to nature.

• Biophilic Harmony: We bring the calming essence of the outdoors inside. Lush live plants, soothing water features, abundant natural light, and optimized fresh air circulation create a vibrant, tranquil atmosphere. This biophilic design reduces stress, improves mood, and enhances overall mental clarity.

• Sensory Engagement: Every detail is crafted to engage your senses. From the natural experience of swinging in a cotton hammock, to the gentle sound of flowing water, the refreshing scent of fresh air and plants, and the captivating play of natural light, your home becomes a rich tapestry of sensory delight.

• Clutter-Free Clarity: We emphasize open, uncluttered spaces that promote mental spaciousness and ease of movement. This minimalist approach allows the unique architectural features and natural elements to truly shine, contributing to a sense of calm and expansive freedom.

• Recovery & Relaxation Zones: While movement is encouraged, we also integrate dedicated areas for rest and rejuvenation. Think serene nooks for meditation, comfortable spaces for stretching, or even hammocks designed for deep relaxation. Low stress is a cornerstone of this design philosophy.

Discovery & Delight

Experience Everyday Living with a Sense of Wonder.

Your home should inspire joy and a sense of playful discovery. We've infused our designs with elements that surprise and delight, making every day an adventure.

• Creative Surprises: We believe in the power of wonder. Imagine discovering a hidden room behind a climbing wall, or an unexpected pathway leading to a cozy retreat. These creative surprises are woven into the fabric of the design to spark curiosity, encourage exploration, and bring a smile to your face.

• Personalized Adventure: This isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. While the core principles are consistent, each "Active Living Sanctuary" is tailored to the individual, ensuring the elements of surprise and active engagement resonate deeply with your preferences and lifestyle.

• More Than a House, It's an Experience: This isn't just about four walls and a roof. It's about crafting a living environment that is dynamic, engaging, and genuinely fun. It's about transforming your perception of "home" into a place of continuous growth, well-being, and delightful discovery.

Sample Real Recess Living Room / Office Space Design

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Life started shifting from active to sedentary jobs in the early 1900’s. As more tech and A.I. are invented today, humans move even less. That is why we are changing the way living space is designed. Open spaces to move through our living rooms is a great start and costs nothing. There are 3 general planes of motion that we want to move through: front and back (sagittal), side to side (frontal) and rotational (transverse). Many games that are explained below will take you through these human movements. Other considerations in your open space is the quality of fresh air, natural light and tolerable sound. Finally, level changes in our living space will help us be more active climbing stairs, ladders, ramps or slides.

Once we have open space for movement, we can incorporate functional furniture. There are three different actions on the furniture that get us through those three planes of motion: climbing, crawling and balancing. Items to climb (vertical position) involve furniture like swings, suspension straps, monkey bars, firman poles, rock climbing wall, cargo net and stall bars that all have multiple uses. Items to crawl (horizontal position) with include hammocks, suspension straps, stall bars, doorways, sturdy storage chests, hollow couches and other creative objects. Items to balance with incorporate swings, trampolines, beams, cobble stones, sand, balls, slacklines and unstable surfaces like a mattress under a carpet.

The third and final piece to the active environment is fun surprises that stimulate overall wellness like recovery and brain health.

Sample Recess Kitchen Design

Filtered water might be the most important part of the kitchen to minimize micro plastics and other harmful chemicals. Countertop versions gives the reminder to drink the water while under the sink versions keep a clean appearance.

Sample Recess Bedroom Design

Starting with what is NOT in the bedroom is electronics (TV, computer, even AC units should be far away from the bed) to minimize screen time and their electronic fields (EMF) that interrupt our own human current (biofield). Eight hours per day, everyday is a huge part of our life. Prioritize this space of recovery.

Multiple sleeping arrangements are important. A breathable mattress or pad on the floor is the foundation with lots of natural cotton pillows to help with posture. Being on the floor encourages more range of motion to get up and down. A second area for sleep would be a natural cotton hammock. Climbing into and out of it takes strength, flexibility and balance as the swaying motion mimics nature. The hammock can also double for range of motion (ROM) exercises in the morning. Very high end beds are available that adjust height, firmness and angles which all help maximize health.

Be aware of time of year and lighting in the bedroom. We want 6-8 full hours of darkness while we sleep to maintain a natural circadian rhythm. Blackout blinds or natural cotton curtains assist in this matter. Natural and calming art on the walls promote relaxation as well as motivation. Storing our clothes is another important part of bedrooms. Some ADD brains prefer being able to see everything like in a closet setting or open shelving. If you do use closed dressers, opt for the lower type that can double as a stretching or climbing platform.

Knowing how long we sleep, air quality is super important as well. If your HVAC system does not have top of the line filtration, consider a portable air filtration system for the bedroom.

Bathrooms are in the ‘bedroom’ category because they typically go hand-in-hand.

See these Examples:

Once your submission is reviewed, we will discuss your goals, give you tips, design for you and finally make a plan to certify your space as a CAE.