Designing Wellness: How Sustainable Interiors Transform the Way We Live with Sarah Walker, Nuance Interior Design

When you walk into a space, how does it make you feel?

That’s one of the first questions Sarah Walker, founder and CEO of Nuance Interior Design, wants you to consider. Because to her, interior design isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about wellness, sustainability, and creating a home that truly supports your life.

On this week’s episode of The Wild Party Podcast, we sat down with Sarah to talk about her design journey, her commitment to sustainable living, and how she’s building a new standard for what luxury interiors should look and feel like.

From Career Day to CEO

Sarah knew she wanted to be an interior designer at just 12 years old. After attending a youth career fair, she realized that her love for beautiful spaces and her keen attention to detail could actually be her life’s work. Fast forward a couple of decades and she’s leading one of Seattle’s top interior design firms, known not just for stunning spaces, but for thoughtful, client-focused, and environmentally conscious design.

Her path included design school, an internship in luxury homes, and a high-profile role designing 147 Nordstrom stores across the country. That experience shaped her signature approach: combining timeless materials, thoughtful functionality, and a deep respect for her clients’ wellbeing.

Sustainability, Built In

At Nuance Interiors, luxury and sustainability go together. Every product in Sarah’s Seattle showroom has been carefully vetted not just for beauty, but for safety. That means no formaldehyde in cabinetry, low-VOC finishes, and non-toxic flooring. It also means no “new product smell,” which often means chemical off-gassing we’ve been conditioned to accept as normal.

The showroom is stocked with high-end materials from around the globe, including many from Europe, where sustainability standards are much stricter. Her clients can trust that what they’re putting into their homes supports their health, the planet, and ethical labor practices.

What Makes a Home “Luxury”?

Sarah believes luxury isn’t defined by a price tag. It’s about personalization, wellness, and quality. She doesn’t impose a signature look on every project. Instead, she works closely with each client to understand how they want their home to feel and function, then designs around their lifestyle, goals, and values.

And then there’s the experience itself. Sarah and her team handle everything from architectural planning to furniture layout to final installation, creating a stress-free, full-service process. Clients don’t have to stress over every detail. They just show up, get inspired, and make confident decisions.

Designing for the Future

One of the most exciting parts of our conversation was learning how Sarah is helping families embrace multigenerational living. Whether it’s aging parents, grown children, or planning for future needs, Sarah designs with flexibility in mind.

She builds ADUs and separate suites, creating space for family members to live together with the right balance of connection and independence. She also helps clients build legacy homes, vacation properties meant to host the entire extended family for holidays and special events.

These homes include everything from nursery-ready guest rooms to wheelchair-accessible bathrooms, always blending functionality with beauty.

Wellness That Starts at Home

Wellness isn’t a buzzword for Sarah. It’s built into every project. She designs spaces that promote healthy living through lighting, layout, air quality, and even recovery features like saunas, steam showers, and infrared therapy.

Even smaller design choices like building a kitchen that actually inspires someone to cook healthy meals—can lead to real lifestyle changes. The goal is always to help people feel good in their homes and live better lives because of it.

What New Designers Should Know

If you’re just starting in the world of luxury interiors, Sarah encourages you to find your passion and build your niche around it. Her work is grounded in her values of sustainability, inclusivity, and wellness which is what makes her designs feel so meaningful.

And after hearing about her Sarah Walker Process, it’s clear that her strength lies in creating a seamless, supportive experience for clients who want to live beautifully, consciously, and fully.

Want to learn more?
Visit https://nuanceinteriors.com/ to explore her work, or follow on Instagram for the latest projects and inspiration.