We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Larissa Patel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Larissa below.

Larissa, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?

I’m hoping that I’ll be remembered for breaking unhealthy cycles. Whether in interpersonal relationships or in unhealthy living and working environments, I’m often naturally calling attention to things that need to be improved and/or changed. Sometimes there’s a resistance to change that has to be overcome. Authentic living not always a pretty process but ultimately it will lead to greater things. Professionally, this takes the form of creating healthy living spaces.

Larissa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Larissa Patel, MFA, MS Ed., Allied ASID. I’m an artist, educator, and interior designer. I can help save time, money, and/or frustration in the design process.

As the child of an artist and an engineer, I played with watercolors and hardhats from the time I was a toddler. In grade school, I handmade paper from pulp, indigenous-style pottery, and candles using 18th century techniques. At home, I was surrounded by traditional Gujarati block print cotton fabrics and Banarasi silk.

Later, I received a formal art and design education at the prestigious New York schools of Pratt Institute and The New School.

Eight Zero Three Design LLC is a boutique residential interior design firm that focuses on several facets of environmental psychology and physiology in design: art and nature. This is achieved by using two main scientific fields: biophilic design and neuroaesthetics. We spend over 90% of our days indoors; our bodies were not evolutionarily designed to do that. Bringing the natural world indoors is one way of creating a healthier environment through scientific studies including lower heart rates and reduced stress bio-markers. There are currently 15 primary patterns in biophilic design that range from being able to see natural elements in the design to adjusting airflow rates and mimicking lighting patterns. These patterns have correlating studies to confirm their physiological impact. Neuroaesthetics is an emerging scientific field that empirically studies the effects of beauty and art on the brain and parts of the body.

We use scientific studies to inform healthier design decisions. For example, if I’m proposing a lighting system for you, I already know how this system works within your design needs and be able to tell you specifically how it makes your life healthier.

I’m proud to be able to use my artistic background for real actionable change in someone’s life and daily environment. We are based in the Atlanta metro area and work nationwide.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

It sounds trite to say that it is about helping others become healthier people but that’s what it’s about. Early in my career (20s and early 30s), I was a fine art photographer; I still exhibit about once a year. My work then was about giving myself an outlet to express a lot of unhealthy coping mechanisms. As I grew older, that need diminished and I wanted to help others but in a different way. I could have easily become an art therapist but I recognized how much the physical environment one spent the most time in can greatly affect one’s quality of life. In addition to making it beautiful, one could create a space in which it could make you a better human being. There’s a large amount of gratitude in that journey.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I like to think that we are all creative in different ways if we allow ourselves to be. I believe one of the hardest things for non-professional creatives to understand is that creatives have a tendency to envision the the potential over the concrete here and now. This often leads to a fundamental difference on how we see the world- and our role in it- at large. But I don’t gate-keep the creative process on this investment though. I encourage my clients to share as much about themselves as possible; one design doesn’t fit all. This is a unique creative journey that we’re all on.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.eight-zero-three.com
• Instagram: @ezt803
• Facebook: @ezt803
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larissapatel/
• Twitter: @ezt803