VOL. 5 – Intentional by Design: Creating Space for What Truly Matters

In this issue of The Curated Life, we slow down, pare back, and zoom in on what truly matters. Learn how to live intentionally—from home styling to mindset rituals—and explore 21 inspiring global and South African creatives who embody design with purpose.

Curating Your Space, Your Mind, and Your Life

In a world of endless scrolls, sensory overload, and fast everything, the idea of “living with intention” can sound like another trend. But let’s cut through the noise. Intentional living isn’t about being perfect or minimalist. It’s about being present—in your space, your schedule, and your self.

Whether you’re styling a corner of your home, editing your wardrobe, or deciding who gets your energy—this is your invitation to design a life that serves you back. With less clutter and more clarity, less pressure and more presence.

Let’s break it down.

1. Curate Your Space

Your home isn’t just where you sleep—it’s where you recharge, create, and connect. Every piece in your space should feel like it belongs there, supporting your mood and your mindset.

Tips to Try:

  • Opt for fewer, better objects: functional furniture, clean lines, and warm textures.

  • Use intentional colour palettes that echo how you want to feel—calm, grounded, focused.

  • Create micro-zones: a reading nook, a tea corner, a desk that inspires clarity.

Design your home like you’re styling your peace of mind.

2. Curate Your Mind

Mental clutter is just as noisy as physical mess. Intentional living calls for boundaries, rituals, and daily resets.

Try These Daily Mindset Cues:

  • Morning stillness (even 5 minutes without a screen).

  • A “No List”—things you no longer say yes to out of guilt or habit.

  • Daily check-ins: How do I want to feel today? What do I want to bring to the spaces I enter?

Less reacting, more responding. Less input, more insight.

3. Curate Your Life

From your relationships to your calendar, what you allow is what will define you. Intentional living asks: Is this adding to my life or draining it?

Audit Your Energy:

  • Declutter your digital life—emails, social media follows, group chats.

  • Choose people who make you feel safe, seen, and stretched in all the right ways.

  • Block time for joy. Literally. Schedule it like a meeting.

Being selective isn’t being selfish—it’s being strategic with your soul.

Global Icons of Sensory Design

Designers, stylists, and creators who embody intentional living:

1. Studio McGee – Modern Americana with a warm, curated soul.
🔗 Studio McGee

2. Kelly Wearstler – Fearless luxe layered with artful chaos.
🔗 Kelly Wearstler

3. Sarah Sherman Samuel – Earthy palettes, relaxed California refinement.
🔗 Sarah Sherman Samuel

4. Brandon Smith Studio – Minimalism charged with graphic intent.
🔗 Brandon Smith Studio

5. Ben Wright Design – Bold clarity, deeply thoughtful brand work.
🔗 Ben Wright Design

6. House of Little – Unique visuals with intentional storytelling.
🔗 House of Little

7. Mindful Design Consulting – Spaces infused with wellness and calm.
🔗 Mindful Design Consulting

8. Tranquillo Design – Sustainable interiors with emotional grace.
🔗 Tranquillo Design

9. Lara Swanson – Quiet photography that breathes and holds space.
🔗 Lara Swanson

10. Annie Leibovitz – Emotion-led portraiture that defines cultural memory.
🔗 Annie Leibovitz

11. Yves Béhar – Inventive, future-ready product design.
🔗 Yves Béhar

12. Norm Architects – Scandinavian elegance in objects and space.
🔗 Norm Architects

13. The Row – Luxury fashion rooted in quiet excellence.
🔗 The Row

14. Totême – Streamlined style that whispers refinement.
🔗 Totême

15. Squarespace Templates – Clean digital canvases for meaningful brands.
🔗 Squarespace Templates

16. Toptal – World-class creative talent, curated for precision.
🔗 Toptal

South African Designers Living With Intention

Local creatives reimagining style, function, and cultural legacy:

  1. Thabisa Mjo – Mash. T Design Studio – African heritage reimagined through lighting and furniture.
    🔗 Mash. T Design Studio
  2. Rich Mnisi – Fashion as storytelling; bold, emotive, unapologetic.
    🔗 Rich Mnisi
  3. Dokter and Misses – Functional furniture with quirky soul.
    🔗 Dokter and Misses
  4. Atang Tshikare – Zabalazaa Designs – Afrofuturist expression through sculpture and visual art.
    🔗 Zabalazaa Designs
  5. The Urbanative (Mpho Vackier) – Modern Afrocentric design with rooted cultural elegance.
    🔗 The Urbanative

Final Thought

Intentional living isn’t a one-time overhaul. It’s a slow, quiet rebellion against autopilot. It’s the art of saying yes to what supports you—and no to everything that doesn’t.

Now go ahead, edit your surroundings, realign your mind, and redesign your life.
With intention. With beauty. With purpose.


Stay effortless. Stay extra. Stay entirely yourself.

By Alexia Tatiana – The Curated Life

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