Episode Details

Have you ever walked into a space and immediately felt at ease—or conversely, inexplicably uncomfortable? That's your sensory system responding to your environment, and it's exactly what Beatrice Tokayer, owner of BRT Interior Design, has built her unique interior design practice around.

In this fascinating conversation, Beatrice shares how her journey from Montreal to Bergen County, coupled with her psychology background from McGill University, set the foundation for her innovative approach to interior design. When her middle son was born with sensory needs, Beatrice's personal experience catalyzed the development of her specialty in "sensory design"—creating calm and balanced spaces customized to individuals' sensory profiles.

What makes Beatrice's approach revolutionary is her understanding that everyone has sensory preferences, not just those with diagnosed sensory processing disorders. She explains how she evaluates whether clients need more stimulation (bright colors for those who tend to "veg out") or less stimulation (calmer palettes for the easily overwhelmed). Through careful observation and questioning, she crafts environments where clients can truly find comfort—because as Beatrice puts it, "if you can't find comfort in your environment, your body doesn't feel right."

The design process combines color psychology with spatial flow considerations. Rather than imposing trendy aesthetics, Beatrice takes a collaborative approach, explaining the psychological reasoning behind her design choices while offering options that maintain sensory benefits. Her services range from full project management to "design in a day" packages for smaller spaces. She prefers starting with one room, comparing the designer-client relationship to dating—you want to ensure compatibility before tackling multiple spaces.

Beyond her design services, Beatrice is passionate about education, creating blog content to help others understand how sensory design benefits everyone from families to institutions. Want to learn more about how your environment might be affecting your well-being? Visit BRTInteriorDesign.com or find her on Instagram @brtinteriordesign.

BRT Interior Design

Beatrice Tokayer

560 Sylvan Ave
Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632
(917) 484-0789

eatrice@brtinteriordesign.com

brtinteriordesign.com