While digital work culture can keep us tethered to enclosed indoor environments, working spaces emerge as a unique opportunity to reimagine the workplace experience. This thesis explores how indoor-outdoor architecture can be integrated into work environments to promote wellness, productivity, creativity, and foster a deeper connection to nature. By blending built environments with natural elements, the design aims to evoke the openness, calm, and restorative qualities we associate with the outdoors. Drawing on principles of nature-inspired design, this research investigates how elements such as daylight, greenery, water features, natural ventilation, and natural materials can shape more human-centered workspaces. The thesis proposes a coworking model that redefines the modern workplace—transforming it into a dynamic, inclusive, and rejuvenating ecosystem aligned with the evolving values of contemporary work life.

The dominant approach in contemporary design emphasizes standardization and efficiency. Sadly, this often overshadows or destroys the unique character and history of buildings. In contrast, this thesis proposes a design ethos that embraces the patina of wear and the feeling of material authenticity. Rather than erase imperfections or overwrite the past, it engages the tactile evidence of time: layers of paint, repairs and alterations made over time, strange patches and conjunctions of materials, and traces of age and use.  Intervention is not seen as a disruption, but as a continuation: a gesture in response to existing conditions. In particular, handmade materials carry the presence of their maker and enter into dialogue with the building’s embodied history, deepening the sense of place and presence. Tool marks, joints, brushstrokes - these become signs of life, not flaws to be corrected. By honoring these imprints—of both time and human labor—this thesis work resists the notion of a finished or perfected space. Instead, it celebrates the building as a living surface, continually shaped by time, use, and care.

 Omnipresence means being in multiple places simultaneously. Screen-based tools are reshaping presence and embodiment by blending physical and digital realms; humans now exist in a phygital state. The digital age has absorbed many everyday embodied activities into virtual interactions, and in turn, people are bringing those virtual interactions into physical spaces. Historically, design has defined human activity within the physical environment—offices, for instance, facilitate work. Today, a smartphone can transform a desk into a retail store, a doctor’s office, or a family gathering. This thesis explores the omnipresent condition and examines how interior design can support phygital existence. Through a series of site and programmatic prototypes, it investigates design strategies that enhance the ease of phygital embodiment. Drawing from cinematic references, the thesis develops a material, aesthetic and detail approach that reflects today’s screen-based omnipresence and considers how interiors might better accommodate the fluid, multispatial nature of contemporary life.

Focusing on environments that support families undergoing long-term medical treatment, the project explores how spatial design can provide the structure necessary for stability during disruption while fostering warmth through materiality, sensory interaction, and emotional security. The idea of structure offers support and a sense of order, essential for families navigating complex and life-altering circumstances. Warmth, meanwhile, extends from material and color choices to encompass the emotional and psychological impacts of space, comfort, trustworthiness, and creating an environment conducive to healing and wellness. By merging these elements, the design aims to create a space that offers both practical support and emotional solace, contributing to a sense of rejuvenation and optimism.

Set in a historic church in Philadelphia’s Italian Market neighborhood, The Living Mosaic is a gathering place designed to reflect the energy, diversity, and culture of its community. This project explores how creative interior environments can support meaningful connection by integrating food, drink, and play into everyday life. Community kitchens, a coffee-to-wine bar, workshops, and active zones foster joy and a deep sense of belonging. Vertical gardens, an outdoor wine garden, community garden beds, and a neighboring pocket park blend nature into the experience. The design encourages lingering, learning, and spontaneous interaction across generations and backgrounds. In contrast to the fast pace and isolation of urban life, The Living Mosaic creates an inclusive, welcoming environment where people feel supported and connected to something greater. It is a celebration of everyday moments, neighborhood rhythms, and the simple joy of being together.

Many unhoused individuals avoid traditional shelters due to overcrowding and institutional designs that overlook their emotional and psychological needs. In cities, the limited availability of supportive environments further reinforces cycles of isolation and invisibility. This thesis examines how interior architecture can serve as a transformative tool,creating spaces that restore dignity, safety, and belonging.Focusing specifically on shelters for women and single mothers, it explores how design can foster emotional healing and stability. By incorporating calming, nature-inspired palettes, soft textures, residential-scale furnishings, and spatial layouts that promote autonomy and privacy, the built environment can begin to undo the sense of exposure and powerlessness many residents feel. These design choices provide a  setting for recovery, reflection, and growth. In creating spaces that prioritize safety both physically and psychologically, the project also emphasizes features such as clearly defined personal zones, secure entryways, warm lighting, and communal areas that encourage voluntary interaction rather than forced proximity. Through such details, the shelter becomes more than a temporary refuge;it becomes a space of dignity and hope, where women can begin to feel safe, seen, and supported in rebuilding their lives.