Last week, we had the chance to introduce the toolkit developed as part of the Erasmus+ project “WELLHOME” at the headquarters of Fønix AS in Sandefjord, Norway.

It was an opportunity for international exchange between partners, operators, and designers who work closely with housing, well-being, and communities.

The aim of the meeting

The meeting was designed as a key step in sharing the educational and design process we developed in collaboration with Caterina Malinconico and Massimo Caiazzo: operational tools aimed at interpreting emotions, needs, values, and lifestyles in environments of residential well-being.

We presented each tool one by one—from Osservo (I Observe) to Ascolta i sensi (Listen to the Senses), from Trend Research to MoodAbitare (Living Moods), and finally an in-depth look at color—illustrating their purpose, method, and application.

The Fønix headquarters provided the perfect setting for interactive workshops and co-design sessions, thanks to their consolidated experience in the field of training, social inclusion, and working with communities and people in fragile situations.

What emerged

At the presentation at Fønix headquarters, the discussion between the European partners was extremely constructive. The meeting was a valuable opportunity to share methodologies, experiences, and visions on the theme of living, bringing together different approaches that share a common goal: designing spaces that improve people’s quality of life.

Attendees were really interested in the modular structure of the WELLHOME tools, which combine moments of personal introspection—like the “I observe” questionnaire or sensory exploration—with more concrete operational and design phases, like building a mood board, mapping the user journey, and color exercises.

The multisensory approach, which focuses on the body, perception, and materiality as true tools of knowledge and design, was particularly appreciated.

Another theme that emerged strongly was that of inclusion: the tools were designed to be accessible to people with communication, cognitive, or relational difficulties.

The use of visual languages, tactile materials, and collaborative activities allows each participant to express themselves freely, generating an authentic and participatory co-design process.

Finally, the meeting kicked off an operational dialogue with the team of representatives from all countries to assess the adaptation of the tools to the context, taking into account the specific characteristics of the territory, climate, and cultural habits related to home and well-being.

This discussion phase is a fundamental step in making the WellHOME project scalable and applicable in different European contexts, reinforcing its value as a training and social model capable of combining empathy, competence, and innovation.

Towards training in Italy: from discussion to experimentation

After the Norwegian leg, the WellHOME project continues its training program in Italy, where an intense three-day workshop and practical experimentation session will be held from November 25 to 27.

The aim is to translate what emerged during the Fønix meeting into a shared operational experience, in which educators will be able to apply the tools in real contexts, testing their effectiveness and adaptability.

The training, to be workshop-based, will include experiential activities, discussions, and co-design sessions to encourage active and situated learning. At this stage, the materials developed will be translated and adapted into a bilingual version (Italian-English) to ensure their dissemination and use by all European partners.

At the same time, feedback will be collected from participants in order to improve and finalise the WELLHOME toolkit before its final release.

This phase represents the crucial transition from theory to practice: an opportunity to verify how the tools created can become everyday working tools, capable of generating well-being, autonomy, and inclusion in living spaces dedicated to the most vulnerable people.

WellHOME: designing well-being and inclusion through design

WellHOME is a European project funded by the Erasmus+ program, created to improve the quality of life and promote social inclusion for people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups through professional training and innovation in the field of well-being-oriented interior design.

The project aims to train professionals able to understand and restyle living spaces as tools for care, relationships, and personal growth, promoting emotional comfort, mental health, and a sense of belonging.

Thanks to a multidisciplinary and evidence-based approach, WellHOME offers accessible and adaptable training courses that translate people’s needs and emotions into concrete solutions for inclusive and regenerative design.

The program involves partners from five European countries—Italy, Norway, Spain, Greece, and Latvia—and includes research, training, and direct experimentation with tools in real contexts, to create more welcoming, conscious environments oriented toward the well-being of those who inhabit them.

The value of the project: the strength of fragility at the service of shared well-being

One of the most innovative and deepest aspects of WellHOME lies in its social vision: transforming fragility into competence.

The project does not merely train new professionals in the field of inclusive design, but aims to create job opportunities for vulnerable people, who can then put their sensitivity and perceptive abilities at the service of other fragile individuals.

In this way, WellHOME builds a virtuous model in which those who have experienced fragility become an active resource in the design of spaces for hospitality, listening, and well-being.

Through training, they acquire concrete tools to operate in educational, residential, and community contexts, contributing to the creation of environments capable of generating comfort, safety, and belonging.

The result is a network of shared skills and humanity, where the design of a space also becomes a life project, capable of restoring dignity, autonomy, and social value to those who participate.