When a room looks beautiful but somehow feels forgettable, it’s usually missing one thing: Emotion.
You’ve experienced it before. A perfectly furnished space. High-end finishes. Thoughtfully selected textiles. And yet… it falls flat. It feels polished, but impersonal. Complete, but not compelling.
Luxury interiors that truly resonate are never just visually pleasing — they are emotionally intentional.
Dining room designed by B. David Levine for Pasadena Showcase 2014. Ceiling mural by Hattas Studios.
At the Pasadena Showcase House of Design 2026, Hattas Studios was awarded a small 4' x 4' upstairs closet. On paper, it was the most modest space in the home. But instead of asking how to decorate it, we asked something far more important: How do we want people to feel when they enter this space?
That question changed everything.
The Upstairs Hall Closet at Pasadena Showcase 2026, before the transformation. Space to be designed by Hattas Studios.
A Space Without Emotion Always Feels Like It’s Missing Something
A room without emotional direction often feels sterile and generic. It’s beautiful, but forgettable. It may photograph well, but it doesn’t linger in your memory.
High-end design is not defined by price tags. It’s defined by impact. When someone steps into a space and feels calm or inspired or nostalgic or energized—that is the moment the design becomes elevated.
Emotion is the invisible architecture of luxury.
Color: The Fastest Way to Spark Emotion
Color sets the mood instantly. Before someone registers furniture or finishes, they feel color.
Sugarbug Dental, Camarillo (top left, orange); Primary Bedroom, Los Angeles (top center, green); Girl’s Bedroom, Malibu (top right, pink); Butler’s Pantry, Arcadia (bottom left, gray); Dining Room, Pasadena (bottom center, green); Dining Room, Pasadena (bottom right, taupe).
Soft greens calm the nervous system. Deep blues create intimacy. Warm neutrals feel grounding. Bold hues energize and empower.
In The Enchanted Nook, we selected earthy forest greens to evoke wonder, nostalgia, and warmth. We were lucky that Dunn Edwards’ Color of the Year for 2026 is “Midnight Garden.” It felt like fate. Afterall, we were using Dunn Edwards’ palette to essentially paint a midnight garden (forest). And while the mural clearly illustrates the setting, the color alone transports people as soon as they open the door.
Dunn Edwards donated all of the paints for Pasadena Showcase House of Design, including color of the year, “Midnight Green.”
That said, color is only the beginning.
Art Reinforces the Feeling
Art deepens and defines the emotional tone of a room. Through color layering, brushstroke movement, scale, style and imagery, art turns mood into meaning. It further tells the story of how someone should feel in the space.
For the Pasadena Showcase closet, we’re painting an immersive woodland filled with fairy tale vignettes. Visitors won’t just see a mural — they’ll feel transported into the dark forest. They’ll feel curious about what might be hiding in the trees. They’ll feel nostalgic seeing their favorite characters come to life.
VIDEO: Jeanine Hattas Wilson (CEO & Creative Director, Hattas Studios) and twin sister Julie Kennedy (Senior Art Director, Hattas Studios), tour the empty Pasadena Showcase House of Design 2026 to find a space that inspires them.
While this space is technically designed for a young child, it speaks to everyone who grew up with these beloved fairy tale characters. This connection makes this a space where any adult can feel like a child again.
In short, the art reinforces the color palette. The palette reinforces the story. The story reinforces the emotion. That is intentional design.
The Art Should Reflect the Homeowner
True luxury is personal. When art is generic, the space feels generic.
When art reflects personal history or childhood memories, the room becomes significant and special. Or by including cultural heritage, aspirations or your favorite landscape, the room becomes connected to you, for a meaningful and remarkable space.
That is why custom art and murals are so powerful.
They allow full control over the emotional tone, story and narrative. They allow total control of the level-of-detail and the way it interacts with the architecture. Custom art ensures the room feels like you — not like a showroom.
From Banal to Breathtaking: What Custom Art Can Do
The Entry
Perfectly finished. Immaculate. And yet, ignored.
Room designed by Janice Peters. Distinctive Decor. Mural painted by Hattas Studios.
By painting large watercolor flowers to the wall, the space evokes a bold feeling, making this space grand and inviting. Guests are guided through a visual journey. It feels artful and expressive—making it unique and memorable. The entry becomes an experience, not just a passage.
The Powder Room
Quality fixtures. Neutral paint. Lacking any feeling.
Room designed by Samantha Williams, Samantha Williams Interior Design. Art curated by MaryLinda Moss, Source Art. Mural and faux finish painted by Hattas Studios.
By adding a hand-painted chinoiserie mural with the clients’ favorite flowers and birds, the room comes to life. It feels like an escape. The artwork dances around the room, giving a whimsical vibe. The space shifts from formal to unforgettable. But the fact the walls are hand-painted and uniquely crafted, furthers the high-end feeling to match the rest of the luxury home.
The Child’s Playroom
Standard paint color. Designer rug. Natural light. But missing a sense of fun.
Room designed by Michelle Bryant, PGK Partners. Mural by Hattas Studios.
By designing a space with nature and the kids’ favorite animals, the room inspires imagination. The many patterns and linework evoke energy. Adding the kids names to the rock-climbing tree makes it feel personal. And the soft colors keep the space feeling high-end. Now the kids feel that this is their space in the home. A place to be creative and go on adventures.
The Loft
An old Victorian house in need of a lot of love. A grand exterior and strong bones. But the interior needed a vision that would keep the integrity of the home, and evoke an elegant, yet historical vibe.
Mural painted by Hattas Studios.
By painting rich landscape murals on all of the walls, the space feels intimate and special. The dark monochrome colors make it feel calming and private. And the way the murals wrap around the architecture create a sophisticated feel that can only be achieved with custom work.
The Closet That Became the Most Talked-About Room
At the Pasadena Showcase, we are taking the smallest space in the house and giving it emotional intention. Visitors will step inside and feel wonder. Comfort. Nostalgia. We want guests to remember when they were kids listening to their parents read them stories before bed. We want them to smile when they sit in the big comfy chair and search for their favorite fairy tale heroes in the mural.
Hattas Studios welcomed guests to the Empty House Party at Pasadena Showcase House of Design 2026. Guests toured the empty house before construction began. Jeanine and Julie shared the mural design for the room using Augmented Reality, for guests virtually to see the design at full-size in the room.
Since our design is guided by emotion first, we can reinforce the mood with intentional color and custom art.
Luxury interiors are not defined by square footage. They are defined by feeling.
If you're designing a space and want it to feel meaningful, layered, and unforgettable — start with emotion. Then let custom art bring that feeling to life.
Go behind the scenes to watch Hattas Studios transform the Upstairs Closet into “The Enchanted Nook.”