For Brittany “Bri” Snyder, the foundation of Studio 36 is a belief that our spaces should exist as active participants in promoting our health and well-being.

Throughout her career in interior design, Bri became increasingly fascinated by the relationship between our environments and our physical, emotional, and even energetic well-being. That curiosity led her beyond conventional interior design and into disciplines including environmental psychology, biophilic design, Feng Shui, BioGeometry, healthy material selection, and energy work.

Born in Greenwich, Connecticut, Bri spent her formative years growing up in Colorado before making her way back East to attend the New York School of Interior Design. She graduated second in her class, magna cum laude, and received the Ana Blanc Verna Award, given to the student who displayed exceptional creativity throughout their entire body of work. Her family, including her two older siblings and fiancé, Seth, is now scattered between Colorado, Connecticut, and North Carolina.

Bri’s education has extended well beyond traditional interior design. She spent six months living in Thailand studying and practicing Reiki and began to see the disciplines she had studied as different pieces of the same puzzle: How do we create spaces that genuinely support the people who inhabit them?

That question became the foundation of Studio 36.

The studio’s mission is to create beautiful, deeply personal environments that support the whole person physically, mentally, emotionally, and energetically. Rather than designing solely around aesthetics or trends, Studio 36 considers how light, materials, color, nature, spatial flow, geometry, air quality, and the subtler qualities of a space can work together to create an environment where people can thrive.

Studio 36 is a full-service interior design studio specializing in luxury residential, commercial, hospitality, and wellness-centered environments. Traditional services include concept development, space planning, finish and material selection, custom furniture and millwork, lighting, construction documentation, furniture procurement, 3D visualization and renderings, and project coordination.

Clients can also incorporate the studio’s holistic and wellness-focused services, including Feng Shui, BioGeometry, biophilic design, healthy material and finish selection, environmental and energetic harmonization, and space clearing. Some clients simply love Studio 36’s design aesthetic and want a beautiful home, while others choose to go deeper into wellness and energetic design. The process is tailored to meet each client where they are.

“We like to say that we design for what you can see, feel, and sometimes what you can’t see at all,” Bri shares.

Bri is a certified Feng Shui practitioner, trained in Advanced BioGeometry, a Reiki Master, and is continuing her education in wellness-centered building practices. Studio 36 integrates that knowledge with traditional interior architecture and design principles to create spaces that are both highly functional and deeply supportive.

And holistic design doesn’t necessarily have to look holistic. As Bri explains, a home doesn’t need to be filled with crystals or resemble a meditation retreat unless that’s what the homeowner loves. These principles can be woven into virtually any design style.

The studio’s identity has also been shaped by challenges along the way. Studio 36 began with a strong concentration in commercial design, with a significant portion of its work at one point coming from one rapidly growing industry. When that market shifted, several projects slowed or stopped at nearly the same time.

The experience prompted Bri to reevaluate the business and the kind of work she ultimately wanted Studio 36 to be known for. She returned to the ideas that had fascinated her since design school, including the relationship between space, nature, geometry, health, energy, and human well-being, and invested in additional education and certifications. She also diversified Studio 36 into residential, hospitality, wellness, and other commercial sectors.

“Sometimes the unexpected detour is what brings you closer to the work you’re actually meant to be doing,” Bri says.

Since relocating to Wilmington, becoming part of the local community has been important to Bri. She currently serves as a Wilmington City Center Director Co-Chair for IIDA, the International Interior Design Association, helping support programming, networking, education, and connection within the local design community. Studio 36 also collaborates with Wilmington-area wellness practitioners, creatives, builders, vendors, and small businesses and has participated in local events and initiatives, including Habitat for Humanity’s Upscale Resale.

Looking ahead, Bri’s long-term vision is for Studio 36 to help redefine what we think of as “wellness design.” She is continuing her education toward becoming a WELL Accredited Professional and hopes Studio 36 can help create a new generation of spaces where sustainability, human well-being, beautiful design, and the health of the land and communities are considered together rather than separately.

Her advice to residents is to pay attention to how their homes make them feel and whether those spaces actually support their day-to-day needs. Bring in natural light and living plants, reduce clutter, choose natural and low-emitting materials when possible, and create spaces that encourage the habits you want more of.

Most importantly, don’t feel pressured to design your home around every trend you see online.

“Your home should tell your story,” Bri says. “Your home should be your sanctuary. It should make your life a little easier, help you feel a little better, and support the person you’re becoming.”