The Story of BLLIS
I had an “aha” moment about eight years ago.
I was collaborating on designing spaces that brought out the best in people — an 18,000 square foot corporate headquarters, 2,200 learning centers impacting over half a million students and families — yet my own home did not feel like it was bringing out the best in me.
~~~ I was physically and mentally maxed out. Buying, purging, rearranging endlessly. I couldn’t find peace in my space.
As I started exploring the technical aspects of what made spaces feel good for my work —lighting, color, flow, balance, culture, connections — I began experimenting at home. My space got lighter and brighter. And so did I. The constant rearranging slowed down. I started to feel more like myself, which I didn't realize I was missing...
Then one day, I threw white paint on my floor.
My surface intention was to cover ugly plywood. My deeper intention was to change the direction I was heading in life—to figure out a path with more balance, more support, more alignment with me.
I painted myself into a corner almost literally to see how I’d get out - having a gut feeling my creative spirit would kick in and figure it out. And I sorely needed my creativity to surface again.
Two amazing things came out of that white paint on my floor:
One was the game Tapeball, which I invite you to explore - it’s for people whose hearts are always shooting for the stars.
And the second was a realization: our spaces, whether by intention or by neglect, deeply impact the way we are able to show up every day.
For me, a simple, made-up game in a Toronto loft changed everything. My space felt alive, and so did I.
That energy carried well past the boundaries of my loft: Neighbors I never talked to in five years came over to play. Friends visiting from out of town met the old-pro “Tapeballers” from my building. Those who got their name on the floor bragged about it. Those who didn’t couldn’t wait for their shot.
That’s when the “aha” came: spaces need life to feel good. Not just aesthetics. Not just function. Life.
I put it on my wall by my front door, in Braille, as a reminder to feel into it every day: Bring Life Into Spaces.
Then I debated: was it really love I needed to bring in?
My conclusion: Life = Love. Love = Life.
Bring Life Love Into Spaces… BLLIS
I’ve spent 15+ years discovering what makes spaces work — from those 2,200 learning centers to yoga studios to certifications in Biophilic Design and Feng Shui to my own trial and error. But the real education came from that floor game (seeing what’s possible when you allow yourself to play), and from watching clients transform their lives (and businesses) by transforming their spaces.
Here’s a validation point: In that 18,000 square foot, multimillion-dollar corporate headquarters I helped design, the #1 thing that employees loved the most (when surveyed) wasn’t the custom furniture or the high-end lighting — it was a bamboo plant from IKEA (in an IKEA drinking glass, surrounded by IKEA rocks, sitting on a gold IKEA drink coaster) that everyone got on their desk the day we opened the space. Simple. Alive. Accessible. Intentional. Joyful. Connecting. That’s the BLLIS philosophy.
**We spend 90% of our time indoors. When mental health challenges are at an all-time high, we need to elevate the conditions in which our lives are taking shape.**
With a background in marketing and operations, I’m wired to measure impact. BLLIS combines science-informed design and making up rules along the way, to quantifiably change how spaces are experienced.
I can’t wait for the days I’ll hear your stories x your impact exploring BLLIS!
Lyndsay Lowman
Founder, Biophilic Design Consultant, Feng Shui Practitioner, Forever Student of Science-Informed Design