Liz Lavender

Board Member

Design in Mental Health Network

Biography

Liz Lavender is an Interior Designer and Expert by Experience, specialising in creating sensory-informed environments that feel safe, calm, and responsive — particularly for people with sensory needs, autism, or a learning disability. She combines over 20 years of professional design, project management, and global procurement experience with lived insight as a parent navigating the mental health and autism service landscape.

Liz works across healthcare and residential settings, bringing sensory-informed thinking into everyday spaces. Whether redesigning a community clinic, planning improvements to a mental health ward, or co-producing a bespoke home, she shapes environments that support comfort, dignity, and wellbeing for everyone.

Guided by the belief that good design supports wellbeing, she applies the principle that impact comes from thoughtful, informed choices rather than simply spending more. Her purpose is to improve mental health outcomes through better design. She champions a collaborative, network-based approach, working closely with NHS England South West, Devon Partnership NHS Trust, service users, clinicians, and national design networks to ensure environments are inclusive, evidence-based, and practical.