ENVIRONMENT MATTERS: How to Use Interior Design to Increase Happiness
A core value at Sukkha Interior Design is taking a psychological approach to design spaces that are beautiful and impactful. The relationship we have with our home has substantial impacts in our daily lives and psychological health.
This article will explain why you should give a crap about how your home looks and more importantly feels. You’ll see the scientific evidence that proves a well designed interior space results in better overall health, emotional wellbeing, elevated mood, increased productivity, and a happier, more successful existence.
After a brief history of the scientific psychological research behind foundational interior design principles I'll share actionable interior design strategies to try out in your own space. It is my hope that this post brings a deeper understanding of the importance of interior design and inspires you to look at ways your own home can create a positive impact in daily life and better support your unique preferences and lifestyle needs.
A BRIEF PSYCHOLOGICAL HISTORY OF INTERIOR DESIGN:
In 1947 Jonas Stalk was looking for a polio vaccine at the University of Pittsburgh. His lab is a dingy depressing dark room in the basement of an old building. After many fruitless years down there, he is mentally and physically exhausted and decides to visit a monastery in Italy with beautiful architecture, high ceilings, huge windows with natural light, and there he finally achieves his goal and finds the cure for Polio. He is the first to have the awareness to credit the positive changes in his environment ( lighting, sights, and architecture) with his mind being able to “unlock” and eventually find the vaccine.
“The spirituality of the architecture there was so inspiring that I was able to do intuitive thinking far beyond any I had done in the past.”
Stalk is first to call attention to the positive interplay of mind, creativity, and environment. He is now known as the father of environmental psychology which studies the influence of the built + natural environments on how we think, feel and act.
Next up is Abraham Maslow who you may be familiar with already- he is famous for his "hierarchy of needs" and is considered the founding father of positive psychology.
Less famous is how his research impacts the fundamentals of interior design. In 1956 he conducted a study that proved that people enter a more positive state of mind when they’re inside a beautiful setting than when they are in ugly or average looking surroundings. His wife apparently was known for her artful eye and knack for interior decoration.
He sets up 3 experiment sites where volunteers would look through stacks of black and white head shots and rank them on their “energy” and “wellbeing”. The first site was the Beautiful Room which was actually Maslow’s own office where his wife had decorated with art and sculpture, had large draped windows, soft lighting, comfortable upholstered chairs and lush rugs. The second site, the Average Room, which was neat and clean but otherwise basic accommodations. The third site, the Ugly Room, was a repurposed room in the basement that was dark with gray dirty walls, with hard uncomfortable furniture, no decor, and one bare bulb fixture for light.
The results: “ Subjects who evaluated the photos in the average and ugly rooms were noticeably more negative in their scoring than persons in the Beautiful room.Examiners stationed in the basement space were observed to be more "irritable, fatigued, and prone to complain about the assignment" than those in the beautiful room.
In 1980 Richard Ulrich, a medical biologist, discovered the impact of the environment in hospitals through researching patients' recovery and experience.
He starts studies where half the patients have a window to the park and the other half just face a wall. He ends up with hard evidence proving that patients who could see tree tops from their beds benefited with: 1) required less medication 2) experienced fewer complications 3) were released more quickly. THAT IS BIG STUFF!
His study triggered the movement that is now known as Evidence Based Design or EBD.
EBD is most easily recognized in the advertising sector where companies will spend thousands and even millions of dollars on research to design billboards, social media ads, and commercials most likely to achieve one goal: get the viewer to buy. Or click. Or sign up. Or whatever they want you to do.
Like digital ads, Buildings have always been designed to evoke calculated responses in the observer.
Examples:
The ancient Greeks aimed to evoke awe in their buildings.
Today you might visit an expensive spa designed and note the colors and decor evoke a state of calm and serenity.
EBD might be most prevalent in healthcare but has also made its way in workplace, educational, and residential spheres. EBD is a key ingredient to a successful interior design project. At Sukkha Interior Design we believe a successful design always balances the FFF- Form, Function, Feeling (all of which are totally subjective and dependant on each specific space and person.) We use EBD concepts to make sure our designs are not only beautiful (Form) but also solution based to our clients unique visual preferences and lifestyle needs (Function and Feeling).
Now let's take these psychological design concepts in terms of actionable home updates.
8 Interior Design Tips Scientifically Proven to Enhance Psychological Benefits
COLOR
Design psychology says: colors have a major impact on our mood/feelings.
Color psychology is the study of how different colors affect human mood and behavior. It explores how colors can influence emotional responses.
Ex: Red and Oranges tend to bring feelings of energy while cool tones like blue and purple create mellow vibes. * Blue is a very powerful color known to be especially calming and has even been shown recently to decrease heart and blood pressure.
Use color to make a space feel more expansive or contained (meaning how it reflects light- lighter the color more light reflected. Darker colors reflect less light since they absorb more)
One of the first steps for any design project or home update is to determine not only the visual style but also the desired function and feel of each space. Determining the FFF upfront (which we do together as a part of the Design Project Jumpstart) so you can choose the right colors and elements to achieve the desired effect.
2. KEEP IT CLEAN
Design psychology says: clutter = stress
Messy and/or cluttered spaces have been shown to increase cortisol (the stress hormone) and can reinforce fatigue and depression.
Generally speaking: Visual noise = mental noise which results in anxiety and stress.
Aim to store as much as possible out of sight. (Consider cabinets, dressers, trucks, boxes, storage, baskets, and drawers.)
Be mindful with exposed storage especially in places like bookshelves. Be intentional with what you display and put thought into how it's placed. For more on styling check out this post about interior styling.
Clean = improved light reflection. Dust reduces reflectiveness, impacting light. Wipe down surfaces regularly even if you don't see anything with the naked eye. Similarly dirty windows will allow in less light.
3. SPACE IT OUT
Design psychology says: humans respond positively to open space.
Brain space is equated to the physical space it’s in.
More space= more room to think and mentally explore.
Furniture should always be arranged with consideration to flow and how people will move through the space.
Typically avoid blocking windows, door, and room openings.
Aim to balance scale meaning a mix of small and large pieces of furniture/decor.
Pro interior design tip: an area rug almost always benefits a space (even if it's carpeted) because it connects furnishings and grounds the space as a whole.
Especially helpful in open floor plans to define different "zones".
4. NATURAL LIGHT
Design psychology says: insufficient natural light results has various negative health impacts.
Design psychology says: insufficient natural light results in various negative health impacts.
Study after study shows a low daylight diet is detrimental to mental health.
Studies note in the absence of adequate natural light specific diminishment of visual acuity, vitality, happiness, social and cognitive development, and academic performance.
Generally speaking - get as much as possible! (But still consider any potential issues such as privacy at night or if the sun will be blinding at certain times of day.)
Generally speaking- lose the heavy drapes/shades. Opt for a light filtering fabric to allow some light through or layered options. (Ex: ever notice in hotels they usually have a light filtering curtain that operates independently of the heavier black out shades for after dark privacy.)
5. BRING NATURE IN
Design psychology says: increased exposure to nature results in a ton of various mental health benefits
There is TONS of scientific evidence showing various benefits of exposure to organic nature. Most notably as a stress reducer
Evolutionary theory that our prehistoric selfs roaming the desert would equate lush green spaces = survival (food, water)
Fractal Theory: Nature is often fractal - a shape that repeats at different scales. Because shapes are similar it doesn't take as much mental energy to visualize them - less thinking= relaxed less stressed.
Think back to Ulrich's findings in his studies with the hospital patients.
Incorporate lots of plants and trees. (Faux plants have been proven to have the same positive effects as real plants if proper light or care is a concern.)
be strategic with windows, think of windows like framed art. Furniture should be placed to not block windows and generally aim furniture to face windows.
Use natural elements in art and decor - like a landscape painting.
6. ROUND IT OUT
Design psychology says: curved objects make us happy and less fearful.
One evolutionary theory proposes in prehistoric times angled things tended to be dangerous ( like animal teeth, jagged rocks, etc) while rounded shapes like a human baby, foliage signaled safety.
Consider where you can incorporate curved lines in your space.
Architectural examples: arched doorways, fireplaces or in furniture and decorative items.
Decorative examples: lamps/light fixtures, round wall mirror, circular throw pillows, a round coffee table, ottoman, or pouf.
Architecture is often mostly straight lines and right angles so round or curved lines are a nice break for our eyes to flow.
7. MAKE IT BEAUTIFUL
Design psychology says: according to studies and neuroimaging, humans go into a more positive state of mind when inside a beautiful space instead of one that is ugly or mediocre.
Remember back to Maslow’s Beautiful Room study. Beautiful spaces resulted in better moods and more positive thoughts and outlooks.
beautiful space = evokes positive feelings
Beauty is subjective- deeply personal. Don't just go with what is trendy or what someone else is doing. Investigate your own preferences more deeply without external influences.
Exercise: go through your house and note what feels beautiful in each space and what doesn’t. This is a great place to start for anyone who feels lost or overwhelmed about their home.
Take time to add or integrate design elements and decor that bring beauty to every space - don't forget about closets and bathrooms! (Most of us spend more time in some of these places than we think!;)
8. MAKE IT ALL ABOUT YOU!
Design psychology says: each of use responds to visual cues differently. The best science can do is make an educated guess based on the majority.
Like beauty, interior design is highly personal. An interior design plan that works in one person's home doesn't mean it will work in another even if the houses were identical builds.
I firmly believe all spaces should be designed with a deep understanding of each clients’ unique preferences, goals, and lifestyle.
I believe a good interior designer won't fixate on just the "design style" - they'll take time to help you find and visualize your own special mix of styles and help infuse that special "you" sauce into the space while achieving the desired interior design outcome.
To recap:
A well designed space results in people being happier with themselves, more affirmative in their outlook on the world, and more energized to work in an aesthetically appealing setting than in a mediocre or chaotic environment.
I hope this has given you a greater understanding of the powerful influence our visual environment has on our mental health and psychological well being as well as inspiration and strategies to implement in your own house to achieve a happier home!
Thanks for reading! If you have a design project in mind, need ideas to improve your space, or would just like to chat, I'd love to connect! Feel reach to reach out via method of choice below.
Reference: My Creative Space, Donald Rattner
