Episode 2: Environment Matters: Psychology of Interior Design (Part 1)

This 2 part episode is create a background understanding of interior design principles that will help in understanding everything else to come.
We run through a brief history of design psychology and the scientific evidence behind interior design concepts. Don't miss next week which gets into specific interior design techniques you can implement to benefit your mental health and create a happy home.

Show Notes:

interior design has the power to marjorly impact our living experience.

The relationship we have with our home is one of the most substantial impacts in our daily lives and psychological health.
scientific evidence that proves how a well designed space results in better overall health, emotional wellbeing, elevated mood, increased productivity, and a happier, more successful existence.
This week is part 1 and is "Design psych 101" and brief history of the scientific research behind basic design principles >>> Next week in part 2 we'll talk specific design strategies based on the psychology of design from today.
Hopefully it will bring new meaning to your home and to use it as another tool in our arsenal for a happier, more fulfilling life.

INTERIOR DESIGN PSYCH HISTORY

1947 Jonas Stalk is looking for a polio vaccine at Univ of Pittsburgh.
His lab is a dingy depressing dark room in the basement
Years later he is mentally and physically exhausted and goes to a monastery in Italy with beautiful architecture, high ceilings, huge windows with natural light, and there he finally achieve his goal.
The first to have the awareness that it was the changes in his environment, lighting, sights, and architecture allowed his mind to unlock and he solved 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.”
He is also the 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.
1980 Richard Ulrich comes along- Medical biologist discovers the impact of environment in patients recovery and experience.
He does a bunch of studies where half the patients have a window to the park and the other half just face a wall and ends up proving that patients who could see tree tops from their beds 1) required less medication 2) experienced fewer complications 3) were released more quickly. THAT IS BIG STUFF!
His study triggers the movement that is now known as EBD Evidence Based Design.
EBD is probably best recognized in the advertising realm 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.

Ex:

- ancient Greece > evoke awe

-medieval masons made gothic cathedrals > evoke reverence

-palaces like Versailles> evoke impression of power

-expensive spa> evoke state of serenity

EBD is most prevalent in healthcare but also made its way in workplace, educational, and residential spheres.
EBD is what supports a key ingredient to an interior's design success which is a deep consideration about the personal or people who are going to be living or staying in the space and how they will be experiencing it. Thoughts should include What do they want to experience? What do WE want them to experience?
This is one of the first conversations I have with clients because it dictates how the space needs to change which will determine the FORM and FEEL parts of the process.
Last up we have Abraham Maslow who you may be familiar with already as he is famous for his hierarchy of needs and is considered the founding father of positive psychology.
Less famously he conducted a study in 1956 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.
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”.
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 Average Room which was neat and clean but otherwise basic accommodations.
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.
HIS 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 roo
CONCLUSION: The visual quality of our environment DOES influence how we think, feel, and act
A well designed space results in people being:

-happier with themselves

-more affirmative in their outlook on the world

-more energized to work in an aesthetically appealing setting than in a mediocre or chaotic environment.

More recently Neuroimaging studies (which use brain scans) suggest our preference for the beautiful is deeply rooted in brain biology.
I hope this helped you understand the impact of interior design. Next week we’ll continue to talk about the psychology of interior design when I share some of the most universal evidence based interior design tips.
Just a quick caveat to all this science talk is just to remember that the best scientific research can do is establish the probability that a design trigger or action will bolster a reaction across a broad population> Ultimately interior design is about finding what works for you.
There is NOT one design that fits all when it comes to interiors. The design should be based on not only the unique space but also the specific aesthetic and lifestyle needs of the person or people staying in it.
My mission is to help people understand the impact of their home AND how to implement and execute interior design updates to reach a happier home.

If you are considering interior design updates or just looking for recommendations I'd love to chat!

Use the link below to schedule a strings free connection call !