Interior Design Psychology

If you're looking to design your house, you have to take into consideration what that space will be used for and who is likely to be using it. It may sound obvious but there would be no point in putting expensive luxurious furniture and deep plush carpets in a room that is to be used as a child's play room, similarly we wouldn't want to create a busy distracting environment and put our computer in the bedroom if our intention is to get a good rest at night.

So apart from the practical considerations what else should we have to take into account when planning the perfect room?

* Lighting

* Perception of space

* Noise

* Colour

* Smell

Investigation by environmental psychologists has confirmed that our surroundings can and does have quite a significant effect on how we feel and how we are likely to behave, so with interior design, it stands to reason that we have to take care to avoid anything that is likely to make us feel unwell or unduly stressed and should aim for a harmonious area that ultimately has a positive effect on our mood.

Lighting

Take a room used by a counsellor for example. Can how the lighting in the room have an influence whether an individual is likely to relax enough to be able to talk openly? The answer is yes according to the results of one Japanese study conducted by the College of Humanities and Sciences in Nihon University in Tokyo, which found that dim lighting evoked more relaxed feelings, increased how the counsellor was perceived and allowed the individual to be more open than if the room was starkly lit.

One area where we can clearly see the effect of lighting is in the food industry. Fast food outlets generally want a rapid turnover of their customers so in order to encourage people to eat up quickly and leave the lighting tends to be bright and sometimes a little harsh, the seating is practical rather than comfortable and arranged in close proximity to each other, and the colours tend to be bold.

If we now compare this to an expensive or exclusive restaurant where the idea is to create a culinary experience for the customer then we likely find that the space is dimly lit, the tables are lower, the seating is comfortable and arranged in such a way as to be more private which of course encourages the diners to stay a little longer and order yet another bottle of overpriced house wine.

Perception of Space

Spacious rooms are more positive towards mood than crowded rooms. Factors that are likely to highten the feeling of being closed in or crowded include low ceilings, small windows and lack of natural light, stuffy overheated rooms, rooms that are very narrow or rooms where there is too much furniture and other items crammed into the available space. Combined, this will create a stressful environment as opposed to a relaxed and comfortable one.

We would also have to take into consideration any barriers to communication too. For example, in the counsellor's room we are more likely to be frank and open if the seating is positioned in such a way that allows clear communication between counsellor and patient than if there is a large imposing desk between them. However, this may be required in a large corporate environment if the intent is to create a clear division between management and staff.

Noise

Noise is also an important variable and indeed is a type of pollution which can negatively effect how we feel. The insessant noise of a computer or other machinery, electrical buzzing from refrigerators or lights, traffic noise in the street outside, workmen nearby and so on, can multiply the amount of stress that the occupants suffer from and would do little to evoke feelings of wellbeing in any room.

Colour

A great deal of research has been conducted into the effect of colour, too much to go into here. On a very basic level, red is intense and attracts attention; it is also associated with passion. Blue is more relaxing and can evoke feelings of calm.

Lighting can be used to intensive and add accent to colours through the creative use of uplighting, canvas and other materials to reflect positive light around an environment.

Getting it right

Interior design involves so much more than re-decorating and re-arranging furniture. If you take account of the not so obvious psychological factors as well as the practical and functional considerations you are more likely to get it correct first time and create a perfect space that has the desired effect on the occupants.

David McEvoy is an expert in interior design. If you are looking for a leather sofa to give the finishing touches to a newly decorated room then please come and visit our site.