Walking into a doctor's office with intimidating white tile floors, uncomfortable chairs, and painfully outdated wall art is an experience that everyone can relate to. It's not just your upcoming appointment that makes you nervous – it could also be the interior design! Your favourite bookstore, on the other hand, with its warm wood floors, cosy reading chairs, colourful book displays, and floor-to-ceiling windows, may elicit a different response.
The psychology of colours in interior design affects us every time we enter a new space, whether we are aware of it or not. This is why interior planning Malaysia are so important – how can a client relax on the weekend if their home is poorly designed and uninviting? How can your employees produce good work and maintain a positive attitude in the workplace if your office is drab and isolating? Of course, the psychology of interior design plays a role in business sales as well – when you dine out, the quality of the food is a primary consideration, but you may be more likely to get a customer back in the door a second or third time if they enjoy the ambiance while they eat.
The emotional impact of interior design is complex, but by understanding how it affects us, we can incorporate these considerations into our practices.
It's no secret that colours influence our mood – when we're sad, we even say we're blue! Colour’s emotional impact is well-known in the marketing industry. International fast-food corporations such as McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's, for example, use red and yellow in their logos and stores because it has been proven that the combination of red and yellow makes people hungry. According to research, too much red can even cause an increase in your heart rate! Be careful when choosing colour for your interior design.
Clutter makes us anxious – consider a sink full of dishes or a stack of laundry that needs to be folded. When it comes to the psychology of interior design, sometimes less is more. However, there is always a counterbalance. If you have a lot of empty space, it can make you feel lonely. Even in minimalist interior design styles, minimalism does not always imply emptiness – it can also mean selecting simpler designs, avoiding loud prints, and sticking to a limited colour palette. As an interior designer, you don't always get to choose how big a space is from the start – you have to work with what you're given. When decorating a small kitchen, for example, you might choose hanging storage to organise pots and pans. When it comes to making small spaces feel larger, imagination is essential. Many designers prefer open floor plans to make a room feel larger.
If you are unable to construct, simple tricks such as hanging mirrors on the walls can make your room appear larger. Using lighter colours can also help to open up the space. If you're decorating a studio apartment, choose a white coffee table over a black or brown one! Colour, once again, plays an important role in the psychology of interior design.
It's no secret that natural light makes us happy, whereas darkness can depress us. When working on new construction, keep in mind to place windows where more light will shine in – remember that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west in the western hemisphere! Window placement is often beyond your control, but you can still consider the psychology of interior design when considering the presence of light within a room. If you don't want to dim the sun's rays, decorate windows with translucent curtains to prevent blockage. When placing furniture, consider where people will spend the most time in the room – for example, if people will be sitting on the couch in a living room, place the couch near the window so that the occupants can reap the natural benefits.
If natural light isn't an option, don't worry – while artificial light isn't ideal, you can still think critically about light fixture placement and the type of light bulbs you use. These options can make even a windowless room feel more welcoming. Warm-colored lighting can be soothing, whereas bright LEDs and fluorescent lights can be intimidating. Don't be afraid to go for a more bohemian look, such as using Himalayan salt lamps or electric candles to make your artificial lighting feel more intentional.
You've probably heard the term Feng Shui used in a conversation but aren't sure what it is or what it means. Feng Shui is an ancient Chinese philosophy that emphasises the elements' peace and harmony. Feng Shui practitioners believe that the optimal placement of objects or furniture can attract positive energy, resulting in wealth, better relationships, happiness, luck, and other benefits.
Certain Feng Shui principles are highly applicable to the psychology of interior design, whether or not you're an expert in the practice.
Many people believe that a space (your home's design and interior architecture) reveals your personality to others. Aside from the previously mentioned points, the artwork in a space says something about you and has the power to influence mood and behaviour. Every human being expresses art in different ways and forms, just as every person who looks at a painting interprets and feels it differently.
Viewing art, visiting an art gallery, and engaging in creative activities have positive psychological effects such as lowering anxiety, stress, and depression, as well as slowing cognitive decline. Humans are drawn to beauty, regardless of culture, time, age, beliefs, types, shapes, forms, and so on.
