A Bit About Design Research - Design Research Friday

(design research map by Elizabeth Sanders)

Nothing To Do With Interior Design - Design Research Friday

image via Singularity

Colour Emotions - Design Research Friday

How well do we remember colours? - Design Research Friday

by HvH Interiors

Music, Mood and Space - Design Research Friday (DRF)

I feel like soundscape-ing is one of those topics that gets overlooked a lot in interior design. I mean, what we see always seems to be the most important thing, but all our other senses play a role in our experience of our environment. We shouldn't forget that. Remember the DRF when we talked about scents in interior spaces?

image by me

Identity and Space - Design Research Friday

image by me  :)

The Benefits of Plants in Interior Spaces - RFF

via my Flickr :)

Colour + Person + Environment = A Multidimensional Relationship {Research Findings Friday}

image - link

As much as I love design research, there's something about colour research that kind of bothers me. Yes, colours hold meanings, they are associated with things and can make us feel a certain way. But the problem is that colour is subjective. Who's to say I see a colour exactly the same way you do? Even if we did, we could have different reactions to it. There is so much variability in people and their cultures, in their experiences, in what makes them them that it's hard to apply colour research findings with any confidence. Add the fact that light, context, textures and patterns, shape and form and surrounding colours affects our colour experience, it all gets so uncertain. Something is lacking in colour research regarding interior environments. 

Well, when I found this paper, it struck a chord. So I saved it for a Research Findings Friday :)

Smith, D.J. (2008). Color-Person-Environment Relationships. Color Research and Application, 33(4):pp. 312-319.

The person environment relationship and the nature of colour are both well-studied areas. Dr. Smith proposes a theoretical concept that can combine these topics in order to understand better how colour affects our relationship with a built environment. It's called the Colour Person Environment Relationship (COL-PE).

Colours affect us. Environments affect us. COL-PE is about thinking of colour not as an extra quality to an environment but instead as an active player in people's relationships with different environments. The same person can have different reactions to an environment depending on their state. Are they simply a viewer, taking a look around? Are they participating in the environment? Or are they completely immersed in it? In turn colour affects (facilitates or hinders) each of these states, but perhaps in different ways. So you can understand that the relationship between colour, environment and person can have many dimensions. 

If you'd like a deeper understanding of COL-PE, please read the paper.

So, Dr. Smith urges that this theoretical concept is important for designers and that environment colour researchers should investigate it further. 

I agree. 

What do you think? Do you share my frustration when it comes to colour research?

Have a wonderful weekend,

Xx. Holly.

* References:

Hutchings, J. (2004) Colour in Folklore and Tradition - The Principles, Color Research and Application, Volume 29(1), pp 57-66.

red's sexy effect - research findings friday

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Hey there! Nice to see you here again for another RFF. The last one was about the colour red and so is this one. I found another good study and since it's Valentine's day soon, I though I'd just keep on with the red theme. Compared to the previous RFF, this week's chosen article demonstrates that reactions to red can be different (in this case positive) depending on the context.

In this study, researchers were able to show that red leads men to view women as more attractive and sexually desirable.

You heard it ladies. You want to increase your hotness level, wear something red! 

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Here's the link to the article for those who want a more in depth read.

Elliot, A. & Niesta, D. (2008). "Romantic Red: Red Enhances Men's Attraction to Women." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5): 1150-1164.

Why red? Well, the researchers posit that the colour red for men is linked to sex and romance and that biology along with societal conditioning are responsible for this link. Please do read more about this link in the section titled Romantic Red on page 1151 of the study. It's really interesting! So because of the evidence that seems to suggest that red is linked with sexy stuff, the researchers set out to find out more. (please note, this study was conducted in a heterosexual context). 

Let's define some terms important to this study. Attractiveness in this study refers to a positive judgement regarding appearance. Sexual attraction refers to the desire to become romantically involved. Likability refers to someone's positive characteristics and is seen as independent from physical appearance (i.e. how honest, intelligent or kind a person is perceived to be).

What did they do? They devised 5 experiments to test their hypothesis that red leads men to view women as more attractive and sexually desirable. Experiment 1 looked at how men rate the physical attraction of a photo of a woman on a red vs. a white background. Experiment 2 examined whether women would rate photos of other women as more attractive on red vs. white backgrounds to see if the red effect generalized across sexes. Experiment 3 involved men rating attractiveness, sexual attraction and overall likability of photos of of women on red vs grey backgrounds (an achromatic colour). Experiment 4 was just like experiment 3 but instead of grey, they used green (a chromatic colour). Experiment 5 was the same but instead of green, they used blue and instead of looking at likability ratings, they examined behavioural intentions of the male subjects (i.e. whether they would date and be willing to spend money on the woman in question). Also, the colour presentation was switched from the background of the image to the target woman's shirt. All experiments checked to see if participants were aware of the nature of the experiments.

What did they find? Their hypothesis was supported. "The effect was observed with two different durations of color presentation, with two different types of color presentation, with four different contrast colours (both achromatic and chromatic), and with four different female targets. ...the effect was present for male but not female perceivers and was observed on perceived attractiveness, sexual attraction, and dating and spending intentions, but not on other positive variables (overall likeability, kindness, and intelligence). Participants appeared to be unaware of the red effect, despite its being of considerable magnitude." (Elliot & Niesta, 2008).


So, yes, red is sexy. Interestingly, this experiment is also implying something else. It's basically saying that men respond to women in a primitive, instinctual way. Animals! Women like to believe that men respond to women in a thoughtful, sophisticated manner ... but when it comes to sex, forget that. Not so fast though. Men are not the only culprits it seems. In primates, dominant males display more red physical characteristics (Setchell & Dixson, 2001) and females seem to be more attracted to these males (Darwin, 1874; Waitt et al., 2003). In humans, women have been found to be more attracted to dominant men (Rainville & Gallagher, 1990; Sadalla, Kenrick, & Vershure, 1987), especially during ovulation (Gangestad et al., 2004). So could it be that women would react similarly to a man associated with or wearing red? These researchers have been looking into it and so far it seems promising. The difference between men's and women's reactions to red seems to lie in the symbolic meaning of red. From a biological standpoint, red signals sexual availability to men and dominance to women. Funny creatures we are. Either way, red is HOT.

So what does this imply for interior design? Well, putting together last week's discussion and this one, we learned that the colour red can cause negative or positive reactions depending on the context. So as an interior designer, if a client wishes to incorporate a significant amount of red in their space, it is the job of the designer to think carefully about the nature of the space and about the nature of the people who will be using that space and make sure that red is used in an appropriate way. We can make generalizations about colour associations, but they are just generalizations not rules. People are unique. It's possible that to a certain person, red has calming associations - surprising, but possible. Essentially, this variability is what makes the job of designing interiors fun!

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Have a great weekend!

Xx. Holly.


References:


Darwin, C. (1874). The descent of man and selection in relation to sex (2nd ed.). London: John Murray.


Elliot, A. & Niesta, D. (2008). Romantic Red: Red Enhances Men's Attraction to Women. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 95(5): 1150-1164. 


Gangestad, S. W., Simpson, J. A., Cousins, A. J., Garver-Apgar, C. E., & Christensen, P. N. (2004). Women’s preferences for male behavioral displays change across the menstrual cycle. Psychological Science, 15, 203–207. 

Rainville, R. E., & Gallagher, J. G. (1990). Vulnerability and heterosexual
attraction. Sex Roles, 23, 25–31.

Sadalla, E. K., Kenrick, D. T., & Vershure, B. (1987). Dominance and heterosexual attraction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 730–738. 


Setchell, J. M., & Dixson, A. F. (2001). Circannual changes in the sec- ondary sexual adornments of semifree-ranging male and female man- drills (Mandrillus sphinx). American Journal of Primatology, 56, 9–25.


Waitt, C., Little, A. C., Wolfensohn, S., Honess, P., Brown, A. P., Buchanan-Smith, H. M., & Perrett, D. I. (2003). Evidence from rhesus macaques suggests male coloration plays a role in female primate mate choice. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences, 270, 144–146. 

Glimpses of Red Negatively Affect Performance - Research Findings Friday

via iPhone Retina Wallpapers

Surprise! It's RFF at HvH Interiors and we are discussing the colour red today.

Here's the article being discussed, if you'd like to have a read for yourself:

Elliot, A., Maier, M., Moller, A., Friedman, R., & Meinhardt, J. (2007). "Color and Psychological Functioning: The Effect of Red on Performance Attainment." Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 136(1): 154-168.

So, the researchers were interested in determining what kind of effect the colour red has on psychological functioning. More specifically, the relationship between red and performance attainment. They hypothesized that red should have a negative impact on performance attainment and that this effect is unconscious.

What is performance attainment? According to this study, it refers to performance in achievement contexts, where performance will be evaluated. A test or presentation environment comes to mind.

Why would red affect it negatively? According to the researchers, we develop learned associations to specific colours (this can be understood from an evolutionary perspective also) and with inevitable repetition, these associations become almost automatic and unconscious. The authors posit that in a context where performance or competence is being evaluated (and where the results can be positive or negative), red would be associated with danger - danger of failure. Most of us could agree that we have learned that red markings on a test usually signify an error or correction. Or that fire alarm and extinguishers (usually red) or stop lights are warning us of potential danger. I'm even thinking now from an evolutionary point of view - blood is red. If we are bleeding, we are being informed that there is a problem, that we are hurt and that we may lose the battle. So I agree with the hypothesis that in a context where performance is an issue, red may bring to mind some warning of danger and that may affect performance in a negative way.

via Clker

So what did they do? Actually, they devised 6 experiments to test their hypotheses. "In sum, the present research is designed to examine a set of hypotheses regarding the influence of the color red on performance. Our foremost interest was in testing the hypothesis that red undermines performance on achievement tasks (Experiments 1–4); most of these experiments used an IQ test as the focal achievement task. We also sought to examine the degree to which individuals were conscious of the processes involved in the proposed inimical influence of red (Experiments 2–4). We anticipated that individuals’ self-reported avoidance motivation, as well as their self-reported appraisals, perceptions, and moods, would be unrelated to the perception of red and, furthermore, that individuals would not be aware that perceiving red undermined their performance. Finally, we sought to move beyond self-report measures to examine the link between red and avoidance motivation with measures that do not require conscious access to activated motivational processes (Experiments 5–6). We hypothesized that the perception of red would evoke motivation to avoid failure, as indicated by both behavioral and psychophysiological markers of avoidance motivation." Elliot et al, 2007.


What did the find? "The results of the present experiments provide strong support for our hypothesized effect of red on performance. Experiments 1–4 demonstrated that the perception of red prior to an achievement task impairs performance relative to the perception of green or an achromatic color. This effect was documented in two different countries (the United States and Germany), with two different age groups (high school and undergraduate), in two different experimental settings (laboratory and classroom), using two different types of color presentation (participant number and test cover), using four different variants of red and green hues, using all three achromatic colors (black, white, and gray), and using both language-based and number-based achievement tasks. Evidence from funnel debriefing data, self-report process data, and perceived competence data supports our premise that this undermining effect of red takes place outside of individuals’ conscious awareness. In our fifth and sixth experiments, we moved beyond self-report data to examine the link between red and avoidance motivation with behavioral and psychophysiological measures. These experiments demonstrated that the perception of red prior to an achievement task, relative to the perception of green or an achromatic color, indeed evokes avoidance motivation, as indicated by participants’ choice of easy relative to difficult tasks (Experiment 5) and greater right, relative to left, frontal cortical activation (Experiment 6)."  Elliot et al, 2007.


So what does this study suggest when it comes to interiors? Not much really - I mean especially in a home environment because this experiment is context specific. But let's say were talking about the interior design of a class room, test room, office - or any room where performance is important (so, maybe we should include the bedroom, ha!), this research leads us to believe that red should be used with caution.

via House to Home

Actually, red is my favourite colour. Not so much for interior spaces though (but lately I'm loving the grey/red combo). In this case I would choose to do red accents or pops of red here and there. But if I have to choose something, like a lollipop or a notebook, I will most likely choose red.  So I'm a bit sad that red is getting a bad rap in this article, but anyhow, it is a very interesting and well designed experiment.

What's your favourite colour?

Have a great weekend!
Xx. Holly.

The effect of scents in interior spaces - Research Findings Friday

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Yesterday, my friend was about to light up some lemon scented candles in the evening to set a relaxing mood and I had to warn her against it.  Lemon is an energizing scent, better to have in your office, during the day.

I wondered where I remembered this little tidbit of information... and if it was at all true.  This led to some research and I found lots of info that appropriately I would like to share with you on this Research Findings Friday.

Do scents affect our mood and potentially our experience of interior spaces?

Most of us would intuitively say yes, and rightly so.  Actually, our experience of interior spaces (or most things, for that matter) depends on all our senses as well as our personalities, our culture, our memories and experiences.

But let's just focus on scent today - it is Friday after all ;)

Apparently, the part of the brain associated with processing scents lays very close to the part associated with emotional processing and that may explain why scents can strongly affect our mood and therefore our environmental experiences.

But we have to be careful.  As much as scent has the power to put us in a positive mood, it can equally bring upon a negative mood - scents and emotions can become quickly and powerfully associated. And since each of us has our own personal make-up (our own unique life experiences, culture and memories), we have to pay close attention to our reactions and be true to our nose. We must listen to what it is telling us. Not everyone likes the smell of vanilla, even though it has been linked to increased creativity and relaxation. Whatever the reason for their dislike doesn't really matter, because either way they will definitely not feel relaxed in the presence of vanilla scent.

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That said, research in environmental psychology, scent science, aromatherapy - or whatever other title you may fancy - provides us with some general guidelines for which scents have the potential to affect us in what way. Here is a good summary I found (1):

Helps with mental tasks: lemon, jasmine, lavender.


Helps with physical tasks and tedious tasks: peppermint.


Improves mood: lemon, cinnamon and vanilla.


Reduces tension: lavender, cedar.


Reduces anxiety: oranges, floral scents in general (particularly jasmine, lavender, rose and hyacinth), lime, marjoram, bergamot, cypress.


Heightens relaxation: lavender, rose, almond, cedar/pine, bergamot, chamomile, marjoram, heliotrope, sandalwood, vanilla, muguet, ylang-ylang, nutmeg and spiced apple (which has also been shown to reduce blood pressure).  


Improves quality of sleep: jasmine.


Energizing: peppermint, lemon, jasmine, basil, cloves, neroli, patchouli, grapefruit, coffee (even in rats!) and rosemary.  Unpleasant smells are also energizing or arousing, but probably not an ideal choice.


Increases alertness: peppermint.


Improves creativity: vanilla, cinnamon.


Enhance memory: rosemary.


Increase perception of ones own health: lemon and baby powder.


(1) Reference: Augustin, S. (2009). Place Advantage: Applied psychology for interior Architecture (p. 40 - 43). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

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An interior designer should take all senses into consideration when designing a space, since it will be experienced by the occupants with all their senses.  Smell is a powerful one. So burning lemon scented candles in a massage therapy room may not be appropriate, unless the person being massaged has developed an association between lemon and relaxation in some early childhood experience ;)

More interesting links on the topic:

- Scent and Sensibility
- Healing Scents
- Meditations on Scent

I wish you all a happy weekend, filled with wonderful scents and favourite aromas.  And remember, when in doubt, follow your nose - it may know things you consciously don't.

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See you next week.

Perceived Room Height - Research Findings Fridays

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Most interior designers would tell you with confidence that the lighter a ceiling is, the taller a room will appear.  Intuitively it make sense and if you take a look at some images or notice the rooms you visit, you will soon see there is some truth to this.  But as a fan of scientific research, I like to back these ideas with some actual support.  So here it is folks, this week's Research Findings Fridays is about the factors that influence perceived room height:

D. Oberfeld, H. Hecht & M. Gamer (2010). Surface Lightness Influences Perceived Room Height. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, vol. 63, no. 10, pp. 1999-2011.

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Indeed they found that observers perceived room height to be taller when ceilings were lighter.  That effect was significantly strengthened when walls were lighter too - an effect they did not anticipate.

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Floor colour and room brightness did not have a significant impact on perceived room height, which actually came as a surprise to me.  I would have assumed that a room with dark floors and light walls/ceiling would appear taller than a room with a light floor and light walls/ceiling - like the contrast would matter somewhat. Actually, the experiment shows that the brightness contrast between the walls and ceilings is not a significant factor in perceptions of a taller space.

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Instead the effect is additive and not dependant on contrast at all - something else that kind of surprised me.  So the lighter yours walls and ceilings are generally, the taller your room will look.  To explain further or more dramatically, a room with black walls a white ceiling will still appear less tall than a room with white walls and a white ceiling.

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Moral of the story? If you want to maximize the perceived height of a space, keep your colours on the light side - all around and up high - and choose whatever type of floor your heart desires.

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Happy weekend to all!

Beware: use interior design at your own risk! (Research Findings Fridays)

We often talk about the benefits of interior design and well designed spaces. But if we stop to think about the negative effects of spaces that are not well designed, that's when we truly appreciate good interior design.

So for today's Research Findings Fridays, I'm going to do something a little different. Instead of a research paper, I would like to share a scary story about a sort of architectural experiment gone wrong....

It all started when I read this sentence from a book called Place Advantage by Sally Augustin:

"Environments in which the sensory experiences are consistent are viewed more positively by those who experience them..." p. 39.

This led me to think about what happens when sensory experiences in an environment are not consistent. When things don't make sense, the inevitable outcome is confusion. When we are confused, we are uncomfortable because as humans, we are constantly seeking to make sense of things and fit them into our existing schemas of how the world works. When we experience something that doesn't (known as 'incongruity' in psychology), we have to make it fit into our perceptions of how the world works; so we either adapt our views or we reject the situation.  If we can't do either, we are left perplexed and this can be harmful.  This idea then led me to think about this article I read a while ago:

"The Architecture of Madness: Buildings can drive you crazy, but can they help resort mental health?" by Phillip Nobel.

And here begins the scary story.  Part of the article discusses the negative psychological impact of the Boston Government Service Center (BGSC), designed by Paul Rudolf.  It is a famous example of how architecture can confuse, agitate, and sometimes fatally overwhelm.

BGSC via Flickr

Oh gosh, you must be asking yourself - What!? Why? How?!  Rudolf believed that buildings and spaces should sometimes rise above mere function - above all, they should instead strive to bring out emotions. The BGSC sure did - especially in its Lindemann Mental Health Center.  Rudolf created a space overwhelmed by bush-hammered concrete on every surface with a curvy, labyrinth feel in order to express or mirror the mental state of the patients inside.  Basically, it seems he used this building to selfishly project his own romanticized view of mental illness. To me, it seems like more of an art project than anything else, at the expense of real people. Needless to say, spiral staircases that lead nowhere, eerie passages with no end, subliminal imagery and a creepy, dismal chapel that looks like it was meant for human sacrifice are not encouraging for anyone, especially not the mentally ill.  There have been lots of accounts of patient disorientation, onset of kinaesthetic disorders and even suicide.  It's like a freakin' nightmare this building, and not appropriate for the treatment of those suffering from mental illness.  Even those working there at the time claim that this building was physically and psychologically damaging.  I'm not sure what has come of this building now.  It's definitely still there and sort of neglected.  I certainly hope that they are not treating patients there anymore... actually does anyone know?

BGSC via Flickr

If we believe that architecture and space planning can affect people in a positive way, we must also believe that it can affect people in a negative way, especially if the context is wrong.  The Lindemann Center and the BGSC is an extreme example of the negative effects of creating an inappropriate space for the people who are supposed to be using it.

BGSC via Style Park

BGSC via Style Park

And that's the end of the scary story folks.

When things don't make sense, we can either adapt our perceptions and consequently our behaviour, but the outcome may not always be good.  In the case of some of the patients at the Lindemann centre, they didn't have much of a choice than to give in to the subconscious pressures of their surroundings.  That's why it is crucial to create environments that make sense to those who inhabit them.  If all the sensory information matches up, and everything is in line with our perceptions and mental schemas, then we have achieved harmony.  The goal of any interior designer is to help those who inhabit a space achieve that harmony based on their own individual schemas, perceptions and sensory associations.

Have you ever been in a space that makes you uncomfortable?  Can you remember why you felt that way?  Do you think there was something about the design or layout of the space that was responsible?

On that note, try to have a good weekend, eh? Appreciate the environments that make you feel safe, comfortable, productive and confident.  If you need help with that, you know where to reach me ;)

What does your space say about you? Research Findings Fridays (on Monday)

Ever wonder how much your living or working space can say about you, or if it can say anything at all? This interesting study proposes that our living spaces (in this case bedrooms and offices) reflect and reinforce who we are.  If that is the case, then these personal spaces must reveal information about us to those who do not know us.  The study reveals that blind observers are able to make accurate inferences about the personalities of people who inhabit those spaces. Click on the reference below to see the article.

Gosling, S.D., Ko, S. J., Mannarelli, T., & Morris, M. E. (2002). A room with a Cue: Personality Judgments Based on Offices and Bedrooms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(3), 379-398.

Basically they asked a group of observers to note their impressions about people based solely on the rooms they inhabit, without any prior information about the inhabitants. The observers rated the inhabitants' personalities based on bipolar scales for five personality traits (The Big Five, Costa & McCrae, 1992). The five traits include Openness (to experience), Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Emotional Stability (aka Neuroticism in The Big Five).

They found that observers generally agreed on (gave the same responses) and were accurate (based on previous self reports from the inhabitants as well as peer reports) about the personality traits of the inhabitants. Strongest agreement and accuracy were found for openness, conscientiousness and extraversion (emotional stability and agreeableness least agreement and accuracy) for both offices and bedrooms.

This is interesting because the findings suggest that although our personal environments are telling, they may only be for certain parts of our personalities - whether we have an openness to experience or not, whether we are conscientious or not, and how extroverted or introverted we are.

Our personal environments are crafted by conscious and unconscious choices and behavioural residue.  As an interior design consultant, I believe that these personal environments in turn affect the well being and productivity of people who live in them.  Additionally, this study shows that personal spaces can also guide the impressions of onlookers.  That's why interior design is an important factor in our lives and its effects are felt at a conscious and subconscious level.  Whether you are seeking to portray the right message (i.e. in your office) or you're looking to benefit from a well designed, familiar, comfortable environment (i.e. in your home), thoughtful interior design can play a big role in achieving those goals.

How do you think your living or working space portrays you?  What would you infer about the people who inhabit the spaces below (take styling into consideration - it is a powerful, reality altering tool)?

via OWI

via Dwell

 Home of Abigail Ahern via 79 ideas

See you later,

Wood is Good in Interior Design - Research Findings Fridays

Wood is good in interior design - we sort of intuitively know this already.  At the moment, I'm very drawn to wood and leather textures ... maybe because winter is approaching and I associate these materials to be warm, rich, comforting and supportive. Do you?  Frank Lloyd Wright said about wood, " ... universally beautiful to Man, the most humanly imitate of all materials."

The study I am discussing today examines the effects of wood on interpersonal perception in interior design, specifically office design.  Basically, how does wood in an office affect other peoples' perceptions of the person who occupies that office?  

Ridout, B. G., Ball, R. D., Killerby, S. K. (2002). Wood in the Interior Office Environment: effects on interpersonal perception. Forest Products Journal, 52(9).

Participants (69 total, 38 male, 31 female) were shown images in two conditions.  The first involved images of office spaces without an office occupant.  They were asked to make judgments about the people who might inhabit the offices.  The second condition involved images of offices with the office occupants in them.  Again, they were asked to make judgements about the people who inhabit the offices.  In both cases the judgements were ratings on a bipolar scale of the following qualities: not highly successful - highly successful, not very professional - very professional, dishonest - very honest, not caring - very caring, not very creative - very creative.  The office occupants included superimposed images of three men and three women (waist up only so that no judgements could be made on stature or height - all were dressed in professional business attire) in order to examine the effects of gender.

Indeed, they found that the presence of wood in the interior decor of an office leads to an overall more favourable first impression of the office occupants, regardless of their gender.

They also found that many of the participants were using cues from the office environment to derive information about its occupant - which suggests that the environments we inhabit can affect peoples' perceptions of us.  One problem with this idea in this particular study, is that the participants were all fifth year architecture students (!! don't you love when scientists do that?).  This poses an issue because maybe architects have a higher tendency to put value on the physical characteristics of a space than another group of people. (Duh!) The authors state that the participants were blind to the fact that this study was examining the effects of wood - which helps, but still.  However, the idea that environments (spaces, places, rooms, offices, homes, etc.) affect other peoples' perceptions of us has been largely examined - and the results of this study are in line with the rest of the research.  So all the interior designers reading this can let out a sigh of relief - our jobs are still indeed important ;)

This study makes me want to go do a little research to see what's been found about how wood affects the mood or well being of actual occupants of a space instead of the perceptions of outsiders.  Both are equally important. Both are interesting.  

Do you have any thoughts or comments about this?  Any information to add or share?

I leave you with some eye candy.

Jamie Bush & Co.

Tribeca loft by A+1 Design Corp Studio via Trendland.

via Freshome / via Grassroots Modern

in the Cascading Creek House by Bercy Chen Studio via Contemporist.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

Research Findings Fridays - Gender Differences in Design Preference

source unknown - share if you do ;)

Research Findings Fridays - personality and preference for rounded versus angular shapes

Today I present a new weekly event I will call Research Findings Fridays.  A little of my personal history is needed to understand why I decided this.

During my degree in psychology, I worked as an assistant in two labs - a behavioural neurobiology lab (where I eventually wrote my thesis) and a cognitive human development lab.  During this time, I discovered my love for the scientific method.

The work and research that went into developing experiments that could potentially shed some light on our questions was consuming.  The experiments themselves were always very exciting to conduct due to the ever-present notion that the data being collected would either support or falsify our hypothesis.  By analyzing the data we could start drawing conclusions or making adaptations all driven by this unquenchable thirst for knowledge.  And what I realized was that the answers are never that clear and that this search for answers and understanding could be a never ending quest.  Instead of frustrating me, it humbled me - a lot.  

This experience changed me, it became part of me and influenced the way I saw the world.  It still does, and it affects my relationship with interior design.  

This is why I've decided to designate fridays to discussing scientific research findings that impact the area of interior design.  I do this on my own already because I think its important to keep expanding your knowledge and stay on top of your field (especially when you are providing a service like mine) - but also because I am truly fascinated by what's out there.  Undoubtedly, a lot of the articles I will present will come from the area of environmental psychology, but surely from other fields as well because interior design is influenced by so much.

So today I am sharing: 

Zhang, Y., Feick, L. and Price, L. (2006). The impact of Self-Construal on Aesthetic Preference for Angular Versus Rounded Shapes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32 (6), 794 - 805.

This study examines whether self construal (defined as the extent to which an individual perceives him/herself as being connected or distinct from others) impacts their preference for angular versus rounded shapes.  What I really liked about this study is that they also examined this from a cross cultural perspective, which I think is so important when making conclusions about individuals.

They found that people with independent self construals perceived angular shapes as more attractive and rounded shapes as less attractive than those with inter-dependant self construals.  Cultural differences are also consistent with this general finding.  Those from countries high on individualism (i.e. USA, Canada, Australia, Western Europe...)  prefer angular shapes than those from countries high on collectivism (ie. Japan, Korea, Scandinavia, Argentina, Egypt...).  Their findings are consistent with previous findings about aesthetic preference to shapes.  

chair by Cabot Wrenn / table by Erik Organic

What does this mean for interior design? Well, it seems pretty clear that chances are, if you perceive yourself to be highly independent, you would prefer an interior scheme that boasts straight lines. If you have a collectivist view of yourself, or to see yourself as part of a larger system, then chances are you may prefer an interior scheme that is characterized by curves and rounded elements. Look around your place right now. Are you surrounded by straight lines or curvy curves? Or would you say it's a balance of both? Is this representative of your personal views of yourself? 

Food for thought. 

 Have a lovely weekend! 

Xx. Holly