A Space of My Own

The balance or imbalance of our hormones effects our emotions, and these are in turn affected by colors, shapes, textures and patterns. All these excite our senses and also leave a psychological effect on us. Though all these are non-living things, but can convey a thousand feelings. We become excited when we come across anything interesting such as when we watch a fight sequence in a movie or even while playing video games. Thus visuals have a direct impact on us.  Imagine yourself on an engaging walk along a beautiful forest trail. Every bend in the trail hints at a new view lying just ahead and prompts you to keep moving forward, exploring one mystery after another. One often-cited study showed that patients recovering from surgery in hospital experienced less pain and were discharged more quickly when they were housed in rooms containing windows that showed views of natural, outdoor setting. Moreover, colors, shapes, textures and patterns are associated with different modes and emotions. Certain colors can calm us while others stimulate our minds. Design psychology supports fearless home makeover, bold with colors to lend emotional support yet restrained, without over-filled rooms, to provide background for people and harmonious living. Our home is a very vital goal achievement tool which sets us up in the right frame of attitude and mindset.

We should be creating a cognitive environment for a place where we find ourselves spending a lot of time in and doing a lot of thinking & decision making work. While choosing decorative items for homes, we should choose those accessories that support positive memories and also magnetize us towards home. Not only the young people, but the children and the aged ones are also affected by the surrounding environment. In fact, the children are mostly affected by the environment. So we should be cautious while designing rooms for kids. Starting from the furniture to the wall textures and decorative items, everything has a definite affect on their psychology. The kids should be provided enough space where they can move freely. Moreover, fill a basket with oversized, ‘coffee table’ books from the library. These tend to be filled with beautiful, inspiring photography that will spark conversation and interest. Create a lap book or unit study around a favorite hobby, period in history, musician, author or animal of your child’s choosing. As light also plays a significant role, so every corner of the room should be illuminated enough and there should also be space through which natural light can enter the room.

Scientific observation has established that education is not what the teacher gives; education is a natural process spontaneously carried out by the human individual, and is acquired not by listening to words but by experiences upon the environment. Thus the schools are also giving importance on designing school interior according to the child’s needs. It is observed that school decor inspires children the most and help them concentrate on their studies. The play schools and nurseries these days decorate the classes with different animated characters that depict a story and also provide the kids with items that inspire them towards creative works. By understanding some key findings in effects of interior décor on kids, we can see how subtle changes in materials, designs, lighting and placement of furniture can help us providing a healthy life to our children.