Environmental Psychology – Reality vs. Belief

by Emily Anderson, Allied Member ASID
A few weeks ago I attended a fantastic ASID seminar with featured speaker, Dak Kopec. I left inspired by the bright environmental psychologist. It got me thinking about how we as designers are creating the environments our clients live their lives in. This is not a new idea for LiLu Interiors and it is something we take very seriously. Your environment can affect you in more ways than you may expect.
We all have a belief system that we hold true to. Big stuff, little stuff and everything in between. Believe it or not, but you even have a belief system about interior design. It may be a subject you think a lot about or hardly ever, but you most likely have a strong opinion if asked questions like the following:
Do you like tile or wood floors?
Do you like purple?
Do you like plaid?
Do you like your mother's style of decorating?
These are simple questions that typically result in a strong response (one way or the other). But part of our job as designers is to ask you the tough questions and help you sort out your belief system when it comes to designing your home.
One example Kopec gave was a client's belief that tile floors are cold. We as designers can educate them about the reality of in-floor heating, but their belief that tile is cold may be too strong to break. It may simply be the wrong choice for this client based on pre-conceived beliefs about a material.
Your environment will affect you - mentally, physically and biologically . We are here to help you make the most of that environment. One that is successful, satisfying and uniquely you.
Follow along this week as we take a look at the psychology of design.