Designing Your Space

Architecture and interior design are not just a matter of personal taste.  The physical structure of a room and its color scheme can shape how people think and work.  Studies found people who were assigned to work in older office buildings with low ceilings and loud air conditioners presented physical signs of stress that were considered large enough to be a potential risk factor for heart disease.  In another study people working in rooms with high ceilings were consistently more creative in their thinking and ideas.

Colors of a room also have the potential to affect performance on mental tasks.  For example, people working in red rooms demonstrated a high performance level in skills requiring detailed accuracy.  The skills included punctuation, grammar and number work.  People in blue rooms were less adept at detailed tasks but they were much more creative and inventive.

Sometimes people forget how sensitive they are to their surroundings.  If mere colors and the physical shape of a room can affect our mood, thinking and mental skills, think of how the type of people, reading material, viewing material and music have the potential to affect us on many different levels.  The building of our spirit is precious and each building block is important.  We should strive to surround ourselves with things that reflect us and the values we strive for.  We should design our personal space to promote our serenity and growth.  What we build is what we become, so design it with care.

Stay healthy & well,
Lisa