Unveiling the Secrets: Applying design principles to positively transform your home.
Our homes are more than just physical spaces; they are reflections of our aspirations, personalities, and need for comfort. At some point, we all redesign our spaces, whether by buying a new rug, rearranging furniture, or undertaking more ambitious projects, all in the pursuit of beauty and functionality. But what is it that makes a space truly beautiful? And more importantly, how can design influence our happiness and well-being?
Few people, however, stop to think about this desire for more ‘beauty’ or happiness and the driving forces behind it. Let’s explore how you can apply these universal rules and bring more joy and beauty to your everyday life.
What does the word “beautiful” actually mean, and are there any similarities in the things we find beautiful? Are people drawn to similar identities of beauty? According to Alain de Botton, author of The Architecture of Happiness,
"When we say that a building or space is beautiful, when we use that word beautiful, really what we're saying is we kind of like the vision of life that it represents. So, beauty isn't just a sort of aesthetic word. It's a word about how we want to live."
The French writer Stendhal, in turn, says that to think of something as beautiful is to see in it a promise of happiness:
"So it's all about seeing in beautiful things a promise of a good life."
So how do we ensure that we get all of this just right? How do we ensure that we don’t spend a lot of our hard-earned money only to end up with something that does not really shift the needle for us in terms of the joy we expected it to bring? We could appoint a designer… or could we perhaps follow a few of those well-kept secrets that designers apply, save a lot of money, and end up as happy as we desire to be?
At COOOP, we have developed 15 fundamental core rules over the last 20 years, more specifically for restaurant spaces, but we’ve found that these principles are equally effective in homes. In this three-part series, we will reveal the top three rules, bound not only to transform your space but also to transform the way you feel when you are in it. These are universal fundamental rules that define happy and beautiful spaces. They are rules that we can follow, but which are not always evident in décor or design magazines. We call this designing for human behaviour or Envirohacking, and it turns out that if you follow these basic, silent design rules, you will not only feel more positive and joyful but also experience a positive impact on the tasks you perform while in the space.
So what are these rules, and how can we employ them with more regularity and effect? Before we get to answer these, let’s first look at why they exist or where they come from.
For more than 99% of human evolution and history, we have lived intimately involved with the natural ebb and flow of nature. This means its proportions, natural light, textures, tonalities, colours, and smells. Our built environment has only been around for 1% of our evolutionary development, and thus, those principles of nature are embedded or coded within us all in all sorts of interesting ways. This begins to answer why certain volumes, proportions of space, and light have such a profound impact on our sense of joy—often without us realising what caused it.
In this series, we are going to explore and reveal three of those fundamental secrets: namely, the rule of light, the rule of proportion, and the rule of colour.
We will also illustrate how you too can apply these very simple rules in your home.
It’s clear that beauty goes beyond aesthetics, it’s about creating spaces that align with how we live and feel. By understanding and applying principles like the rule of light, proportion, and colour, we can craft environments that not only look stunning but also promote joy, harmony, and functionality. A thoughtfully designed space doesn’t just please the eye; it nurtures the soul, turning houses into homes filled with warmth and happiness.
Look out for our three-part posts, where we will talk explore 3 out of the 15 fundamental core rules in design in more depth:
The Rule of Colour.
The Rule of Light.
The Rule of Proportion.
Information Reference Index:
Alain de Botton - The Architecture of Happiness
Stendhal - The Promise of Happiness in Art
Biophilic Design: Connecting Nature to Architecture
Neuroscience of Space and Well-Being
The Role of Light in Architecture and Happiness
Biophilic Design and Human Well-being
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