Beyond impressions, influence of interior on well-being and healing
Written by Haiza Putti | Read in Indonesian
The human species in modern society spend 70% of their time indoors (Kim, 1998). We spend the majority of our day indoors for various activities, from working to sleeping and eating. This shows that the interior of the room to support the physical and psychological well-being of users is very important.
In an interview with TFR, Kharista Astrini Sakya, an interior designer and a lecturer in the Human Expertise and Interior Room FSRD ITB, explained the importance of interior considerations to support user activities to be more effective, efficient and productive. We can see its real impact in everyday life, from improving the quality of communication to creating an impression of freedom and increasing the healing effect.
Interior design is an effort to find solutions to solve problems from the human side as a user, by adjusting to the characteristics of its users to suit their needs. These characteristics include gender, level of education, cultural background, age, socioeconomic class, as well as physical and psychological conditions.
A research in the field of neuroscience, reported in an article in Forest Homes, found that interior design elements are able to evoke positive or negative emotional responses in space users. This finding opens the door to designing spaces with the aim of promoting health, creativity, well-being, peace and more.
In the international furniture hall in Milan, John Hopkins University School of Medicine's Brain Science Institute developed and exhibited a project titled "Space and Being". Visitors are wearing a wristband that measures their psychological response as they pass through three different spaces. The data proves how design influences biological condition and well-being.
Interior considerations for physical and mental health
The human body's complex and sophisticated organs produce various hormones, one of which is melatonin which helps the body know when to sleep and wake up. This hormone has a circadian rhythm that works to create optimal relationships between various organs and physiological systems and the environment at any given time. Circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioural changes that follow a 24-hour cycle.
In the space interior, circadian rhythms can be regulated with dynamic lighting technology through lights that adapt to natural light, from light in the morning and afternoon to evening and night. However, light is only one of the numerous interior elements that affect our well-being.
Basically, there are two basic elements that can influence the behaviour of interior users, namely stressors and stress. Stressors are environmental elements that become stimuli, such as noise, temperature and density. Stress (pressure or mental tension) is the relationship between stressors and reactions caused by environmental effects. In response to this reaction, humans try to understand and assess the environment. (Kharista)
Sources of environmental stress in the interior come from various aspects, such as::
Lighting and colour
Good lighting quality is one that is able to maintain the ideal humidity level, thereby preventing the emergence of bacteria and protecting furniture and other building elements from moisture damage (Karyanta et al., 2015).
Colours can reduce anxiety, such as green which stimulates the release of serotonin, thereby reducing stress or anxiety.
Ventilation
Natural air can improve focus and respiratory health. On the contrary, excessive use of artificial ventilation can lead to sick building syndrome.
Fresh air can also have a positive impact even on the healing of patients in the hospital. Ventilation can improve air quality, namely the temperature and humidity of the room.
Temperature
The higher the temperature, the higher the human blood pressure, heart rate and skin conductance. A moderately hot temperature can also lower one’s performance if it lasts for a long time, while air temperature that is too low can cause hypothermia.
Sound and acoustic (noise)
Pleasant and soothing sounds can reduce blood pressure and heart rate, creating an atmosphere that affects the nervous system.
Spatial dan privacy (use of space)
This includes the density or number of people in a space, user privacy, personal space and space size.
Narrow individual space in the house will cause various kinds of serious psychological problems, including stress. A space that is too large or too small will affect the psychology and behaviour of the user, while the lack of privacy has a huge effect on comfort.
Visual
Natural scenery, sunlight, artwork and certain colours can have a relaxing effect on the eyes. Nature has great restorative effects on health, such as lowering blood pressure, contributing to a positive emotional state, lowering stress hormone levels and increasing energy.
Awareness and application of interior considerations in Indonesia
According to Kharista, the pandemic, which started in 2020, has affected most people's awareness of the importance of comfort in private and public spaces. The sensitivity to ensure cleanliness and sterile condition led to the creation of special sterilisation areas in the foyer of the house. The work from home policy also made the public more aware of the importance of maintaining focus and controlling stress while working.
Awareness of the importance of interior considerations in one’s home is reflected in the statement from the Health Ministry in 2012, which was based on the minimum criteria for a healthy home. These criteria are access to drinking water, access to healthy latrines, floors, ventilation and lighting. The proportion of healthy homes in Indonesia based on Health Ministry data is 68.69%.
The data shows that there has been a fairly good implementation. However, these criteria also depend on land availability. It is hard to have natural lighting and good air circulation in densely populated areas, where houses are built close together. The achievement of a healthy home faces one issue, namely limited land.
Kharista added that in public spaces, the application of interior considerations to support patient healing often faces the same problem as private spaces, i.e. limited land. Instead of being a place for healing, it increases stress.
Indonesia has several traditional cultures that prove the awareness of interior and architectural element considerations that support the activities of users, such as in Bali, Toba Batak, Java and Baduy. Bali has Asta Kosala Kosali, which is based on the philosophical foundation on the concept of traditional Balinese spatial planning. In Toba Batak, the living area consists of a single banua (Banua Toru, Banua Tonga, and Banua Ginjang) which is related to the way of life of the Toba Batak people. The Javanese joglo house consists of three parts, namely pendhapa, pringgitan and dalem which have certain meanings and calculations. (Kharista)
Outside Indonesia, there is the Hygge from Denmark. Hygge defines harmony with space, aiming to achieve an emotional connection with the surrounding environment. There are also Vastu Shastra from India and Feng Shui from China; all of which aim to meet the needs of its users mentally, physically and emotionally.
Interior for healing
There are two understandings in interior science related to physical and mental healing, namely universal design and healing environment.
Universal design relates to the accessibility of buildings for users with disabilities. In Indonesia, universal design principles are applied in accordance with Public Works and Public Housing Ministerial Regulation Number 14 Year 2017, namely:
Equal use of space;
Safety and security for all;
Easy access without obstacles;
Easy access to information;
Independent use of space;
User effort efficiency; and
Ergonomic fit for size and space.
Healing environment started thousands of years ago when the Greeks designed buildings for patients. The surroundings were filled with elements of nature, music and art to restore harmony and support healing. In the 19th century, Florence Nightingale developed the initial concept of a healing environment with nursing theory which called for nurses to manipulate the environment into a therapeutic environment (Nightingale, F. 1860). Nightingale described in detail the requirements of the patient room to minimise pain suffering and optimise the patient's capacity to recover which consists of calm and warmth. (Kharista)
The healing of a patient is influenced by various factors, including the environmental factor which accounts for 40% in the healing process. Other factors are medical (10%), genetic (20%), and other (30%). (Kaplan, 1993)
This explanation proves that interior design affects the physical and mental behaviour of its users, and it is imperative for an interior designer to listen to the needs of users. Interior design is more than just a consideration of function, utility and aesthetics of a space; it considers further, namely the influence on the physical and mental health of the user.