According to Zelnik Panero, author of Environmental Psychology, “Most applications of human engineering have, in fact, been in the industrial and military sectors. Unfortunately, the more mundane applications, such as those found in the design of the interior spaces within our homes, offices, health facilities, schools, etc., have been relatively ignored. This is particularly ironic since much of the underlying philosophy of human engineering is based on the premise that everything is designed for people. Where else can the concept of “designing from the man, out” make more sense than in the field of architecture and interior design?”
Frank Lloyd Wright knew that the way to a perfect interior design was to bring the outside in. I think maybe with our bodies it is just the opposite; we should bring the inside out. God made the water, trees, sky, and hills all the beauty that surrounds us. God made us fully from our souls to our bodies and if we treat that well and bring it out into the world; we are fulfilling our ultimate purpose.
By designing for the physical, psychological and spiritual needs; increased health, productivity, happiness and general quality of life will be the end result. When designing a home or lifestyle such as this, maintenance, sustainability, comfort and simplicity are the keys. Spirituality, intellectual growth, fitness and socialization are keys to our health and because they are so important, should be built into our environment.
How do we build these things into our environment? There are a few simple things we can do with little cost or extravagant expense depending on how we want to do it.
Sacred space – Someplace to retreat to for prayer and reflection. This can be a corner with a comfortable chair that is quiet and out of the way or a room with a water feature for acoustical privacy, specialized lighting and a comfortable place to sit. A dream space would be an interior spot that brings the exterior in through fenestration and it would include water, soothing colors and a soft place to sit.
Fitness space – We should not have to go to a gym to exercise our bodies. We can create a full out gym with all the bells and whistles or again, all we need is enough room to move our bodies. A dream fitness space would be similar to the sacred space listed above, only with smooth interiors lots of water for drinking and some favorite equipment.
Socialization – A real living room with no television so families are forced to interact and play together. An ideal spot, for a family with small children, would be an area to sit down and work together on projects or schoolwork or play games. This area should be in the middle of the house where everyone walks through to do almost anything.
In a perfect world, every home would have an entire library that encourages intellectual growth. Beautiful books to choose from anytime you have an interest in something special, Internet access to Google anything you wonder about and a huge table and bench to spread it all out on and study. This again could cost a fortune but could be accumulated slowly or it could be a small space with a little bookcase, table and chairs and a library card.
The kitchen is another blog entirely! Regardless of whether you cook warm meals at home or prepare raw masterpieces there are a billion ways to make a kitchen a place for joyful, healthful tasks and interaction!
May you have an amazing week filled with Light Love and Bright Blessings!
Ama’ritday