Visual aesthetics has always been one of the most essential components in interior design as spectators often search for the surprising elements that make the space stand out. In recent years, however, the proper functions that aim to make an architecture comfortable to be in, hence improving the physical and mental state for its users, become more and more popular. As Scott Fellows suggests in his article Genuine Comfort, the space within an architecture provides the primary sense of comfort because the people who use it long-term spend greater part of their time inside the building. Even though the definition of comfort varies from person to person, there are universal attributes that we all agree to find in a good architecture. These attributes could be visual like the lightings and colors of the space; they could also be sensual like the scents and sounds. But what matters even more is the proportion of a room. According to Fellows, “Walking into a well-proportioned room, you become more centered and relaxed”. In order to achieve the purpose of being visually pleasing especially in photography as people view designed objects in a two-dimensional platforms like instagram, designers sometimes overlook the actual needs for people who use the space. For example, a spatial and minimalistic room with high ceilings is not always comfortable to live in because one may find him/herself lonely and isolated without reliable support in such vast space. In this case, the photos of the room could look stunning, the in-person experience might suggest otherwise. Moreover, Fellows points out that everything in a room must have a purpose that contributes to the harmony of the entire space. Indeed, a lot of the times designers emphasize the decorative quality over functionality of furniture, wasting space and money that could be used towards a better user experience. With no doubt, giant centerpieces might gain attention at first sight and create the “wow” factors in a room. Imagine how long would it take to grow tired of them because they take up too much space and are simply useless. These large objects break the balance and harmony of the room and generate unwanted clusters that are difficult to get rid of in long run. Architecture, as they were initially built, serves the purpose of a shelter against different environmental conditions where people can rest comfortably, therefore the physical well-being is the priority. Fellows believes that contemporary designs should also consider the emotional needs of people in this day and age. After all, the physical and mental well-being are not mutually exclusive: one can enhance the other greatly. Interior design is one step closer to accomplish such goal. A room filled with easy-to-use and comfortable furnitures could potentially be a container of good memories. While physical experience might be temporary, the emotional response brought by good designs lasts longer as it exists in our minds. In this sense, the connection between physical and mental well-being present an obvious and beneficial dynamics in interior design. Being one of the emerging concepts in architecture and interior, biophilic design illustrates Fellow’s ideas precisely. By introducing plants, water and other natural elements into the living and working space, biophilic designers create places where people could interact with nature without having to travel a long way. Surrounding oneself with plants, as scientific evidence suggest, can make one energetic and healthy, which in turn, improves the efficiency and. That is the reason why more and more workspaces adopted biophilc design in the past few years as it caters to the situation faced by the residents in urban settings. The space bombarded with people and busy works could be as depressing as it sounds and biophilic design takes physical and mental well-beings into account and provides gateways for people to relax and recharge
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