Why Everybody should be thinking about Design
If you don’t already know this, then now you know: I’m an architect in training. While it is very cool to know how a building works/operates on a basic level, there were also a few more things, also very cool, which I learned to do and see on a personal level: to notice the small details of every space (and I mean all of them), to notice the transition of space to space, and to notice the colors, textures, objects patterns in each space. Most importantly, I can decipher what contributes to the mood of a space, as I’ve spent a good amount of years studying it and practicing it.
I have a good number of friends that are outside of the architecture profession, and from time to time I’ve had conversations with them about design and architecture in general. For someone who knows on a very deep level that everyone is engaging with architecture and the built environment all the time, it shocks me that we don’t pay more attention to it.
But why should we?
Because looking at the world through the lens of design/space can greatly improve our personal life and our mental life, if we let it.
Our personal life (space), first:
Our personal space, believe it or not, has a great effect on how we feel on a day to day basis. This could mean our desk at work, or living room at home, or our car. As long as it is a space that we use very frequently, every day, how it is arranged matters a lot. For example, just think about how great it feels when you’ve cleaned your room, office space, etc. It feels awesome, right? (I hope so). That’s because our minds tend to work better in cleaner spaces. When our mind works better, then so does everything else after that. If you don’t believe me, then there’s this great book by Marie Kondo that can tell you that (amazing read by the way, go get it right now). Or you know, do a simple google search. In any case, though, you can see my point, and if you’ve done any bit of cleaning ever in your life (again, I hope so), then you know what I mean.
It’s more about just being clean, though. If we think about the colors and the objects in our spaces, that can have a huge impact as well. For example, what would make you happier if you saw it in the middle of your dining room table everyday: a beautiful seasonal wreath with candles, or just some random wooden birdhouse that your grandma gave you for Christmas that you don’t really like? You see where I’m going with this, unless wooden birdhouses are in fact your thing. (Then I apologize for insulting your wooden birdhouse taste. Sorry!) In the end, then, it’s not just about with who you’re surrounded, but with what you’re surrounded with and how. If you’re in a space that’s a beautiful color to you, that you can walk through with ease and has beautiful furniture, then it makes a huge difference. God is in the details.
Which brings me to my next point:
Design helps your mental life too. The details are stronger than you think.
While organizing a space and making it super pretty feels great when it happens and after, there is something about noticing the little details that make you think in a different way.
For one, it gets is off of our phones. In this day and age, everyone is glued to their screen, or attached to it by the hip. When you start to look for things in the world around you, it preoccupies your mind- suddenly, you’re focused on the physical, and not the digital. There is something that happens when you get into this habit, too: you tend to see to the smaller and more beautiful things in life. Things that happened, or are sitting there, that you would have no idea even existed if you hadn’t gotten into the habit of taking a look. Do you love the coffee shop around the corner of your house? Maybe when you look around, it’s because they use old fashioned furniture and light fixtures in their design from the 60’s. Suddenly, it’s not just a cute coffee shop, but a space that takes you back in time to another era. Or perhaps your friends house feels really cozy, but you have no idea why. Maybe it’s all the little rustic touches the took to every corner of it.
It’s the little things. I’m sure you’ve heard this phrase time and time again. After a while, it gets pretty cliche, but there is a lot of truth to it. Appreciating something as tiny as a detail creates an atmosphere of gratitude, if you let it. Imagine noticing all of the beautiful details that surround you, and feeling grateful for them? That’s a lot of gratitude — and it sounds nice. I can promise, it is; I know that one from experience. This sense of gratitude and attention to detail could also begin to affect other parts of your life: your job, your relationships, your friendships, your family; anything really. That’s a pretty positive impact on a lot of things in the end.
Now go out there and start looking.
So, next time you go out, anywhere, make sure to look around and try to spot things. Start small, with your bedroom, or your dining room, or your kitchen. These details could be absolutely anything, but once you’ve started looking, I can guarantee that it’s a good habit you won’t be quick to forget. In fact, you might just be grateful that you started.
