A HAPPY PLACE
Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors - Photography by Alex Lucaci
Hey guys, happy Friday!
Wow. We’re well into fall now, aren’t we?
Just a quick glance out of the window and you can see Mother Nature dressed in all her red and golden autumn hues… it’s so beautiful!
I know the little ones are particularly eager to play with all the fallen leaves — and even more excited with the coming of Halloween and all the candy! But fall can also be a great season for us adults: a chance to once again wear thick knit, comfy sweaters, sip on delicious hot beverages and spend quality time at home with our loved ones, as the days get that bit colder and darker…
Isn’t fall the cosiest season of the year? I certainly think so!
Regardless of how you feel about these months, it’s very true that a change in the season affects us all. Our mood, our psychology, our physiology even, are very closely linked to our environment — whether we’re talking about a natural environment or a man-made one.
And that’s where interior design comes in!
Behind every well designed space, there is a combination of passion and ambition with thoughtful, thorough research of all these factors that influence our well-being. For me personally, the psychology of our man-made environments has always been a fascinating field to study and work on!
Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors - Photography by Alex Lucaci
Which brings me to (drumroll please!) our latest project – this one is all about building a “happy place”, quite literally.
When I started working on this project, I was thinking about “happy spaces” and asking myself: how do you create a happy space? And what makes a space ‘happy’, anyway?
These important questions came to me as I was designing a space for a four-year old child. Of course, a child’s bedroom should be their domain — their happy place. And so, these questions were a logical starting point for my design process.
But the concept of a “happy place” meant something to me, on a much more symbolic level...
Just a few weeks before this project started, back in 2018, a very tragic event shook me to my core: the untimely and unexpected departure of the eternally iconic, Kate Spade. Her suicide saddened me so much that I wanted this project to be a tribute to, and a celebration of, the acclaimed fashionista.
What’s more: I also wanted to explore and understand the psychology of human emotions. To learn why we feel a certain way. How can we stay positive and in a healthy state of mind? How can we be in control of our feelings and keep ourselves happy? And is it possible that our homes — the rooms we live in and the immediate environment we surround ourselves with — can help us achieve that?
Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors - Photography by Alex Lucaci
So what makes a space ‘happy’?
Is ‘happiness’ represented by a specific color? Can it be delivered through comfy furniture? Does it exist in the displaying of a dear memory held in a picture frame? Or with the presence of a toy or sentimental personal possession?
All these questions are important! And this is exactly the sort of conversation I try to have with my clients during our first meeting.
Give yourself a moment to think about it for yourself: what makes your favorite space or room ‘happy’? (Go on, leave a comment below! I’d love to know what you think!)
Okay: back to the project...
When it comes to a space for children, I approach my design process from all sides: considering parents’ requests as well as kid’s needs and the unique characteristics a spatial design for this age group should have.
For example: children tend to interact with their environment in such a direct way! From the infant who delights in exploration and movement, to the preschooler who strives to master physical skills — the immediate environment is their primary medium for learning. Plus, objects and places can become central to the emotional life of a young child. That’s why you see children forming such attachments with beloved objects, be that toys or simply blankets and comforters!
Although learning becomes increasingly abstract as they grow (and so settings seem to become less important), the environmental experiences of childhood continue to have a strong influence.
One way to assess that influence is by asking adults to recall favorite places from their childhood. You can rest assured that the images they’ll conjure up will be so vivid! And, as Carol Simon Weinstein and Thomas G. David explain in their book, ‘Spaces for Children’: the depth of feeling accompanying these images transcends mere nostalgia.
If you’ve ever felt physically transported back to your Grandma’s kitchen, by simply smelling an apple pie. Or could feel the carpet of your childhood bedroom beneath your legs as you thought of your most treasured childhood book — then you’ll know exactly how powerful this can be.
Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors - Photography by Alex Lucaci
But let’s dig a little deeper into this. Why is interior design so important for a child’s development and behavior?
Over time, children learn how they relate not only to the other people in their home but also to the physical objects and places within it. They learn independence by using these physical objects; existing in and interacting with these places. Both the child and the parents/guardians will monitor each little achievement and celebrate it as a sign of emerging individuality.
This may sound obvious — especially if you, yourself, are a parent — but it is critical if we’re to fully understand the interplay between the social and the physical world.
Children learn visual tracking by following the movement of toy animals on a mobile hanging over head. They learn to eat by using a spoon. They learn to dress by opening drawers and closet doors to get clothes.
All of these developmental tasks are not simply a matter of acquiring perceptual-motor skills: in effect, they define the child’s own sense of self. The slow metamorphosis of an infant that’s totally dependent on us into a separate and distinct individual (ah, but they grow so fast!) is aided and continually reaffirmed by the acquisition of these skills. Especially when it comes to objects, places, and spaces that “belong” to the child.
In a way, a child’s room, with all its belongings and its ability to provide sanctuary from the control of parents, is the most important aspect in order for them to develop a place identity — and therefore, a self-identity (another point made by Weinstein and David, in their book).
So what does this all have to do with happiness?
Put simply: a child’s room is their place of “refuge”. It is their microenvironment: a place they know belongs to them and where they can be themselves. That’s why their bedroom should be a place they can be proud of!
My goal as an interior designer is to give them this important opportunity: to be proud of their own space.
And, I think, that’s the most important element of creating a happy place.
Do you want to design a “happy place” for your child? (Or even for yourself!)
Let’s take this chat offline – drop me a comment below and we can arrange a meeting or phone call, to talk about what a happy space might look like for you and your family.
What are your thoughts? Your concerns? Your priorities? I want to hear it all!
And, next time, I’ll be writing to you guys about all the fabulous furnishings and luxurious materials I’ve used in this child’s room; to turn it into the happy place it should be.
Stay tuned, you don’t want to miss it!
Image via Victoria Gerts Interiors - Photography by Alex Lucaci