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BOLD BY DESIGN | JULY 2020
D E S I G N H A R M O N Y: A L O O K AT D E S I G N ’ S I N F L U E N C E O N H E A LT H A N D W E L L N E S S BY MIKE PETERSON APPLE HEADQUARTERS |PALO ALTO, CA
T H E WO R K P L AC E T H R I V E S W I T H D E S I G N H A R M O N Y. T H E M E D I C A L C O M M U N I T Y P R E S C R I B E S D E S I G N H A R M O N Y. N AT I O N S A RO U N D T H E WO R L D E M P H A S I Z E D E S I G N H A R M O N Y. D e s i g n e r s , i t ’s t i m e t h a t y o u , t o o , g e t c re d i t f o r c re a t i n g t h e health and wellness benefits i n h e re n t i n D e s i g n H a r m o n y ! The most exciting development in the design i n d u s t r y t o d a y i s t h e re c o g n i t i o n t h a t g re a t d e s i g n i m p ro v e s health and wellness in the home. This is called Design H a r m o n y, a n d i t ’s a c u r r i c u l u m that teaches this important idea: When interior designers c re a t e e n v i ro n m e n t s t h a t a re beautiful and well-designed, it encourages health and wellness. Fo r y e a r s w e h a v e k n o w n , a n e c d o t a l l y, t h a t g o o d d e s i g n m a k e s u s f e e l b e t t e r. T h a t i d e a i s n o l o n g e r a n e c d o t a l . I t ’s n o w p ro v e n . N e u ro a e s t h e t i c s i s a re l a t i v e l y n e w t e r m t h a t l o o k s a t t h e n e u ro l o g i c a l re s p o n s e w e h a v e t o a r t , d e s i g n a n d b e a u t y. We k n o w, f o r i n s t a n c e , that when we see something o f b e a u t y, w e g e t a s h o t o f s e ro t o n i n i n o u r b r a i n . W h e n w e d o , w e f e e l b e t t e r. A l t e r n a t i v e l y, when we see something disturbing and unattractive, we get a shot of cortisol, a hormone that helps us cope w i t h n e g a t i v e i m a g e r y. W h e n
y o u p ro d u c e b e a u t y i n y o u r d e s i g n s , y o u a re i m p ro v i n g t h e psychological and emotional w e l f a re o f y o u r c l i e n t s b y i n c re a s i n g t h e i r s e ro t o n i n l e v e l s a n d d e c re a s i n g t h e a m o u n t o f c o r t i s o l t h e b o d y p ro d u c e s . T h e o t h e r t e r m t h a t ’s important to understand when studying Design Harmony is biophilic design. Biophilia, or biophilic design, uses the look a n d f e e l o f n a t u re i n t h e h o m e e n v i ro n m e n t . Wo o d s , c y l i n d r i c a l l i n e s , g re e n e r y, n a t u r a l l i g h t a n d b u r b l i n g w a t e r a re j u s t a few of the emotional stimulants designers can use. Design Harmony is not to be confused with the other w e l l n e s s - re l a t e d p ro g r a m s c u r re n t l y i n f l u e n c i n g t h e w o r l d of design. LEED, the Sustainable Fu r n i s h i n g s C o u n c i l ’s G R E E N l e a d e r s p ro g r a m a n d t h e W E L L B u i l d i n g S t a n d a rd focus on sustainability and t h e c e r t i f i a b i l i t y o f a p ro d u c t ’s influence on health and wellness. Design Harmony is not about the physical; it is about the emotional and psychological re w a rd s t h a t g re a t re s i d e n t i a l d e s i g n p ro d u c e s .
A PRESCRIPTION F O R N AT U R E The medical industry in m a n y Fa r E a s t c o u n t r i e s a re well ahead of the states in incorporating healthy design i n t o t h e h o m e e n v i ro n m e n t . I n the 1980s, Japan, for instance, began to implement the idea of shinrin yoku. Shinrin yoku is t h e J a p a n e s e w o rd f o r “ f o re s t b a t h i n g ,” o r t h e m e d i c i n e o f s i m p l y b e i n g i n t h e f o re s t . N o t e t h a t I s a y “ m e d i c i n e .” I n t h e Fa r E a s t , d o c t o r s n o w p re s c r i b e f o re s t b a t h i n g a s a medicinal alternative to a bottle of pills. It has become a c o r n e r s t o n e o f p re v e n t i v e h e a l t h c a re a n d h e a l i n g i n J a p a n e s e m e d i c i n e . ( I n a w a y, shinrin yoku is a sibling to biophilia. Biophilic design m e a n s b r i n g i n g n a t u re i n t o t h e home, and shinrin yoku means g o i n g o u t i n t o n a t u re . ) M e d i c a l associations in countries l i k e C a n a d a a n d t h e U . K . a re incorporating design benefits as medicines. On November 1 , 2 0 1 8 , t h e m e d i c a l g ro u p Médecins francophones du Canada began allowing doctors t o p re s c r i b e v i s i t s t o m u s e u m s ,
