CUSTOMIZING PERSONAL LIVING SPACES

BY LIZZY SIDMAN Editor

Blindingly bright teal paint, a strangely distorted poster of my favorite soccer player Alex Morgan and warm white Christmas lights defined the walls of my room. I painted my room that teal I grew to hate when I was 10 years ol d. As much as I used to love my room, I had changed, and my room needed to do the same. It was freeing to pick a much more mellow, neutral gray. Over the years, I collected and cycled through posters, each representing my personality and interests at the time, before I went on to the next thing. Adapting personal spaces, especially individual rooms, to your personality can be essential in discovering yourself, especially as a teenage high school student.

Finding yourself in a sea of students can be extremely difficult, but picking out physical representations of who you are can be helpful. For junior Luke Bucholz, seeing himself reflected through decor on his walls is a positive experience.

“How I decorate [my room] is very representative of me. It’s very messy-looking but still somewhat organized, which reflects me as a person,” Bucholz said.

When you take a step back and truly observe aspects and traits of your room, it is easier to pull out adjectives and see if they fit you. Like trying on different outfits until you find your style, room decorating can reap the same benefits.

Apart from personal decoration, some interior designers have adjusted their design tactics to follow human-centered design (HCD). This idea puts human needs, capabilities and behaviors first to create a less generic and more personalized living space.

With a similar concept of what is known as design psychology, Chinese researchers at Qingdao Hengxing University of Science and Technology led by Yanping Chu observed 134 residents with interior design needs that were randomly divided into a control group and a group using design psychology. They were then told to rate their experience based on the Life Sat - isfaction Rating scale (LSR). rooms that result from a depressive ep isode. Depression can make it impos sible to get out of bed, so understand ably, living spaces pile up with clothes, water bottles and other miscellaneous objects. room] is really bad and I can’t even walk in it. Whenever my room is cluttered or trashy, it is very overwhelming, and I end up feeling lazy and depressed. I feel like it [isn’t] my room anymore. I feel like [I am] losing myself,” freshman Ace Raheem said. others like them create enjoyable spaces for themselves, as Raheem collects tapestries, each with a special meaning that they say represents them, rooms can become messy and unpleasant to be in. Decorating a room will not eliminate the possibility of a mess and will certainly not cure anyone’s depression on its own, but finding yourself through interior design can help you create a safe space and leave you feeling more relaxed.

“Interior design based on design psychology has a significant positive impact on residents and can ensure that their LSR score is at a high level,” Chu wrote.

While design psychology and HCD are helpful in many adult lives, teenagers are a different story. Most teens do not have an interior designer working with them to create an aesthetically pleasing environment. Instead, they must discover what works best for them and what they like by themselves.

A common issue that can be observed in many teen and high school students’ lives is when they struggle with a unique variety of stress from school and other personal issues. Even in a room full of decorations representing the subjects that make them feel happy, many struggle to maintain that feeling in the long run. Some people can fall into depression and create what is known as a depression room.

Senior Ella Gatz’s room is self-described as lively and colorful, with lots of books and music-related decorations. Even with bright, natural lighting and vivid colors, it can be relaxing if your room feels like you.

“My room is very much my safe space; I spend a lot of time in there,” Gatz said.

Decorating your room is not just about making it look nice when a friend comes over; it is about your comfort. Your room should be your safe space, as Gatz said, filled with representations