An experiment

A big thank you to all those who attended the Design School over the weekend, two lovely days of classes so thank you for being such a brilliant group we had such a fab weekend. I thought I might yabber about one of those interior design rules that you learn in school, but that we ditch and fling out the window here. That is creating easy walkways, so by that I mean not having furniture in the way instead having wide-open spaces in which you can drive the hugest truck should you so wish down the middle of your living room! This rule is one that probably gets my blood pressure soaring the most and I will tell you why. If a room has very little going on in the middle of it (i.e. no obstacles to manoeuvre around) then it will read to the eye as a very boring space. When you dare, say plonk a chair in the middle of the room or a table that's when things start to get interesting. You might not be able to walk in a straight line from one end of the room to the other but that is the point. Why not try the following experiment. Two sceneries,  first up in a room move things into the middle, so I'm talking the odd obstacle in the way. A chair with a side table and a lamp as an example. When you cross the room you have to weave your way around BUT watch what happens.  Subconsciously your senses are activated so it feels a far more exciting room to be in. Scenario number two, have nothing in the way, so I'm talking everything around the perimeter. Now notice any behavioural changes. Are you reaching for the whisky, popping pills, are you're shoulders slumped you're head hanging low? OF course the reason -decor deprivation.  There is nothing to make you linger, stay, hang out. You can read the room in a second, you can walk the room in a Nano second and that is my point! Anthropologie purposely design their stores with things in the way. You can't go into an Anthro store and see clear lines and paths in front of you like most other stores, no mam you have to chart you own course. You have to weave, you can't walk in a straight line WHY because it activates the senses, it engages the senses, and you can't take in everything all at once. The primary reason infact that the linger time in their stores alone averages 90 minutes which is pretty incredible. Happy Monday