For many people, it’s beautiful buildings or quirky designs. However, a quick stroll down any street in London will give you a glimpse into centuries’ worth of design, architecture and lifestyle choices inspired by great men and women throughout the ages.
Unlike dance performances, music and paintings (which you can choose to indulge in or ignore), architecture and design impact all of us on a daily basis. Whether we like it or not, they are the building blocks of our environment.
This brings me to my next point; beautiful interiors and exteriors are more about a way of living. “Elegance”, “classiness” or “success” are all wrapped up into designs that you can see all around you.
Throughout history, from ancient Egypt to the kings and queens that ruled England centuries ago, people in positions of power have always sought to show their strength and success by building magnificent buildings and developing great cities for the world to marvel at.
Architecture represents society, reflecting the values, successes and eventual downfalls of civilisations over time.
Georges-Eugène Haussmann, for example, is famed to this day as the man who transformed Paris. Haussman moulded a chaotic urban space into what is now widely considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. While many might not know the city’s history or the great architect behind the city’s design, it’s clear that people have a profound emotional connection with Paris. Its impact is immortalised in books, films and people’s minds across the world.
Architecture affects us in many different ways, but perhaps one of the most important of these is how it personally impacts those who occupy those spaces. Everything from the layout of the space to the materials and colours used can contribute to the occupant’s health, mood and productivity.
Every design choice from the wall colour to the cushion textures, however trivial it seems, has a big impact on the overall feel of the space – and in turn on the overall feelings of its occupants.
Countless studies show that well-designed spaces contribute to the health and wellbeing of the occupants. On the other hand, badly designed spaces tend to have a negative effect on the brain and may cause stress and anxiety.
Well-designed spaces are those that make you feel good, happy and content. It’s that feeling you get when you walk into a space and it just has that something you can’t quite describe – yet it feels just right. We develop emotional connections with functional spaces that are also designed with elegance and beauty in mind.
We’ve been fortunate enough to be able to work on interiors of beautiful buildings throughout London – true marvels of architecture. To this day, there is no greater thrill than using design to bring these spaces to life again so that future occupants can enjoy them in all their glory – as it was meant to be.
Best regards,
Anna