5 Ways to Bring Happiness into Your Interior Design

PwC office, Basel, Switzerland. Designer: Evolution Design
Photo: Peter Wuermli via officesnapshot.com

If marketing is an ever-evolving science, there is no better time to see it evolve than now. More than ever, companies are introducing the concept of happiness into their marketing strategies. It is not only about function anymore. Products are not only meant to be bought, used, then thrown away. They are meant to bring happiness.

How do businesses do it? Evoking through their products or services “safe emotions” such as, for instance, nostalgia. Since emotions shape buyer behavior, it is only natural that such techniques work.

But it is not only when selling products that marketing for happiness is an effective technique. As a business owner, you can incorporate the happiness concept into your interior design and see your employees’ productivity raise. Large companies such Google or Facebook are masters in creating employee-centered work environments. But what steps can a smaller company take to improve their employees’ happiness and enthusiasm without breaking the bank?

In trying to answer this question, we put together a list of 5 simple ways to bring happiness into your interior design and make your business better.

Bring nature in. The human eye finds comfort and a sense of safety in the presence of green, lush plants, which signal abundance and have an excellent calming effect. In an office, this translates to less stress, but also faster recovery from mental fatigue. In a time when employees have no choice but spend most of their day inside, bringing nature in is not only a simple way to improve air quality, but also a way to trick the mind into being happy.

easyCredit office, Nuremberg.
Designer: Evolution Design (interior design), Baumschlager Eberle, GP Wirth Architekten (architecture)
Photos: TeamBank AG / easyCredit via worldarchitecturenews.com

Use bright colors. If you want to bring happiness into your interior design, you may just need to apply a fresh coat of paint. Most offices are designed in neutral shades or keep their walls white and uninspiring. This lack of chromatic dynamism is uninspiring and tires the mind. You can break the inevitable monotony of a day’s work by offering the eye the color it craves. While yellow is the obvious happy color, any bright shade will do. Even better, combining colors or adding patterns or large wall art can make an office more inviting and less intimidating.

NTI office, Leiden, Holland. Designer: Liong Lie Architects. Photo: worldarchitecturenews.com

Adjust your lighting. Spending so many hours inside affects mood and therefore productivity. The problem becomes even more serious when lighting is insufficient or badly placed. While you may have no choice but use artificial light, try to bring it as close to the amount of natural daylight as possible. Correctly positioning your light is also important. Make sure you have enough task lighting where you need it and that your employees do not suffer from unnecessary eye or mental fatigue caused by the inadequacy of your light sources.

easyCredit office, Nuremberg.
Designer: Evolution Design (interior design), Baumschlager Eberle, GP Wirth Architekten (architecture)
Photos: TeamBank AG / easyCredit via worldarchitecturenews.com

Use background sound appropriately. Studies show that certain sounds can increase employee productivity and well-being. There is a whole science behind using sounds to boost your business, which we touched upon in a recent article. In short, white noise or calming sounds like that of chirping birds rather than loud music, as well as headphones when working in large offices, can have a surprising impact on employees’ mood.

Update your seating. Uncomfortable chairs are the best way to make your employees unhappy and, even more, to have back and muscle pain redirect their focus. We created a five-point checklist for choosing the right office chair that you can use if you are looking to invest in new seating. From the quality of the back support to the shape of the armrests, this list will guide you through the process of purchasing the most important object of office furniture that can drastically influence employee comfort and bring happiness into your interior design. 

Embody Chair from Herman Miller. 

Please take a look at our Before and After images of selected projects from 2018 HERE.

If you are thinking to open up a new business or in a process of rebranding and remodeling your existing business, contact us to get a free consultation from Mindful Design Consulting. Click HERE to price your project design.

Also, take a look at “Branding By Interior” e-book, the only book written on this subject at this time. It brings insight on how you can turn your business into a market-dominating competitor by using human cognitive responses.