Design from within

When Toby Israel was in her 20s, she wanted to be an architect. But before making that commitment she discovered something that interested her even more: environmental psychology -- the study of how people are affected by their surroundings.

She earned a doctorate in that field, but she never gave up her interest in architecture and design. As she repeatedly saw that buildings aren't always designed in satisfying and meaningful ways for those who inhabit them, she combined her interests into what was recognized as design psychology. Simply put, it's the practice of using psychology as the principal design tool in architecture, planning and interior design.

"I didn't want to just be a designer designing beautiful places," she said. "I wanted it to have more depth than that. I wanted it to be a profession that makes places more humane and fulfilling for people."

To that end she lectures worldwide, and recently published a book, "Some Place Like Home: Using Design Psychology to Create Ideal Places," which includes a set of "tools" that can be used by laypeople and professionals alike to design spaces that are emotionally and socially fulfilling.

At the core of Israel's philosophy is the belief that our childhood has a profound influence on how we experience and relate to our spaces as adults. Those experiences that "transcend" our childhood years often do so in unconscious ways.

The book uses renowned architects to illustrate her point. For example, Michael Graves has fond memories of the stockyards where his father worked when he was a boy. Israel uses then-and-now photos to show the shapes that were prominent when Graves was a youngster and explain how those themes have emerged in his design.

While the book uses such examples to help decipher and explore the relationship between psychology and design, the principles of design psychology apply at the most basic level. These are issues that are pertinent to everyone, regardless of whether you're building a house or furnishing a rental apartment. Israel says that real estate agents need to hone their skills, too, to help buyers find a home that works for them.

All too often, she says, homeowners focus on the number of rooms and their size, rather than on the function of the space. For example, cathedral ceilings have become particularly popular in new houses, but they're not appropriate for everyone, she says.

"People create a home based on what they see in shelter magazines and based on what the media tell them they should want or must have," she said. "Trends are just the trends, but they come and go. What is it that makes you feel satisfied in a home or in a place?"

People need to plumb the deeper wells of their inner lives, she said, to consider the social and emotional aspects of their living spaces. "Think about how you use the space in real life, and think about how the space makes you feel when you enter it," she said. "That means spending time thinking about what an ideal home looks like to you. And do all of that before you buy, build or alter the space."

She acknowledges that there are practical considerations, as well, including cost and structural integrity.

"That doesn't mean that you also don't consider the aesthetic and technical aspects," she said. "The roof can't leak and the building needs to stand up and the building has to be aesthetically satisfying."

Resale, too, can benefit from the discipline.

"If you create a house you love, you will tend to communicate that both through the nurturing design elements included in your house and your enthusiasm about what the house has meant to you."

Here's a technique she uses to help clients get a sense of what's important to them: Draw a timeline of all the places you've lived for six months or more and circle those that you liked the best and use words to describe why. That's how to determine which elements make you feel more at "home."

The process, which can result in a simple sketch on the back of a napkin, can easily help transform a space. It also produces a "design psychology blueprint" that includes recommendations for colors, shapes, texture and space that can be used by an architect or designer.

This process, which Israel calls "design from within," doesn't require knocking out any walls or spending a single penny. In fact, she says, you can alter a space psychologically simply by moving a chair.

For example, she recently worked with a woman who was divorced, but had created gathering spaces to accommodate the occasional return of her children. By doing that, she was neglecting how she uses the space every day when she's there alone. By going through that remembering process, the woman realized that she really craved a place to read, so she converted one of the main family gathering spaces into a cozy reading space.

"Everyone can change their space in some way to express who they are or how they want to feel," she said. "But they have to be aware of what the possibilities are."

Jim Buchta • 612-673-7376