As we’ve all heard ad infinitum, one’s home is their sanctuary. Since our homes are often our biggest investments and the places we spend the most time in, it’s only natural to ensure these spaces not only reflect our style but also complement our personalities.
Unfortunately, the deeper emotional elements of interior design are often overlooked. With so many parameters to consider, it can be overwhelming to understand just how our surroundings affect our mood. However, there are interior designers out there who are focused on the significant relationship between personality and place. One of the best experts in this arena practices right here in Dallas.
Dallas interior design expert Poonam Patel with Urban Loop Studio has won multiple awards for her innovative approach to interior design. She sat down with CandyDirt.com to discuss a bit about her process and how one can focus design around their personality.
The Big Picture
“Before buildings, we were all out in the wild,” said Patel. “We had unlimited space, greenery, views of nature, and things like that. The minute you put someone inside a building, they’re cut off from all of that. So how does that affect us? To some extent, we start to feel confined.”
Patel believes our environment has a huge impact on how we feel and how we live our lives.
“If you look at it on a vast spectrum,” said Patel. “Think about the difference between how you’d feel being in a prison cell versus being in the presidential suite of a five-star hotel. You can even tell the difference between a three-star hotel and a five-star hotel. So, we know that space and environment have significant impacts on mood.”
Thriving By Design
Patel’s interior design philosophy is simple – if our dwellings have such drastic impacts on our happiness, productivity, or mental health, we should design the perfect surroundings based on our personalities.
“You want to be intentional about everything,” she said. “Because you can either have your environment work with you or against you. If something doesn’t quite fit, you will feel it. And it can quickly become frustrating.”
This is where connecting personality and place can truly make a difference.
“There is so much we can find out with the Myers-Briggs personality test that will shed light on how one interacts with their space,” Patel said. “For instance, if we find out someone is more introverted then we can assume having a bunch of formal entertaining spaces and dining rooms will never serve them.”
Once you understand the type of personality you have, it’s so much easier to design the perfect home around it.
Dallas Interior Design Expert Discusses the Process
For homeowners who aren’t building custom homes, there are simple steps to start creating spaces conducive to your personalities.
“It all starts with just getting to know yourself more,” said Patel. “A lot of us are just constantly on the clock. Sometimes we seldom have the time to sit down and think about who we are without everything else. Taking a personality test can be a great way to discover how you may be able to better work with your space. I really like Myers-Briggs, 16 Personalities, or Gallup.”
The next step is to take an inventory of your space and understand how you’re using it.
“Let’s say for two weeks you just logged how you’re using the spaces in your home,” said Patel. “What are the areas you’re using most, what are the dead spaces, what are areas that serve no purpose? Then, ask yourself how these spaces would better serve your personality and go from there.”
This might look like something as simple as rearranging the furniture flow or remodeling the room to serve an entirely different purpose. As we think more about how our spaces impact us, confining ourselves to traditional floorplan structures may become a thing of the past. And perhaps this is a good thing.
“Everyone experiences a space in totally different ways,” said Patel. “This is why is crucial to do this work and discover how to engineer environments that allow us to thrive.”
