Overall well-being in the interior environment is very much linked to the primal need for both a view to the outside and the safety of a snug corner devoid of prying eyes. It is human. It is instinctual and greatly affects our well-being both mentally and physically in the environments we build for ourselves and those we hold close. These environments often don't adequately reflect our need for this parameter however, there are subtleties within the design of a space that can enhance this evolutionary need and crucially have a very positive affect on our overall health.
In primal times, our very survival and sense of security revolved around the need to see an open plane clearly but without other predators having a view of ourselves. This sense of prospect and refuge ultimately allowed humans to flourish and build the civilizations that we now have today around the planet. Our interiors, need to allow this sense to evolve with modern living as it is a deeply ingrained biological response to a very basic need - our safety and ultimate survival.
I am an advocate for the correct proportion, size and placement of windows and glazing in this regard but equally as important - the provision of walls within the interior space. The ideal shape, size and proportion of furniture items and how these items align with existing walls and windows can also further ensure that an optimum living environment is created and centered around the concept of creating elements of prospect and refuge in our immediate environs.
Jay Appleton outlined the theory of Prospect and Refuge in his landmark 1975 text on "The Experience of Landscape". It is a subconscious matter but one that greatly has an affect on our well-being. RYE strive's to take any measure needed in order to fulfill this sense of security and safety in the home environment for clients, ultimately creating a space that is happy, healthy, adapted to the modern world and thus, timelessly enduring for generations to come.
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