C. MATERIALS

From the floors to the ceilings, our spaces are filled with a variety of substances. Although colors tend to be the dominant visual technique in creating a balanced environment, the materials that we use in a space create a definite energy and can enhance the Primary Purpose. It is often difficult to differentiate the impact of the materials from the effect of the colors because they are working on us simultaneously. Sometimes the colors and materials provide a common sensual experience, but sometimes they produce a tension that is not always intended.

The energy of a room is also affected by the furniture fabrics, window treatments, and wall coverings. All of these hard, cold, soft, fragile, and tactile materials create a visual expectation and sensation in the psyche, even before you have stepped on the shiny hard marble flooring or touched the soft velvet fabric or the cold stainless steel arm of the chair. Our choices of materials and finishes should be conscious decisions that will add to the Primary Purpose of the space.

Whenever possible, use natural and sustainable materials to create a healthy, more natural environment. Although we realize that the selection of materials involves practical maintenance considerations, we are focusing here on the way materials affect us psychologically.