Perception and Illusion in Interior Design

Anna Jaglarz

Department of Architecture,
Wroclaw University of Technology,
St. Prusa 53/55, 50-317 Wroclaw, Poland
anna.jaglarz@pwr.wroc.pl

Abstract. Beside physical methods to modify the limits of interior space, there
are also some design decisions and tricks that can change the perception of a
visual space. Therefore, it’s possible to correct interior without redesigning or
destructions – breaking old walls and making new ones, for example, with the
help of optical illusions that change visual perception of interior space. A room
can be visually enlarged, deepened, broadened, heightened, narrowed, or low-
ered. Things like color, lighting, interior elements placement, integrated – hori-
zontal or vertical – lines, shapes, mirrors and even style of interior equipment
and finishing materials can correct the interior space because they can have a
significant impact on the size, proportion and mood of a space. It’s possible to
achieve great effects by combining knowledge of perception and knowledge of
design.

Keywords: interior design, sense of vision, visual perception, optical illusion.

1 Introduction
There is considerable scope to achieve great and sometimes surprising effects in inte-
riors formation by combining knowledge of perception, knowledge of optical illu-
sions, visual tricks and knowledge of contemporary interior design.
By optical illusions we mean those changes in visual perception of a room size and
proportions that occur under the influence of psychological phenomenon, visual
memory, visual impressions, color perception, contrasts, brightness intensity and focal
brightness, glare, visibility of task detail, illumination. These are the major factors
comprising the performance requirements for the visual environment. These are also
basic factors influenced our perception of space and our emotional response to space.
Proper planning, interior elements, furniture and mirrors placement can correct
every space, while color and lighting considerations can be used to emphasize the
space or place.
With understanding the effect of color and light on the perception of space design-
ers can shape and modify the visual experience of room, for example, by manipulat-
ing the perceptual role of lighting – both to facilitate visual tasks and to define the
visual boundaries and hierarchy of a space, area, or activity. Designers can also
manipulate the psychological role of lighting to help establish a sense of intimacy,
privacy, coziness, cheerfulness, or somberness in the room.

C. Stephanidis (Ed.): Universal Access in HCI, Part III, HCII 2011, LNCS 6767, pp. 358–364, 2011.
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011
 Perception and Illusion in Interior Design 359

The use of color in interior design should be based on knowledge of color percep-
tion and knowledge of color impact on human. Optical effects of colors are a visual
effects associated with the perception. They also include various types of optical illu-
sions and visual tricks. Psychological effects of colors are felt in emotional and re-
lated to feelings, and impressions.
Color of light is also significant. Subtle changes in the color tone of light can influ-
ence the subconscious judgment of interior space.
A mirror and mirror illusions are an excellent and specific way of modification, in
particular enlarging of room space. This effect is created thanks to reflection and
optical illusions. Experiments with a mirror and mirror surfaces are justified espe-
cially in small-scale rooms like bathrooms, halls, staircases etc.
One more thing that also causes the room can be changed and corrected is the style
and kind of interior elements and finishing materials. The effect can be a result of
material type (wood, metal, glass, plastic, textiles etc.) or material features and char-
acteristics (pattern, texture, ornament, color, gloss etc.). [1, 2]

2 Vision
The sense of vision is based on the eye’s ability to absorb and process selectively
portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. That electromagnetic spectrum we call light.
This sense is particularly essential, because is used for most functions that require a
understanding of spatial relationship and detail. First of all, vision includes the proc-
ess of orientation and the formation of spatial impressions. But it also involves scan-
ning a variety of information cues, making simultaneous or successive comparisons,
and assigning mental priorities regarding importance. Vision is used for identification
of significant information sources and the subsequent getting of right quantitative and
qualitative information. Finally, vision is connected with perception and interpretation
movement and rates of change.
Perception of color, response to brightness (adaptation, judgment of brightness dif-
ferences, glare, effect of aging), the visual field (perception of fine detail in the visual
field, detection of movement), the luminous environment – are just some of the areas
that should be considered.
With understanding of the basic aspects of vision and perception and knowing how
the human visual system works, designers can create a great variety of different inte-
rior feels. [1]

3 Lights
Light affects the visual quality of a space and the sense of well-being experienced by
users of that space. Light patterns and structures influence our sense of space, our
impressions, and consequently our actions. Therefore, the designer should become
sensitive to the uses of sparkle, silhouette, intensity, color tone, and other forms of
spatial light. The designer must recognize that the correct use of light structures is
fundamental in satisfying some space-activity requirements, such as reinforcing at-
traction or attention, emphasizing impressions of visual clarity and spaciousness,
360 A. Jaglarz

enhancing impressions of privacy and relaxation, stimulating sensations of spatial

intimacy, warmth or coziness, or reinforcing impressions of cheerfulness. [1]

3.1 The Effect of Light on User Orientation and Room Comprehension

Some lighting patterns affect personal orientation and user understanding of the room.
Spot-lighting or high-contrast focal lighting affects user attention, consciousness and,
for example, user ability of concentration. Wall lighting and corner lighting affect
user understanding of room parameters like size, height and shape, determining or
modifying the sense of visual space limits. [1]

3.2 The Effect of Light on Impressions of Activity, Setting and Mood

Other lighting models seem to suggest that light can be a medium that assist commu-
nication of spatial ideas, impressions and moods. In this sense lighting patterns can
assist the interior designer in creating impressions of playfulness, pleasantness, seri-
ousness, tension, and other qualities. The designer can also use light patterns to affect
psychological and social impressions such as intimacy, privacy, warmth and coziness.
Lighting can be used to produce a solemn and festive atmosphere for ceremony, party
and show or to produce an austere and sober atmosphere for meditation, relaxation.
Lighting can produce a cold, impersonal public place or reinforce an impression of a
warm, intimate place where a greater sense of privacy is required. These impressions
or moods creating by light are often fundamental in satisfying experience and activity
requirements in a designed space and they are essential condition of well-being ex-
perienced by user of that space. Lighting in this case should be seen not only as an
aesthetic aspect shaping the human environment but rather as a tool for influencing
human behavior, performance, and activity. [1]

3.3 Color of Light

Subtle differences and changes in the color tone of light can influence the subcon-
scious judgment of the general environment. Perceptual awareness of this aspect of
lights is most intense and noticeable when a change first occurs or when the individ-
ual first enters a space, before the eyes has time to adapt to the new condition.
Subtle shifts in the perceptions of surface tones and colors affect the sense
of warmth or coolness associated with the visual space. People tend to associate a
warm visual atmosphere with hues of yellow through orange and red to red-purple.
Warm light sources like the sun, many incandescent lamps, and some new fluorescent
lamps tend to create a dominant impression of visual warmth by emphasizing these
hues while graying others. On the other hand, cool light sources, such as skylight and
some fluorescent and metal halide lamps emphasize the colors that tend to create a
cool visual atmosphere, from hues of blue-purple through blue and blue-green to
yellow-green.
Detailed observation of these phenomenon may lead to definitive guidelines on the
color atmosphere and its impact on sensory responses. Recent research in this area
indicates, for instance, that the color tone of an environmental may affect perception
of environmental temperature. Designers may be in a position to conserve energy
through careful analysis of visually modified sensory responses. [1]
 Perception and Illusion in Interior Design 361

4 Light Illusions
Designers can shape and modify the visual experience of room, for example, by ma-
nipulating the perceptual role of lighting – both to facilitate visual tasks and to define
the visual boundaries and hierarchy of a space, area, or activity. Designers can also
manipulate the psychological role of lighting to help establish a sense of intimacy,
cheerfulness, or somberness that is appropriate as background for the intended activ-
ity. Apparently light and dark are not antagonistic but rather complementary phe-
nomenon. Without shade light can lose much of its effectiveness as a communicating
medium. Through the careful manipulation of light and dark or correct using of light
stresses designers can shape and modify the visual experience of interior space.
When using optical illusions for visual correction of the space, a significant effect
is achieved by the correct use of light stresses. Change in the brightness of some room
sections resulted, for example, from their different functions, is essential procedure.
The effect of increasing the visual height of a room is made with the help of ceiling
decoration with integrated lamps. Besides, designers can gain this effect with the use
of the 3-D structure of suspended ceilings, mirror glass, illuminating in the top part of
a room, or by creation of a shiny surface.
Light cold colors and shiny textures visually level ceiling up. Illumination of ceil-
ing with integrated lamps, can create interesting effect – ceiling “dangling” above a
room.
It’s also possible to evenly illuminate walls and lower corners of a room with small
lamps. In this case it will visually look wider. If the space, on the contrary, must be
narrowed, designer should illuminate upper corners.
To make a right-angled room look more square, to a monotonous and equally illu-
minating of the three walls designer can add an expressed light stress on the forth
wall, the farthest one.
Besides that, designers can change visual proportion of the room through the ex-
periments with the light underlying of some interior objects.
All the illusions of brightness-contrast may be produced by lighting. Surfaces,
forms and details may appear larger or smaller, harsh or almost obliterated, heavy or
light.
In fact, lighting plays an important part in influencing the mood or expression of a
room.
A ceiling may be “lifted" by light or it may hang low and threatening when dark,
due to relatively little light reaching it. Columns may appear dark on a light back-
ground or vice versa, and these illustrate the effects of irradiation.
Designer can also create the perception of a larger space with the use of lighting.
Just as a lighter colored ceiling creates the sense of openness and spaciousness, so
too, can bright windows and natural light. Blinds and window covers minimize win-
dow exposure and moderate natural light, so the window coverings should be used
sparingly in smaller rooms. Maximizing the natural light will emphasize the space and
make the room appear larger and brighter. It’s possible to use the reflection of light to
make a space look larger. Strategically placing a mirror, or even a collection of mir-
rors, in the relevant, appropriate part of the room is an easy way to use the reflection
of light to advantage in decorating a small space.
362 A. Jaglarz

Decorating a small room with the goal of making limited space feel more spacious
can be easy when designer consider the impact of color and light on user perception
of space. By using color and light to user advantage, designer can emphasize the
space in the room and make small room feel more open and spacious.
Space of room may be given a variety of moods or expressions by varying the
lighting. The various moods may be considered to be illusions because in fact the
room and its physical characteristics have not been altered in reality. It should be
obvious that lighting is a factor with high potential of interior creating. [1, 3]

5 Creating Spaciousness with Color Illusions

Color and color combinations are an extremely effective and many-sides instrument
available for designers. It’s possible to visually change the space in all three dimen-
sions by correctly controlling ground-colors and color stresses.
It is necessary first to examine the effects of light and dark colors within a small
space. Light colors make rooms and objects look larger than they are, while darker
colors make them look smaller and heavier. Lighter colored ceilings and floors create
the effect of a higher ceiling, whereas traditionally dark colors make ceilings lower.
Light colors visually broaden the space and a room seems wider and larger. The same
applies to wall color, so using light wall colors with matching light trim and base-
boards will also make space seem larger.
Although lighter colors do create an airy sense, this does not mean that interior de-
signers are limited to using lighter colors when they arrange and decorate a small
room. In practice, contrasting dark colors with lighter colors further emphasizes the
effect of spaciousness. For example, a dark couch on light colored flooring and on
light wall behind it, as a single dark element against a light background, will seem
smaller than it actually is and not very large room will appear more spacious. It is
possible to use dark colors to create the sense of openness and spaciousness in a
smaller space. The essential consideration is to use darker colors in contrast with
lighter colors to create the illusion of more space. It is also important to reduce of
dark colors to a few small items.
Irrespective of the use light and dark contrasts, designers can shape and modify the
visual experience of interior space through the careful and correct manipulating the
warm and cool colors. For example, if a room is not big, they can “broaden” its walls
by using light cool colors in finishing – grey-blue, pearl, or pale green. If a room is
larger, pastel or deep colors in a warm spectrum will be appropriate for it.
To the colors that visually broaden the space the following ones belong: neutral
white, light beige, warm beige-orange, different shades of yellow, cold light blue,
blue, cold blue-green. To the colors that create the effect of restraint and closeness of
the space the following ones belong: black, dark brown, blue-green, blue-violet, rich
red, yellow-red, orange-red, warm reddish colors. There are also neutral colors that
don’t quite change the space perception. These are green, purple-red, violet and grey.
The broadening of visual living space can result from a common color - grade of a
sitting room, a kitchen, and a dining room. Especially the color of floors and walls in
this area should be the same as the main colors of major part that is usually living
room. Application of light and warm colors in the main room makes the flat look
 Perception and Illusion in Interior Design 363

wider, larger and more spacious. The effect of a bigger height is achieved by coloring
the floor in rich and saturated colors. Red and all shades of red effectively accentuate
horizontal lines and planes of the floor.
Blue and all its shades on the floor are cold and unpleasant in the reception, espe-
cially on the large part of floor, but, at the same time, it seems big and wide. Warm
yellow and all its shades on the floor make a room spare, bright and sunny; however,
light color visually doesn’t give a stable support for legs and heavy elements of
interior. [1, 2, 4]

6 Mirror Illusions
The mirror increasingly becomes a material, or rather a tool for creation of interior
space. There are many mirror tricks that can improve the real interior proportions,
modify the room in terms of spaciousness. The first, and perhaps the most famous
trick is gaining of enlarged room through the large mirror surfaces. This procedure
can be used in living rooms, separated or combined with a kitchenette, and rooms that
should be a large, spacious, bright and elegant. However, it is particularly justified in
the small-scale rooms like bathrooms, halls, staircases etc. They are usually small and
quite tight, so any extra space, even created using help of mirror reflections, increases
their attractiveness.
Mirror tricks and methods is especially appropriate in the interior of a small-scale
bathroom. It follows from the specific facts:
− mirror is one of the necessary functional items in the bathroom – the mirror is
bigger, the better,
− users spend a lot of time in the bathroom where engage in many different activities,
and this place should be comfortable and aesthetic, light and airy, they have to feel
good in it,
− the bathroom normally is organized on the very little space, usually devoid of
windows.
Therefore, instead of a small mirror over the sink, background off wall can be covered
with a mirror, that will make bathroom seem much bigger, and additionally brighter
through the impression of increasing of reflecting lights amount.
The effect of increasing the visual spaciousness of a room is made even with the
help of mirror on a part of the wall or mirrored closet doors. It is possible to improve
the real proportions of the room, taking into account principles that the vertical sur-
faces of the mirror make effect of bigger room height, and horizontal surfaces of the
mirror make room seem lower, but wider. The mirror located opposite the window
effectively causes brighter interior. Reflection can also be used to create a different
kind of spatial tricks. For example the plants located against a mirror background will
visually look more impressive.
Two mirrors mounted at right angles create amazing illusion of a four-times in-
creased space. However, the set of mirrors facing each other can be used to create
endless "tunnels of reflections."
364 A. Jaglarz

The mirror, properly fitted on the wall or ceiling, may give the impression of in-
creasing the number of light points. This trick can not only brighten a room, but often
make the interior more interesting, richer, or more representative.
The mirror embedded in the ceiling visually lifts it up, optically increases the room
and opens them up. These tricks can be used in residential rooms such as bedroom
and bathroom, as well as public institutions such as shops, boutiques, clubs or
restaurants.
The mirror in the interior is connected with the ability to create optical illusions,
reproductions, distortions-to-measure "distorting mirror" used to emphasize the im-
portance, validity, attraction of place, and often in order to stimulate the imagination
of the viewer, to take him by surprise with curiosity form and space that are not al-
ways realistic and comprehended.
Number of mirror combinations, statements, invoices, systems, methods of their
connections, as well as the number of possible effects and impressions seems to be
unlimited. However, the matter of a mirror through its neutral colors and texture
seems to be a corresponding element for almost every kind of space. [2]

7 Style and Decoration Illusions

One more thing that also contributes to the change and correction of the interior space
is the style of applied finishing materials and interior articles. The effect can be a
result of material pattern, texture, color, gloss etc.
For example, horizontal lines visually stretch a room, creating the effect of space
increasing, but, at the same time, lower it. Vertical lines, on the contrary, narrow the
space on the level, visually increasing it vertically.
Small element of interior decoration visually makes a room wider, a big one –
smaller.
White objects on a dark background optically make the space bigger, widening and
lengthening it. Checkered, striped or filled with a repeated pattern surfaces, sections
or elements seem bigger than self-colored ones that are equal in size.
The use of the vertical patterns and ornaments in the wall decoration visually
makes a room higher. The same effect remains if there is a vertical in the form of
pictures, paintings or vertical divisions on the walls, which “elongate” the height. The
effect of more room height is achieved by the use of the pattern that is on the back-
ground and of finishing materials with gloss varnishing. [2]

References
1. Flynn, J.E., Segil, A.W., Steffy, G.R.: Architectural Interior Systems. Lighting, Acoustics,
air Conditioning. Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York (1988)
2. Interior Design optical illusions, or how to change the space,
http://www.womanknows.com
3. Luckiesh, M.: Visual illusions. Their causes, characteristics and applications. D. van
Nostrand Company, New York (1922)
4. Zeugner, G.: Barwa i czlowiek. Arkady, Warszawa (1965)