Curvy Spaces

Tawil and colleagues’ found that “Previous research suggests that curved vs. angular interior environments trigger affective (e.g., preference). . . . responses. . . . Online participants . . . undertook four randomized tasks involving 20 photo-realistic living room images matched for contours (angular vs. curved) and styles (modern vs. classic). . . . The findings confirm the previously reported positive effect of curved objects . . . and interiors . . . The results are also in line with earlier evidence supporting a self-reported tendency to approach curved vs. angular furniture . . . and spaces. . . . Overall, this study provides evidence in favour of an attractive and pleasant intrinsic effect of curved interior designs . . . using behavioural measures hypothetically less influenced by conscious evaluations and expectancies in comparison to self-reports.”

Nour Tawil, Jordan Elias, Leonie Ascone, and Simone Kuhn. 2024. “The Curvature Effect:  Approach-Avoidance Tendencies in Response to Interior Design Stimuli.”  Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 93, 102197, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102197