Flooring Psych: How to Avoid (Literally) Slipping and Tripping through Life

Flooring Psych: How to Avoid (Literally) Slipping and Tripping through Life describes 9 Hidden Messages – unconscious ways that floor patterns affect us psychologically and physically. These stem from Human Instinct and Nature, are supported by Evidence-Based Design Studies and research from a variety of fields and can be used with any design style and project type to create healthier places.

The author is an Architect, Interior Designer and “Building Psychologist” who has consulted with clients including Kaiser Permanente, The Republic of Tea and design firms like Gensler and AECOM. She explains each Hidden Message through easy-to-read and entertaining stories with practical Do’s and Don’ts that design and flooring professionals will be able to immediately apply to their next projects.

WHY ARE FLOOR PATTERNS MORE IMPORTANT THAN OTHER BUILDING FEATURES?

Because scientists tell us that through evolution we have become more sensitive to objects on the ground - where our ancestors were more likely to find tracks of prey and lurking predators than dropping out of trees. And in a world without antibiotics and orthopedic surgeons, someone oblivious to the patterns on the ground could easily find themselves propped up against a tree watching their clan disappear in the distance in search of buffalo…

We inherited our ancestors’ instinctive survival strategies along with their DNA and today we respond to our built environments the same way they responded to their natural environments.

WHY IS IT CRITICAL FOR 21ST CENTURY DESIGNERS AND FLOORING SPECIALISTS TO UNDERSTAND HOW FLOOR PATTERNS AFFECT OUR BEHAVIOR?

Because advances in seaming and cutting technology and the availability of thousands of flooring materials (from carpet and sheet vinyl to laminate and porcelain tile) allow us to design wonderfully complex floor patterns: while 80% of Workers’ Compensation claims are due to slipping and falling and the elderly are the fastest growing age group.

Are we designing because we CAN and not because we SHOULD?

Flooring Psych will appeal to everyone who designs, markets, buys or sells flooring.

Architects and Interior Designers will find it an easy reference that reinforces the idea that their designs will affect others – while learning how to create floor patterns that are ‘Good for People’ – as well as ‘Good Design.’

Flooring Manufacturers, Dealers, Distributors and Installers will use this book to add value to their clients by being able to recommend the best, most effective and appropriate installations in commercial flooring.

And after reading Flooring Psych – NO ONE will ever look at floors quite the same way again!

Barbara Lyons Stewart is an architect, interior designer, consultant and speaker, certified in both Evidence-Based Design and Feng Shui. She has been called a "bridge" between ancient philosophies and the design of 21st century buildings - from wineries to large corporations and medical centers.

Like all architects and interior designers, Stewart knew that the spaces she designed affected people psychologically - but not how or why since THAT wasn't taught in architecture school.

So while designing corporate offices for clients including KTVU/FOX2, Wild Planet Toys and The New York Times with her firm Lyons Stewart Architects, she began studying everything she could find that connected human instinct with the environment. Ancient sources include India's 5,000 year-old Vastu Shastra, China's 4,000 year-old Feng Shui and traditional building practices in Europe, Africa and the Americas. Modern sources include Environmental, Applied and Evolutionary Psychology, Neuroscience and Biophilia.

Combining this knowledge, Stewart identified 18 Instinct-Based Design Principles and applies them as an Architectural Design Psychology Consultant to clients including Kaiser Permanente, The Republic of Tea, Gensler and AECOM.

Stewart's articles have appeared in Healthcare Design Magazine and Medical Construction and Design Magazine, and she co-authored the book Feng Shui: A Practical Guide for Architects and Designers for Kaplan in 2007 with Vincent Smith. Her speaking experience includes AIA, Healthcare Design and IIDA Conferences, and numerous architectural and interior design firm workshops and seminars.

Stewart's goal is to help building owners and design professionals create healthier places based upon Human Instinct and Nature - instead of Human Ego and Design Fads. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family and a view of Mount Tamalpais.