Visual effects of interior design in actual-size living rooms on physiological responses

The aim of the present study was to clarify the effect of visual surroundings in the daily living environment by measuring the human physiological response. Two actual-size living rooms with different interior designs were created. Cerebral blood flow, pulse rate, and blood pressure were measured while the subjects spent 90 s in the rooms. There were no significant differences between the two rooms in subjective evaluation. However, the two rooms caused different physiological responses, i.e. the room with an ordinary interior design caused a calm and relaxed state, while the other room with visible wooden posts and beams caused an active and aroused state.