Water and Human Nature: why we love nautical and coastal decor?
The human brain is wired to associate water with well-being. And nautical and coastal decor is very popular because it evokes the sea and, essentially, water.
Why?
Just imagine the primitive times when humans wandered vast lands looking for a place to settle. The most important elements to find near a settlement would be shelter, - like caves or materials to build huts - food (edible plants and animals) and water. Even for short time stays, the primitive man probably chose most importantly, places with water, which is the element that they need the most and most frequently for survival.
Early human settlements and the greatest civilizations developed near the sea and large rivers. Rome grew around the Po, Mesopotamia grew between two large rivers (Tigris and Euphrates), the early Chinese civilization (near the Yellow River) etc. Even today, the largest most developed cities are near the sea or rivers; take for example, New York City, Tokyo, Lisbon and London, just to name a few.
The countries that, at one time, developed the faster and became the richest - Portugal, Spain, England - had strong naval forces that were able to go across the oceans and discover the new world.
Many religions across all cultures associate water with cleansing, clarity, new life, rebirth, purity, salvation and balance, probably a symbolism derived from earlier more primitive perspectives.
In a smaller time scale, even today, properties near the sea or rivers tend to have higher demand and, therefore, higher values and prices. We associate lakes, rivers and beaches with vacation, sharing with family and friends, fun and relaxation. Many seek to be in a distant beach for meditation and introspection, or even healing during after difficult life situations.
It is, therefore, very likely that, because of this ancient, intensely human experience and life-giving nature of water, we love surrounding ourselves with it, even indoors, where we spend most of the time now.
And all this is probably why nautical and coastal decor gives us the same sensation of relaxation, even if we live far away from large bodies of water.
Evoking water soothes our minds and souls. Blue is the predominant color in nautical and coastal decor, and it's known to be a soothing, calming color that evokes peace, reliability and stability. The color ochre in its variants (yellow, gold, etc) evoke the sand and natural clay and instill a feeling of calm alertness and happiness and, by color theory, makes the blue hues bluer to our minds. And white increases the sensation of purity and enlightenment. We relax to the sounds and smell of rain, water, fountains and recorded sea waves.
In my next post I will explain how to create a nautical decor based on the characteristics I've outlined above. Stay tuned!
Central Golden Anchor Set
by Opus Posh
Why?
Just imagine the primitive times when humans wandered vast lands looking for a place to settle. The most important elements to find near a settlement would be shelter, - like caves or materials to build huts - food (edible plants and animals) and water. Even for short time stays, the primitive man probably chose most importantly, places with water, which is the element that they need the most and most frequently for survival.
Early human settlements and the greatest civilizations developed near the sea and large rivers. Rome grew around the Po, Mesopotamia grew between two large rivers (Tigris and Euphrates), the early Chinese civilization (near the Yellow River) etc. Even today, the largest most developed cities are near the sea or rivers; take for example, New York City, Tokyo, Lisbon and London, just to name a few.
The countries that, at one time, developed the faster and became the richest - Portugal, Spain, England - had strong naval forces that were able to go across the oceans and discover the new world.
Many religions across all cultures associate water with cleansing, clarity, new life, rebirth, purity, salvation and balance, probably a symbolism derived from earlier more primitive perspectives.
In a smaller time scale, even today, properties near the sea or rivers tend to have higher demand and, therefore, higher values and prices. We associate lakes, rivers and beaches with vacation, sharing with family and friends, fun and relaxation. Many seek to be in a distant beach for meditation and introspection, or even healing during after difficult life situations.
It is, therefore, very likely that, because of this ancient, intensely human experience and life-giving nature of water, we love surrounding ourselves with it, even indoors, where we spend most of the time now.
And all this is probably why nautical and coastal decor gives us the same sensation of relaxation, even if we live far away from large bodies of water.
Evoking water soothes our minds and souls. Blue is the predominant color in nautical and coastal decor, and it's known to be a soothing, calming color that evokes peace, reliability and stability. The color ochre in its variants (yellow, gold, etc) evoke the sand and natural clay and instill a feeling of calm alertness and happiness and, by color theory, makes the blue hues bluer to our minds. And white increases the sensation of purity and enlightenment. We relax to the sounds and smell of rain, water, fountains and recorded sea waves.
In my next post I will explain how to create a nautical decor based on the characteristics I've outlined above. Stay tuned!
Central Golden Anchor Set
by Opus Posh
If you'ld like to know more about why we as humans are attracted to water and benefit from its presence or even just its representation in art and our living spaces, you may be interested in this book, written by Wallace J. Nichols, a marine biologist:
Comments
Post a Comment