Designing Time

Abstract

This study explores how specific interior design attributes influence emotional responses and perception of time. Utilizing virtual reality (VR) to simulate controlled interior settings, the research focused on three interior environmental factors: surface color, visual movement, and auditory stimuli. Based on insights from existing literature, two distinct virtual environments were developed: one room featuring cool colors, an animated wall display, and music; the other incorporating warm colors, a static wall display, and ambient noise. Thirty-eight participants experienced both environments in randomized order. Emotional responses were assessed using a 7-point Likert scale based on Mehrabian and Russell’s Pleasure–Arousal–Dominance (PAD) model, alongside physiological measures of heart rate variability (HRV) and galvanic skin conductance (GSC) to triangulate self-reported emotional data. Results indicated that the environment with cool colors, motion, and music enhanced pleasure and dominance, while significantly shortening perceived time. In contrast, the environment with warm colors, static visuals, and ambient noise elicited higher arousal and was associated with longer perceptions of time. Among all factors, sound was perceived by participants as the most salient factor influencing their temporal experience. These findings provide empirical evidence that multisensory environmental stimuli shape both emotional responses and temporal perception, consistent with the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S–O–R) framework as a coherent structure for understanding the relationships among multisensory stimuli, emotional responses, and temporal perception, and offer practical insights for interior designers seeking to modulate emotional and temporal experiences in contexts where perceived time is critical.