A Study on the Correlation between Residential Interior Decorating ElementPreferences and Emotional Experiences: Chinese Urban Millennials

Abstract

Given that people spend much of their time indoors, the impact of interior decorative elements (IDE) on mental well-being has garnered widespread attention. This study aims to investigate the influence of these elements on the emotional experiences and housing interior decoration preferences (HIDP) of China's urban millennials and explore the relationship between them. Using Virtual Reality (VR) technology, we recruited 40 Chinese urban students aged between 20 and 30, comprising 20 males and 20 females, to immerse themselves in four groups distinct interior design scenarios, encompassing four key design elements: styling contour, styling style, material brightness, and material texture. These IDE significantly affected their emotional experiences and HIDP.
Curved contour styling, style-less design, light-colored materials, and wood-grain textured materials were found to be more appealing in terms of emotional experiences. Furthermore, a correlation was observed between emotional experiences and HIDP, with scores of pleasure and nonarousal exerting a significant positive influence on four dimensions of HIDP. Conversely, displeasure significantly influenced the dimension of material texture negatively. This research provides crucial insights into how interior design impacts the emotional experiences and HIDP of China's urban millennials, offering practical value for real estate developers and interior designers. Additionally, the study underscores the effectiveness of VR as a tool for assessing responses to interior design.