Interior Designing: How to Improve the Aesthetics of Your House
Interest in aesthetics has always been a major matter for people all around the world. However, the popular concept of beauty was somewhat different in the past than it is now, and also varied from culture to culture. For example, what was believed to be beautiful in India might have been considered ugly in Egypt. But, things have changed nowadays. This is because the principles of beauty are almost the same everywhere in the world.
In this age of technology and modernity, looking good is people’s main concern. But, why are people so concerned about how they look? The answer is very simple. When you are beautiful, you feel much better. More than that, you are more confident and you have a better social life. Consequently, your self-esteem increases, helping you perform better at whatever it is you do.
Home Aesthetics
People are not only interested in looking good themselves; they also need to make their homes look beautiful. And, due to modern technology, this is not very hard to accomplish. So if you want to make your house look modern, all you need to pay attention to its interior design.
How to Make Your Space Beautiful
Some things to keep in mind:
- The type of furniture you choose;
- The way you place your furniture;
- The decorative items you buy;
- The way you arrange these objects;
- The color scheme;
- The contrasts you use.
It is highly important for you to choose nice, attractive interior items like furniture and decorative objects and to have them placed well. But try not to overcrowd your space. Keep in mind that sometimes, less is more.
The aesthetics of your house depends on two main things: the items you choose and the way you place them. Finding the right furniture and decorations for your home should not be a problem since manufacturers provide a wide variety of products for any taste. Remember that high-quality furniture placed correctly can make your space very attractive.
If you want to make your bedroom, living room or any other rooms in the house look brighter, you do not necessarily need to go for expensive methods. For example, you can opt for color contrasts between the curtains and walls. At the same time, the color scheme is very important when decorating a room. And do not forget about decorative items. They can add extra attractiveness to your space.
Obviously, feeling beautiful is important and having a beautiful home is even more important. There is no doubt that aesthetics plays an important role in each individual’s life because feeling beautiful and living in a beautiful house is essential for anyone to be happy.
General Information about Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of taste, beauty and art. Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, a German philosopher, was the first individual to define this term. More than that, he helped establish the study of this branch as a separate field of philosophy.
From a more scientific point of view, this term refers to the study of sensory values, often called judgments of taste or sentiment. Scholars also define it as the critical reflection of nature, culture and art.
It is to be noted that there are several categories in this field, such as music theory, film theory, literary theory and art theory.
Usage
This term can be used in two different ways: as a noun or as an adjective. When used as a noun, this word makes references to the senses. The artistic judgment of an individual is essential in defining his or her artistic taste. For example, someone who wears red clothes, drives a red vehicle and has his bedroom painted in the same color has particular or personal principles of beauty.
As an adjective, the main meaning of this term can be emphasized by comparing it to its antonym, which is anaesthetic.
Etymology
The word aesthetics comes from the Greek aisthetikos (αἰσθητικός), which means sensitive, aesthetic. At its turn, it is derived from aisthanomai (αἰσθάνομαι), meaning 'I feel, I sense, I perceive.' As mentioned above, this term was established with the new meaning by the German philosopher Alexander Baumgarten in 1735.
History
The aesthetic doctrines behind the production and interpretation of art in prehistoric times are not known. However, ancient art was largely based in several ancient civilizations:
- Egyptian
- Mesopotamian
- Persian
- Greek
- Chinese
- Roman
- Indian
- Celtic
- Mayan
Philosophy of Art
Some scholars consider that the term 'aesthetics' is synonymous with the term 'philosophy of art,' while others strongly believe that there is a big difference between these two fields.
On the one hand, aesthetic judgment makes reference to the appreciation or contemplation of an object, which does not necessarily need to be an art object. On the other hand, the philosophy of art deals with the criticism, appreciation and recognition of works of art.
As compared to the philosophy of art, aesthetics does not deal only with the value and the nature of art, but also with our responses to any object that can be described as ugly or beautiful.
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of art and how people experience it. It developed during the 18th century, when many philosophers categorized disciplines such as music, sculpture, dance and poetry into their own individual groups. They also categorized all arts of this type into one group and called them fine arts.
However, philosophers said that this was not enough to explain beauty. Although beauty has rational characteristics such as proportion, order and symmetry, it is an experience that can be fully understood only in consideration of human feelings such as rage, joy and pleasure.
What Is Art?
Art is one of the deepest and most intense expressions of human creativity. Although defining art is hard, it is even harder to evaluate it. This is because each artist has his or her own rules and perceptions. However, many scholars believe that art is a way of artistic knowledge.
Art can fall into several categories, including:
- Painting
- Photography
- Literature
- Music
- Theatre
- Dance
- Music
- Film
- Sculpture
- Printmaking
- Architecture.
Arts and Aesthetics
As mentioned above, art is how different individuals in different classes, ethnic groups and races enlarge their experiences and enlarge the beauty of life in their social groups. Fine arts are arts that were created for aesthetic and intellectual purposes and they are judged for what they express.
To understand better, we can talk about art when an artist produces an exciting or interesting experience or when he or she creates a beautiful piece of work that deserves to be artistically appreciated.
A work of jewelry or literature can become a fine art if it has aesthetic value. This means that it has to be more than useful; it has to be an expression of beauty. In poetry, the use of metaphor, which is a synthesis of two or more different images, is essential because it is able to enhance our perceptive abilities.
It is to be noted that there is a strong relationship between arts and aesthetics. We cannot talk about art without taking this branch of philosophy into account. The philosophy of art is considered a synonym to aesthetics by many scholars. However, others do not agree with that and state that there is a significant difference between them.
Since art pertains to the human senses, it is not related or connected with any political or moral purpose; it is created to activate our feelings, tastes, etc. Therefore, in aesthetics, art can be perceived as action or knowledge.
Aesthetics play an important role in our lives, and the best proof in this sense is that we do everything in our power to maintain ourselves young and healthy. If, in the past, this was quite difficult, because there were few resources and solutions available, things have changed a lot nowadays due to the numerous discoveries in medicine, biochemistry, biology and pharmacology.
The Human Form in Art
The representation of the human form or human figure in art is the result of studying and interpreting the beauty of the human body. The body is studied in all its postures (sleeping, standing and sitting) and movements (dancing, running, walking, bending), its form being the one most artists try to recreate and emphasize.
Immanuel Kant referred to the human figure as the ideal of beauty. The human figure has always been one of the most popular themes in visual arts. In fact, most arts pay a special attention to the human body.
Some of these arts are:
- Sculpture and painting, focusing on the form and expression of the body and figure;
- Literature, using the body and figure to portray the psychological profile of the characters or praising their beauty in poetry;
- Dance, blending the grace and dynamic of the human body with sound and music.
Human Body and Beauty
As mentioned above, the outstanding progress, the development of innovative techniques and procedures allowing the remodeling of our bodies and faces have made beauty an attainable dream for more and more people. Every year, the demand for these procedures and techniques increases considerably. Recent statistics show that the industry of medical aesthetics has reached billions of dollars.
There are two main remodeling solutions available on the market nowadays: surgical and non-surgical. Most people go for non-surgical methods to maintain themselves young and healthy, while others choose the second option due to the visible and faster results it offers.
Facial Remodeling
The face is one of our greatest concerns as far as aesthetics are concerned, because it determines the impression we make on the people around us, it shows our age and it influences our self confidence.
Some of the most common solutions for facial remodeling include:
- Cosmetic products;
- Special techniques for cleaning and maintaining the skin (exfoliation and gumming lotions);
- Chemical peeling;
- Facial mesotherapy;
- Mezobotox and mezolifting;
- Erasing facial wrinkles with injections based on the botulinum toxin and fillers (endogenous fat, hyaluronic acid, etc.);
- Facial reshaping techniques using low energy: radio frequency and light lasers.
Body Remodeling
Generally, these techniques are used for reducing fat deposits and cellulites, wrinkles and other skin problems. The most popular are:
- Mesotherapy;
- Dermabrasion (cosmetic dermabrasion and therapeutic dermabrasion).
All these procedures and techniques have one main purpose: to help us look better. You may argue that looks is not everything, that it is the soul that matters, but the truth is that we leave in a world ruled by aesthetics, where everything that is beautiful sells.
Trauma is a human experience, which is believed to be more than a human mind can bear and this kind of psychological overwhelming can be caused by various acts of nature or man. The parasympathetic nervous system freezes the response during the extreme danger experience. Usually the normal psychological state is restored after the shock or extreme danger experience has passed but when the parasympathetic nervous system does not return to its normal state, human being becomes immobile. Trauma therapy does not mean to treat or help escaping from trauma; it actually help to provide psychological potential or ability to overcome Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and traumatic experience. Therapist usually tries to relive patients from the after effects of trauma.
Every one may not experience the persistent of post traumatic syndrome, as most of the cases the after effects of trauma disappear automatically after few weeks or months in certain positive circumstances. But in some cases few patients need careful treatments, as they cannot get out from the aftereffects. Depending on the intensity of traumatic experience, PTSD is classified into two stages- acute and chronic. Which kind of therapy should be applied is usually depends on some physical signs- rapid breathing, startled look, increased heart rate, quick body movements and vocal constriction. As, it is a state of psychology psychotherapist can provide the best treatment to recover but the psychotherapist must have handful experience of trauma treatment to serve the result. It is important to identify the post traumatic symptoms to start an ideal or respective therapy.
Dr. Peter Levine developed somatic experiencing, which actually catches body experiences in different levels and reprogram it to take the body out of the trauma state. Body working is another recognized trauma therapy, as body working helps to stimulate the healing process and make a safe discharge of trauma. In many cases psychotherapists try to investigate the background of patient in order to decide the proper healing process. In this case the patient should talk to the therapist before starting any therapy. The therapist provides a safe heaven, in which the patient can recollect beautiful memories and thus the patient quietly passes into a comfortable zone. Talk and touch therapy together, show the best result but must be from the experience therapist. An experienced therapist usually approaches to the therapy through three stages. He first tries to deal with the changing emotional responses, and then identifies how the altered responses affect the behavior; finally tries to reduce the negative emotional aspects by getting the response in acceptable level. Different therapists follow different models of therapy but one should be careful of choosing a therapist, as a wrong step can make the psychological state of post traumatic stress disorder more complex and ever lasting.
Critics often use the word “aesthetics” to describe or in a comprehensive view to analyze the beauty that lies in a particular art. Most of the people carry the misconception about the meaning of aesthetics by associating it only with arts and artists and they consider the term as a dignified degree. But actually defining the subject matter of aesthetics is difficult, as every task or activity has its own aesthetic value. All our reactions or acceptances, even our preferences and fancies seem to depend on our aesthetic tastes. Although, aesthetic has its own profound descriptive philosophical variations, in modern sense, it points the branch of philosophy that deals with the taste, art and beauty. In a broader view it also takes the concern of each thing, which plays with the things that appeals to the senses, though every culture and civilization has its own conception about aesthetics depending on the religious notions.
In 1735, Alexander Baumgarten first attributed the term “aesthetics” in modern sense. The word “aesthetic” came from the Greek word “Aisthetikos”(sentient, sense of perception), which was derived from the word “aisthanomai”(sense). Traditionally Aesthetics was being used to mean philosophical pursuits. German philosopher Immanunuel Kant gave this term the explicit aspect. So, it can be said that the acceptance of aesthetics in various usable definitions have flourished in 18th century.
Keeping aside the term used by philosophers, aesthetic has more useful values to describe anything in nature, which appeals to our sense. Philosophical overview outline that aesthetically sufficient things do not mean to appeal everyone. The term aesthetic can significantly be applied to anything seen beautiful from any aspect or any point of view. Though aesthetic is very much related to art but it does not mean whenever we discuss about an art, we are discussing about the aesthetics. It is the psychological barriers that limit our thinking. Apart from the beauty or ugly, aesthetic points our view to the political and moral experiences. Every civilization depicts its own aesthetic values whether it is subversive or not. An art may serve its aesthetics to some prophets but at the same time it may not have the acceptance to others. On the other hand, same aesthetic experience can give several paradoxical conceptions. We, the common people experience or observe a thing through our intellectuality, which gives the actual conceptual content and that is why, some times an art or creation loses its aesthetical reality. The power of imagination along with the experiences gives the aesthetical outline. So finally, it must be said that, when an art or creation holds some aesthetical values, it does not supply the way of charm sometimes. When some one describes that he have had an aesthetic experience, then he must have gone through a charming and sensational experience.