Designology

How to Find Your Place Type & Align Your Life with Design - a book by Dr Sally Augustin

This book is not necessarily for the general public as it is more scientific in its approach and content, it might be a bit of 'dry' for those who are more interested in the 'fun' part of interior design. It feels more useful for someone like me, working in the interior design field with a 'penchant' for digging deeper of what is behind the different design and lifestyle choices made by different people.

However it is still a very interesting read for everyone who enjoys interior design and creating their own spaces, mainly because of the Place Type typology the book talk a lot about.

The book can be divided into two main sections:

The first one is a shorter explanation and introduction of environmental psychology. What it is and why it matters - basically it can help you can understand yourself, your environmental and design needs and choices and through this understanding you can take control of your physical world "to create spaces where you and your family and friends can live their best lives". It goes into the different elements as to how you can create the most ideal home for yourself, not only talking about the usual design element, such as colours, lightning, fabrics, etc., but also ones that are not so commonly discussed, like

The second part is a detailed description and explanation of the 8 Place Types - the Adventurer, the Guardian, the Maverick, the Dynamo, the Investigator, the Sage, the Maestro and the Maven. Even the names feel very intriguing :) This typology is basically a characterisation of how differently people relate to and define the space around themselves and what their 'innate' needs are in terms of design - why someone feels more attracted to an open-plan environment while someone else prefers more enclosed spaces.

There is a short and quick test in the book to figure out your own Place Type. Then it analyses the likes and dislikes of the different types room by room, how design-wise a certain room can support the needs of a certain Place Type.

What was a 'biggie' for me is the chapter about the scents and their impact and importance in our home environment. I just recently attended a 4 day long essential oil workshop and learnt about the archetypes and characters of the different oils - so I just wonder whether there could be any links between these Place Types and the characterisation of the oils - whether certain Place Type would feel drawn to certain essential oils based on the common characters.

I am actually fairly sure there is a link... :)

Anyway, it has just made me more keen on pursuing this holistic path of home design definitely incorporating both the Place Types and the essential oil characterisations into my services, especially into my design psychology coaching.

What is not so fortunate is that it is a soft cover book, but this is just my own personal preference liking books with hard cover. Also, I would have loved to read more about the gender differences, as well as the cultural and generational ones. They felt too short.

All in all, if you are someone who is looking for a more practical, science- and research-based information on how to design the best space for yourself and your family, if you want to understand why you feel drawn to certain elements of design and would like to bridge the differences between you and the people you live with, then this book is definitely a great tool to help.

Please note, this is an affiliate link which won't add to your cost, but will result in a small payment to me if you use it.

Happy Reading!

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Or have a look at here to see how I can help you.

And by all means download your beautiful gift, the Home Harmony Starter Kit, that will help you become more aware of your space and build a stronger connection with it.

Download it here.