Press: ASID

June,1996
Designing Sacred Space
Designer As Healer

Victoria Stone, M.P.H., Allied Member ASID

What comes to mind when we consider the idea of designing sacred space? For many it is associated with the religious realm. A soaring cathedral ceiling, an exquisitely lit altar and beautifully designed stained glass windows. An interesting and perhaps limited specialty for an interior designer you might say. But what if we expand our definition of sacred space? As our lives become increasingly busy and over scheduled with various activities and obligations, having environments that nurture and support our emotional and spiritual well being is becoming something more of us, and our clients, are wanting and needing. Rather than being a limited niche, designing sacred space is something that is a possibility for all interior designers. It is also an opportunity for us to make a significant contribution to the health and healing of our community.

Thinking about the home or workplace as an appropriate environment for contemplation of the sacred is not necessarily a new idea. The belief that we can experience the sacred in the most ordinary places is something many of us hold to be true. And yet Most Of us don't experience a sense of sacredness as we go about our daily lives. We need to re-think how we design our interior environments if we are to experience the sacred there. As interior designers we have the ability to transform people's lives through the changes we make in their environments. By designing spaces which recognize, support, enhance and perhaps even liberate the sacred from our modern day existence we can create a sense of harmony and balance in homes, workplaces and health care environments that inspires a connection with the sacred and contributes to our health and healing.

So how can we all create sacred space and contribute to the health and healing of our clients and the community? The philosopher Mircea Eliade said, "A manifestation of the sacred is always a revelation of being." Designing sacred space involves creating opportunities in Our environment to pause and reflect on our lives in the context of something greater than ourselves be it family, community, nature or even our connection to the universe.

One of the ways we have been removed from a sense of sacredness in our everyday lives is through our isolation from nature and its natural cycles. We have lost touch with the basis from which our sense of the sacred is derived. We have air conditioning to cool our homes on hot summer days and heaters to warm us on cold winter nights. While few would dispute the necessity of this technology and the many benefits derived from it, it does take a toll in terms of distancing us from our relationship to nature and its cycles which support and nurture our spirit. The same holds true for manmade materials. While we would all agree that synthetic fibers and materials have enabled us to manufacture durable and functional furnishings, it is natural materials such as wood, stone and wool that bring us back in touch with nature and the contribution it makes in our lives.

We can enhance our relationship with nature and bring the sacred into our environments by creating a special place to recognize and honor the seasons and life cycles. In the Japanese home it is common to find an alcove called a tokanoma where a scroll and seasonal flower arrangement is displayed. This is not a stagnant display, but is changed with the seasons or family celebration. It serves as a reminder that change is a natural and positive process of life.

Surrounding ourselves with images and objects that have personal meaning can also reinforce the sacredness of everyday life. Symbolic images and objects transform the ordinary into the sacred by reminding us of our past and reaffirming our place in the world. By incorporating into a kitchen or bath design the tile a client purchased on a memorable trip to Spain, we can create an opportunity for them to pause during the day and reflect on their life experiences and relationships.

The shapes of the rooms and other objects that have personal meaning for us brings a sense of the sacred. The circle is a universal symbol of unity and wholeness and has been representative of heaven and the universe. The circle is therefore an important image of the sacred which resonates with us on a very deep level. Most of us spend all our time living and working in square spaces. The square is symbolic of the physical/ material world. Designs that allow some time outside of our traditional square spaces could be good for the soul.

A quiet retreat and place for renewal is another kind of sacred space. We are so busy meeting other's needs (boss, spouse, children, family) that most of us forget to create a time in our day to spend with ourselves and regenerate. We need some time to not do anything and just let ourselves be. This retreat is a true healing environment, a place that physically supports being quiet and reconnecting with ourselves. This space should nurture all the senses for it is through the stimulation of our sense of vision, touch, sound and smell that our inner most feeling emerge and can be healed.

Designing sacred space does not require a designer to have any special skills, only a special intention. That intention is to design spaces that support and nurture our connection to something greater than ourselves be it our family, community or the universe. In designing sacred spaces we contribute to recovering a memory of our most basic connection to the environment and help cultivate a sense of harmony and balance with all of our surroundings which is the foundation for healing not only ourselves but the planet.

If you would like to print this information,click here and choose print.
Return to the Press page

Contact: info@stonecircledesign.com
StoneCircle • http://www.stonecircledesign.com