Prospect-Refuge

In August of 2010, my parents and I moved from Oregon to Tennessee. It took some time for us to get used to things in Tennessee, but once we found a house and got settled in it wasn’t so bad. The house was small, but peaceful it was located in the woods so not very many people were surrounding us. When we first moved in I was able to choose whatever room I wanted (my parents got the master bedroom of course). Once I picked what room I wanted I was so excited to decorate it in any way I thought possible. Previously, my sister and I shared a room, so I was never able to fully decorate a room for myself.

Small house in the woods (not my house, I wish)

Source

I arranged my room in a socio-petal type of way, to encourage interaction with my friends and family. I placed my bed on the wall farthest from the window. I did this because I am still able to see out the window, but I’m not too close for someone to see me. Also, from that wall I was able to look out my bedroom door and see all the way down the hallway to the back door; this gave me a since of security knowing I was able to see everything happening around me and my room.

Sketch of my bedroom

by Me

Another reason why I decided to arrange my room the way I did was for my cat. She loves to look outside the window and watch the birds or anything that happens to pass by. There was a little ledge on the window sill that she was able to perfectly sit on and look out. This provides the both of us prospect-refuge.  Prospect can be defined as an open environment whereas refuge can be defined as a closed environment. By having my room arranged the way I had it gave my cat and I a since of prospect-refuge because we were able to see everything that was happening around my room while being safe in my room.

Picture of my cat

Taken by Me

People like to be aware of their surroundings, but also like to stay secure in a certain area. The prospect-refuge theory was developed by Jay Appleton, a geographer. He purposed that humans review their surroundings to be able to view the world around them while staying in a secure place (basically hidden). This is very important for designers to remember. When designing it is always a good idea to provide a sort of prospect refuge in as many places as possible. That way people can feel secure in the space that is surrounding them.

Beautiful small home that's so elegant and enchanted looking | Cottage Love in 2018 | Pinterest | Cottage, House and Home. (2018, January 04). Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/124763852161263139/?lp=true

Prospect Refuge. (n.d.). Retrieved November 2, 2018, from http://people.sunyit.edu/~lepres/thesis/principles/193_pdfsam_POD.pdf