The Language of Awe in Design: How to Evoke Wonder in Your Home
Awe is often thought of as rare—as something reserved for mountaintops, starry skies, or ancient temples. But what if we could design awe into our daily lives? What if our homes, shops, studios, or waiting rooms could invite us into stillness, wonder, and reverence?
According to Dr. Dacher Keltner, psychologist and author of Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder, awe “stretches your sense of time, enhances your creativity, and promotes connection with others.” It also downregulates the default mode network—the part of your brain associated with self-referential thought—making you feel smaller, yes, but also more at peace.
In other words, awe isn’t just poetic. It’s deeply neurological.
1. Vaulted Ceilings and Vertical Elevation: Heightening Perception
Across cultures and centuries, sacred spaces—from Gothic cathedrals to Shinto shrines—have used height to induce awe.
Tall ceilings and vertical lines elevate the gaze, creating a sense of openness and release. Neuroscientific research suggests vertical space activates the superior parietal lobule, associated with spatial awareness and self-transcendence. This can temporarily reduce anxiety and hypervigilance.
“The sun never knew how great it was until it hit the side of a building.” — Louis Kahn
Design Techniques
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Use high, sloped, or reflective ceilings to exaggerate verticality.
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If structural height isn’t possible, incorporate uplighting, tall shelving, or indoor trees to lift the gaze.
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In smaller homes, elements like arched doorways or vertical panelling can evoke the same feeling.
For more on how architecture shapes emotional experience, see The Psychology of Home: Why Your Space Affects Your Mood.
2. Stillness and Minimalism: The Sacred in Simplicity
Awe often arises in silence—in a still lake or an empty sanctuary. Neuroaesthetic studies show that stillness fosters alpha wave dominance, supporting introspection, lowered heart rate, and emotional regulation.
Minimalist interiors with negative space echo this effect. The absence of clutter makes room for presence.
“In it, space has been compressed, time has been suspended.” — Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space
Design Techniques
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Let empty space be a gesture of calm, not an absence.
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Choose fewer, larger decor pieces to create visual rest.
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Limit sensory input with soft, low-saturation colours and gentle textures.
Discover more on the healing power of simplicity in Designing a Spa-Like Bathroom Through Neuroaesthetics.
3. Dramatic Contrast: Playing with Light and Shadow
Awe thrives in contrast—light against dark, stillness against movement. High contrast engages the locus coeruleus, which boosts attention and emotion in the presence of beauty or novelty.
Peter Zumthor designs with this in mind, using deep shadows and focused light to craft spaces that feel sacred.
Design Techniques
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Use spot lighting, lanterns, or skylights to create theatre.
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Filter light through sheer curtains, slats, or dappled foliage for shimmer and movement.
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Combine contrasting materials like rough stone and polished brass, or linen and glass.
To explore how natural light affects circadian health and mood, read Light as a Language: How Natural Light Shapes Mood and Rhythm.
4. Scale and Proportion: Evoking the Sublime
Awe often emerges from a sense of scale—from being small in the presence of something vast. Monumental architecture achieves this through towering structures and grand forms.
Even in homes, superscale elements—like oversized pendant lights or expansive artwork—can replicate this effect.
Research on sequoias shows awe-inspiring scale can reduce rumination and increase prosocial behaviour.
Design Techniques
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Choose a hero element that commands attention—an oversized mirror, sculpture, or light fixture.
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Use vertical plants (like Italian cypress or giant bamboo) in gardens to play with scale.
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Anchor spaces with large items and vary the proportions of surrounding decor to support visual harmony.
Explore more ideas for balancing size, mood, and material in A Room-by-Room Guide to Quiet, Grounded Luxury.
5. Pattern and Repetition: A Sense of the Infinite
Fractal geometry in nature and sacred architecture triggers a sense of awe through rhythmic repetition. Repeating motifs—like mandalas or Islamic tilework—engage the visual cortex and convey divine order.
Design Techniques
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Use geometric wallpaper, textiles, or carved patterns to bring rhythm into a space.
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Integrate organic fractals like ferns, shells, or snowflakes into your decor.
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Layer repeating shapes in subtle ways to calm and organise visual flow.
For more on the healing impact of visual harmony, visit Beauty as a Biological Need: Why Visual Harmony Heals.
6. The Role of Nature: Awe in Living Form
Nature remains one of the most consistent sources of awe. A single bloom, a mossy stone, or a majestic tree can evoke reverence.
Nature exposure improves vagal tone, boosts heart rate variability, and helps regulate stress—especially when integrated intentionally into our environments.
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” — Frank Lloyd Wright
Design Techniques
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Introduce awe-inducing plants like Strelitzia, Monstera, or Tillandsia xerographica.
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Embrace raw materials like travertine, linen, or solid timber with natural imperfections.
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Frame views to invite wonder—a curated garden window, a living wall, or a meditative shelf.
For more on biophilia and its calming effects, explore 20 Psychology-Backed Ideas for a Feel-Good Home.
Conclusion: Designing Awe into Everyday Life
To design for awe is to design for something deeper than trends or function. It is to ask: Can this space move me?
In a world obsessed with optimisation, awe reminds us of the sacred. It softens our focus, deepens our breath, and reconnects us to meaning.
You don’t need a cathedral.
You need intention.
You need contrast, stillness, and something larger than yourself.
You need beauty designed to whisper:
You are small, and you belong.
