Investigating the influence of olfactory stimuli on aesthetic pleasure evaluation in interiors

Current research on the relationship between interior design and aesthetic pleasure predominantly centers around the visual sense. Despite its undeniable significance, a noticeable gap exists in exploring the impact of secondary senses on interior aesthetic evaluations. This study specifically addresses the underexplored realm of olfaction due to existing limitations in the literature. The primary objective is to investigate whether triggering the olfactory sense, particularly through pleasant ambient scent, influences the evaluation of aesthetic pleasure in interiors. The research inclodes two phases. In the first phase, the aim is to translate the aesthetic pleasure in design (APID) scale into Turkish and incorporate it into the Turkish literature. APID scale is translated into Turkish, ensuring cultural relevance, reliability, and validity with 61 monolingual English participants and 98 Turkish participants. The results indicated that the translated scale is reliable to be applied in Turkish participants. In the second phase, the translated APID scale is used to assess and investigate the effects of participants' aesthetic pleasure of interiors with and without positive olfactory stimuli (Participant Number = 81). The participants evaluated the influence of olfactory stimuli by being in an actual interior and also by examining photographs of interiors. The study's results indicate two significant findings. First, people tend to find the interior more attractive when a positive ambient scent is present in real interiors. Second, including pleasant ambient scents in the surrounding environment could enhance the perceived originality of interior photographs. In conclusion, this study contributes to the evolving field of interior architecture by shedding light on the often-overlooked role of the olfactory sense in shaping aesthetic experiences. The findings highlight the importance of considering multisensory elements in design practices and encourage further research into creating environments that stimulate not only the visual sense but also the olfactory sense. This research lays a foundation for future work by encouraging a more holistic approach to interior design that prioritizes function and multisensory environments.