Hierarchy of needs
Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) was an American psychologist who is best known for his theory of the “Hierarchy of needs”.
His theory was that as humans we have a set of levels or stages of requirements which we must fulfil in order to achieve fulfilment. This is often represented as a pyramid diagram as shown below.
Maslow believed that as we become secure in each level of needs, we will feel a desire and motivation to achieve the next, and that by not fulfilling each level in turn we are limiting our ability to achieve the next.
Starting at the bottom of the pyramid with physiological needs: these are the basic needs of our bodies to survive (food, water, warmth, rest). Next is safety: that we are not under physical threat, and also that the previously mentioned survival requirements will be met in the future. These can be considered basic needs, in that they relate to the physical body and survival.
Above the basic needs are the psychological needs beginning with belonging or social needs: feeling part of a community whether that be family, friends, or romantic partner. Above that is esteem needs: your standing within your community, being recognised and respected. These psychological needs speak to how we relate to others, and how we see ourself as part of a community.
At the top of Maslow's pyramid is “Self-Actualisation” which is what we might also refer to as fulfilling your potential, and varies in definition from person to person. Some examples might be pursuit of a career, raising children, succeeding in sport, or practicing a creative talent.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs has had its ups and downs in popularity, there are certainly flaws in such a generalised and simplified view of human motivation, not least that many human needs don't neatly fit into a single category, but stretch across a few. However, I do think it can be a useful template when considering good design in the home.
We can firstly consider the pyramid as it stands, in terms of how our homes can help us achieve each level.
Starting with our basic needs: a home must be dry, warm, and protect us from intruders, as well as allowing us to rest, eat and drink, and stay clean.
With reference to the psychological needs, feeling able to accommodate family members, and invite over friends. This could also start to address personalisation, as we may feel proud of our home and good about ourselves if visitors are impressed with how we have chosen to style our home.
The final stage of self-actualisation would be when our home is somewhere we love, where we feel our best, and when it helps us to be the best version of ourselves.
I feel that looking at Maslow’s pyramid in such a direct comparison leaves some gaps as to exactly how we can achieve the level of “Self-actualisation” in the home, and so I have created my own version below, considering the pyramid from the point of view of the home its self rather than a human.
The top of the pyramid would be the maximum enjoyment of our home, which is where we want to get to, but what levels of hierarchy do we need to achieve in order to get there?
First of all we need a physical structure. Ancient humans lived in caves and something as simple as this should suffice in terms of shelter. We'll add some partitions to divide our cave into separate rooms, and doors and windows for access and light. Our cave would protect us from the elements and intruders, but in modern times most of us would not consider this our dream home.
Next up is function. In order to improve our cave perhaps we could add an electricity supply so that we can illuminate the inside our cave, a water supply for drinking and washing, and a gas supply for heating. We would have storage for tools, clothing, and food, and basic appliances for cooking and washing, as well as a soft area for sleeping. We could now easily survive in this cave all year round, however it is still far from most people's vision of a perfect home.
The next level is furnishing. At this stage we can start to think about enjoyment of the space rather than just functionality. Items of furniture serve a purpose but can also be beautiful or luxurious or fun. We might also bring in items relating to our hobbies such as books or musical instruments.
This is starting to feel like a nice home, but we can do more!
Decoration is the last stage before we can fully enjoy our home. We might choose to add some colour to the walls, bring nature indoors with pot plants, display photographs of our friends and family, or add statement pieces of furniture. This is the time to express our personality and have some fun.
This might all seem very obvious but the reason I think it's so helpful is that it forces us to take a step back to work out what it is exactly which might be stopping us from enjoying our homes. It's very easy to go out and buy something pretty and hope that it will improve our home, but in reality, if something further down the list is causing us problems, no amount of decoration will help us to love our home.
Of course there are plenty of people who follow the philosophy of “form before function” who would strongly disagree with what I've said above, but this is my approach and I believe it to be the most beneficial for the majority of people.
When considering maintenance and home improvement we can also apply Maslow's pyramid. It will improve the quality of your home to a much greater degree to fix issues with the functionality of the space first, rather than beginning with furnishing or decoration.
Of course not everybody has the freedom to make changes to the structure of their home, for renters it is not within their control, and for many homeowners the expense and upheaval of major renovations would not be acceptable. There are, however, many smaller interventions which can make a huge difference to the functionality of a space without affecting the building structure.
I've outlined a couple of examples below to show how my adaptation of Maslow's pyramid can be put into practice.
Example 1:
The client was feeling overwhelmed by keeping on top of tidying and cleaning their home while working long hours.
The bathroom was cluttered with products meaning that the surfaces were difficult to clean without moving items around. The bath towels were hung on the back of the door and didn't dry properly in the winter.
The kitchen cupboards were overly full and jumbled, meaning that many items remained out on the work surface making it difficult to wipe down, and meaning that these items often got splashed with cooking oil.
The bedroom often had clothes on the floor when the laundry basket was full. Piles of clean clothes ready to be put away would often get mixed up with dirty or “partly worn” clothes.
Solution:
We went through each of the products in the bathroom, deciding which were in use. Anything which was long out of date or dried up was thrown away, and several excess unused items were donated to a women's shelter.
We installed a wall mounted cabinet to contain cleaning products and toilet rolls, and arranged the remaining products in containers so that surfaces could be easily wiped down without moving each product individually.
We installed a heated towel radiator so that the towels are always warm and dry ready to be used.
The client is now able to have a relaxing bath before bed, which has improved their quality of sleep and meant that they have more energy to tackle challenges at work.We sorted through the kitchen cupboards, throwing away expired food and donating excess mugs, pots, and utensils to a local charity shop. We installed some simple mechanisms inside the cabinets to organise their spice collection and pots and pans.
There is now space for everything to be neatly stored away inside the cupboards, meaning that it is simple to wipe down the worktop.
The calm kitchen space has reignited the client's love of cooking, meaning that they are spending less money on take-aways.We sorted through the client's clothes, donating some to charity and selling some on ebay. We installed some simple storage systems in the wardrobe to help with space maximisation, and bought a valet stand for partly worn clothes.
Now that there is more space in the wardrobe, putting away clean clothes is a much simpler task and is done straight away. The valet stand helps to keep partly worn clothes off the floor, meaning the room feels much more spacious and relaxing.
The client rediscovered some clothes they had forgotten about and find it much easier to choose an outfit in the morning without having to sift through clothing they no longer wear.
Example 2:
The clients had a lovely large living room with a fireplace and bay window, the space was beautiful but they had a couple of issues using the space:
It quickly became messy with their son's toys and coffee mugs.
The door was in the corner of the room and hinged so as to open into the room rather than flat against the wall (meaning that you would have to open it past 90 degrees and then squeeze between it and the sofa)
The ceiling light was too dim to light the whole room, meaning that it felt gloomy in the evenings.
The low morning sun shone through the window at an angle which would dazzle anyone sitting on the sofa. This often meant that the curtains remained closed during the day, depriving the space of natural light.
Solution:
We added tall storage units either side of the chimney breast to contain all of the toys and books. This meant no more stepping over toys on the floor, and a clear coffee table meant that used coffee mugs were no longer lost in the clutter, and were more likely to be taken back to the kitchen.
We switched the door hinges to the other side, meaning that the door opened flat against the wall allowing easier access to the room. This also meant moving the light switch (which was the reason the door had been hung in this way in the first place) and as part of this electrical work we added a switched lamp socket and lighting within the storage units. The room now has a warm glow of light in the evening, and switching from the main wall switch means it is convenient to control.
We applied a frosted film to some of the windows which still allowed for a view out, but diffused the dazzling morning sun.
Just as in Maslow’s pyramid, the top level, and ultimate goal is the most important. Self-actualisation is the process of personal growth, finding meaning through exploring our talents and beliefs, and becoming the best possible versions of ourselves.
In order to do this, Maslow believed that it is vital that we first address the needs of our body and mind, to be healthy and happy, and I truly believe that there is no better place to start this than in the home.
References:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Maslow%27s_Hierarchy_of_Needs.jpg
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23902918
