If you’re redecorating an office, clinic, or commercial space.

You already suspect the space affects the people in it. The research backs that up. A University of Exeter study found employees in offices enriched with art and greenery were up to 32% more productive than those in stripped-down spaces, with the largest gains when employees had a say in what was chosen.¹ A separate survey found 61% of workers said artwork made their workplace feel more welcoming, and half said it directly improved their productivity.² In healthcare settings the effect is even better documented: Roger Ulrich’s research found patients with access to natural, non-abstract art needed less pain medication, had shorter stays, and reported higher satisfaction with their care.³ The mechanism is the same one architects reach for with biophilic design — a textured, organic, non-uniform surface reads to the nervous system as a small dose of nature, even indoors, and that shows up in stress hormones, attention, and mood.⁴

For a commercial or clinical space, the art isn’t decoration added after the design decision. It’s part of what the space is already doing for the people inside it — patients, clients, residents, employees.