Abstract
This review summarizes recent studies related to the property of “wood as a visual stimulus.” Warm colors, varied grain patterns, and mellow gloss are attractive surface features of wood, and have impacts on the psychological and physiological states of observers. On the basis of marketing researches which reveal the psychological structure of consumer “preference” for wood products, many studies done abroad indicate that surface appearance greatly affects preferences. On the other hand, in some Japanese researches the surface appearances of wood are computed quantitatively and the relations between such image characteristics and the psychological responses of human observers are examined. Furthermore, grain pattern generators, which can express any lumber surfaces using computer graphics, are developed to implement them in a product design system. The wooden interiors are constructed by various types of lumber and wood based materials. Experimental investigations which examine the visual effects of wooden interiors are shifting from the visual evaluation of interior photographs to measurements of psychological and physiological responses of subjects who are exposed to full-scale wooden interiors.
