Guest Bedroom

Besides the first two types of bedrooms (e.g., master bedroom and child bedroom), a gues<sup>t</sup> room generally indicates a bedroom in a house for visitors or guests to stay and sleep in, attached to the domestic setting's public zone. Graham et al. also described the psychological ambiance of gues<sup>t</sup> rooms. According to the authors, an inviting approach is the primary psychological ambiance of this particular space. Comfort, relaxation, attachment and convenience are other prominent and frequent psychological aspects of gues<sup>t</sup> rooms [9]. According to the literature, a comfortable bed and functional furniture layout for closets and luggage are an essential part of a gues<sup>t</sup> room to ensure gues<sup>t</sup> comfort and privacy. Convenient power outlets, that can be reached without moving furniture around and easy access to the toilet are other significant issues in designing a gues<sup>t</sup> bedroom. It is essential to have easy access to enough light in a gues<sup>t</sup> bedroom during nighttime, such as bedside lighting to read and flexible space layout, especially for older guests [7,9,66]. The overall relationship between spatial and environmental design factors of the gues<sup>t</sup> bedroom is illustrated in Figure 10.

**Figure 10.** Relationship between spatial and environmental factors of gues<sup>t</sup> bedroom. (Illustration: Author, based on the literature).

#### 4.1.6. Bathing and Toilet

Bathing and toilet are the most private areas in a house. According to Alexander, this space is one of the most prominent functional rooms for its size and quality [34]. Amerigo et al. mentioned that an indoor toilet is the extreme design objective of residential excellence for specific cultures and socioeconomic levels [30]. In a high-density domestic setting, the quality, number and location of indoor toilets influence occupants' behavior, choice and freedom because of different situational contexts such as crowdedness, limited resources and usability [12].

Several studies found that increased privacy and cleanliness are the most vital human spatial factors for occupants' health and wellbeing in bathroom settings, where there is always a gender effect [73]. Suitable bathroom and toilet facilities are related to high levels of unhappiness and depression after changes in gender, marital status, age, engagemen<sup>t</sup> and migratory conditions [63]. Many studies found that occupant panic disorder increases due to a lack of proper toilet facilities in the living area [38]. According to Graham et al., privacy, relaxation and rejuvenation are the prominent psychological ambiances for bathing and toilet, whereas an inviting approach and quietness are also preferred by the inhabitants [9].

Bathrooms are essential for individual hygiene, mainly at the start and end of the day. Residents become restless if the toilet is inadequate and unhygienic. This situation creates anxiety, panic disorder and depression regarding the occupants' safety and personal privacy, especially in a crowded domestic environment [38]. According to UK GBC, avoiding moisture, pollutant and mold growth are essential issues when developing good

indoor quality for bathing and toilet [56]. Cho et al. identified a strong psychological need for window ventilation in the bathroom to enhance the occupants' indoor quality [60]. Hendrassukma emphasised that color and lighting design issues are essential to improving the comfortable atmosphere in the bathroom. According to the author, the occupants need a relaxed, comfortable and safe atmosphere in the bathroom. Color preferences in the bathroom can improve the impression of calm, freshness and cleanliness. In that case, the author suggested a white color choice for a bathroom to enhance the impression of cleanliness and purity. The combination of white with other cool colors also makes the occupant feel relaxed and peaceful after bathing.

However, a bathroom should have sufficient indoor lighting to reduce the room's moisture and prevent risk caused by a darkened room [45]. Madsen further explained that a bathroom is a place where people should have a degree of privacy. The author also emphasised insulation, floor quality and heating systems to provide a high degree of comfort in the bathroom setting. Therefore, occupants may wear slippers for safety issues [44]. Mridha mentioned that bathroom size is a dominant predictor of occupants' satisfaction at present [57]. Several studies focus on accessibility and aesthetic beauty for bathrooms, which indicates the prominent need and demand among occupants for new built and modifications or renovations, where fixtures, functional layout, usability and greening for purification and relaxation need to be considered in detail in the design process [26,74]. The overall relationship is illustrated in Figure 11.

**Figure 11.** Relationship between spatial and environmental factors of bathing and toilet. (Illustration: Author, based on the literature).

4.1.7. Study and Work Space

The occupant needs a disturbance-free space, with self-regulating individual noise, for working, learning and reading in a domestic setting. Without such a space for study, it may generate stress reactions and negative psychological emotions may be generated in the occupants. In a high-density domestic environment, living and other rooms can be utilised for this purpose with an interval according to the occupants' preferences [12]. According to several studies, privacy, relaxation, functionality and creativity are the main human psychological ambiances for this particular space [9,56]. Consequently, numerous studies related to the home office identified that feeling comfortable when working from home is the occupants' primary concern, as is a noiseless working zone with a comfortable furniture arrangemen<sup>t</sup> [44]. Ceiling height has an influential role in social engagemen<sup>t</sup> and impacts human focus ability [75]. Research findings noticed that when occupants reside in a room or space with low ceilings, they perform better on focused works, such

as reading and studying. In contrast, high ceilings encourage imaginative thinking and influence social gatherings [8,56]. A recent study investigated ceiling height's impact on occupants' aesthetic perceptions and activity; spaces with high ceilings have higher aesthetic attractiveness scores than low height spaces [75].

Moreover, in the present pandemic (COVID-19) period, scenarios have changed. People now need to finish all office activities sitting at home. At present, the working environment inside the house and people's psychological relationship with it are critical when designing a domestic setting. Studies have shown that having an indoor green space enhances positive emotions for the occupants, particularly those who have socioeconomic constraints [76]. Insufficient indoor lighting levels, a variation in wall colors, noise and other physical environmental ambient properties stimulate mental stress by changing people's circadian rhythms and troublesome work cycles [27]. Besides these, indoor air pollution, excessive temperature and lack of ventilation also negatively impact human efficiency [1,2,77]. The overall relationship is illustrated in Figure 12.

**Figure 12.** Relationship between spatial and environmental factors of study and working space. (Illustration: Author, based on literature).
