Joyful summary

The current trend in house design is for minimalism – the belief that less is more. You’ve no doubt seen those empty or orderly spaces whose only features are simple, monochromatic shapes.

Unfortunately, minimalism can be a bit repressive; it can hardly be called a conduit for joy. Follow minimalism to its obvious conclusion and you’ll find yourself living in an empty granite cube, save for a bare light bulb and a sleeping bag.

No doubt you still remember that feeling you had as a child: you decided to pack a little bag and head off into the woods or along a path. What pushed you on was the feeling of freedom and the desire for the open road.

Such feelings are not a thing of the past. You can actually create that freedom within your own home. It just takes a bit of design know-how.

Feng Shui gets a bad rap these days; perhaps you already feel a tide of skepticism rising at the very mention of the term. But it needn’t be like that.

In essence, it’s just a Chinese philosophy that guides people on how best to arrange rooms in order to, for example, get sounder sleep.

There’s a rare feeling of pure elation that can descend in moments when you are able to let go and allow yourself to succumb to pure joy. For Lee, that occurred most memorably while on holiday in the Galapagos Islands. She found herself playing with a sea lion. It would speed toward her under the water, and then, at the last moment possible, swerve away to avoid colliding with her.

It may seem a stretch, but it is also crucial to incorporate playfulness into design. Simply put, playful design increases joy.

Imagine that you’re lined up to give an important presentation at an office meeting. Everybody has come in, dressed to impress, their faces serious. You feel yourself begin to sweat nervously.

Then, you spot a burst of color. One of the head honchos has come striding in, his rainbow-colored socks peeking out from above his shoes.

Every October in New Mexico, the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is held. Thousands of colorful balloons, large and small, are released into the heavens. The spectacle is a sight to behold.

It’s easy to overlook, but displays of this kind that are actually essential, since experiences of awe play an important part in evoking joy.

Every day in New York, a tour bus takes visitors to famous sites around the city, from Little Italy to Times Square.

But there is one location that is guaranteed to elicit the most joy. It’s City Hall, where couples go to get married and celebrate with their family and friends.