Visual Experience of Space: Relating Textual Descriptions of Perceived Atmosphere to Luminance Contrast Metrics

This exploratory study investigates the quantifiable relationship between image properties and the aesthetic perception of indoor environments, focusing on luminance contrast, light, form, and material variations. A diverse image set of everyday spaces was curated, and a comprehensive list of atmosphere descriptors was developed from lighting literature. Using pixel value distribution analysis, images were classified by luminance contrast, and 24 participants evaluated 15 images using 54 Turkish atmosphere adjectives on a 5-point semantic differential scale. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the responses revealed three components based on 43 adjectives related to perceived atmosphere. Notably, the second component was significantly correlated with luminance contrast, indicating that variations in light, color, and materials—and the resulting changes in luminance contrast—can influence atmospheric perception. The first and third components captured atmospheric qualities beyond luminance contrast. These findings provide valuable insights into how image attributes, particularly luminance contrast, impact aesthetic evaluations of indoor environments, contributing to the broader understanding of atmospheric perception in built spaces.