From Spaces to Sustainability: The Role of Green Interior Design in Enhancing Environmental Performance and User Well-Being

Abstract

The growing emphasis on sustainable built environments has shifted attention from conventional building-level sustainability toward the role of interior spaces in achieving environmental and human-centred outcomes. This study examines the relationship between green interior design (GID), environmental performance (EP), and user well-being (UWB), with the aim of understanding whether sustainable interior practices can simultaneously contribute to environmental responsibility and positive user experiences. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was adopted, and data were collected through a structured questionnaire from users of interior environments incorporating sustainable design features. The proposed conceptual model was analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) through SmartPLS. The measurement model was assessed using indicator loadings, Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability, average variance extracted, and the heterotrait-monotrait ratio, while the structural model was evaluated using path coefficients, bootstrapping, R², f², and predictive relevance. The findings indicate significant positive relationships between green interior design and environmental performance, green interior design and user well-being, and environmental performance and user well-being. The results further indicate a significant indirect relationship between green interior design and user well-being through environmental performance, suggesting that environmental performance represents an important pathway linking sustainable interior practices with user outcomes. The findings support previous research highlighting the importance of sustainable design, indoor environmental quality, resource efficiency, and biophilic elements in creating environmentally responsible and user-supportive spaces. The study contributes to the sustainable interior-design literature by integrating environmental and human-centred outcomes within a single empirical framework. Practically, the findings highlight the importance of sustainable material selection, energy and resource efficiency, indoor environmental quality, natural elements, and post-occupancy evaluation in contemporary interior design. The study concludes that green interior design can serve as an important bridge between environmental sustainability and user well-being, while future research should incorporate objective environmental measurements, longitudinal designs, and diverse building contexts.