Influence of Material and Decoration on Design Style, Aesthetic Performance, and Visual Attention in Chinese-Style Chairs

Chinese-style chairs are appreciated by many consumers for their elegant design. The material and decoration have a significant impact on the design of Chinese-style chairs. Exploring the influence of these two factors on design styles and aesthetic expressions, as well as the related visual attention patterns, is of great importance for the design of Chinese-style chairs. This study aimed to investigate the impact of material (wood/metal) and decoration (pattern/no pattern) on the design style, aesthetic performance, and visual attention patterns of Chinese-style chairs. Fifty-six Chinese university students wore eye-tracking glasses to view four types of chair designs and completed subjective rating scales. The results show that material and decoration have both independent and interactive effects. Wood chairs exhibit a traditional design style and superior aesthetic performance compared to metal chairs. Traditional Chinese patterns enhance design style and aesthetic performance, particularly when applied to wooden chairs. Visual attention was not significantly different across chair designs, except for wooden chairs with traditional patterns on the backrest, which attracted more attention. These research findings provide reference for designers to design Chinese-style chairs.