In this study, the concept of leisure is studied examining its commercialization through history, discussing its contemporary meanings and place in public life. Shopping mall is presented as a synthesis of leisure and commerce, representing the nostalgic street - as the center of public life. While exploring the supportive role of leisure in the shopping mall, mall environment is analyzed as one of the important factors that support leisure in shopping malls. With the assumption that leisure activities can influence aesthetic experience, concern towards environment, and hence environmental preferences, the concept of environmental preferences is discussed and the choice of shopping mall as a leisure site is examined with respect to environmental preferences of the users. In this context, a field research has been carried out to examine the significance of leisure in the shopping mall, the influence of environmental preferences on the choice of a shopping mall as a leisure site, and to analyze the affect of interior architecture education on aesthetic experience and preferences in a mall environmental.