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Why Interior Designers Are Essential to Society
As COVID-19 forces us to reevaluate our homes, interior designers can help us build a better world
By definition, the role of an interior designer is to create beauty, comfort and functionality by playing with space, light, color, materials and furniture — all while keeping clients’ wishes and constraints top of mind. But are interior designers essential? As pandemic containment measures prioritize goods and services deemed essential for society, this question gains new immediacy. Houzz’s editorial teams reached out to design professionals around the world for answers.
“It’s not about whether the walls are painted in the latest colors, but rather whether the space evokes the desired emotions in the user,” says Maria Roussos, also based in Australia. “Does it entice, stimulate, relax, entertain, embrace, fascinate? Good design achieves this through the manipulation of space, light, color, materials, textures, furniture and myriad other elements. Ultimately, all this works together in a delicate balance of form and function. And this is important because it improves our quality of life.”
Caterina Magliulo, an interior designer in Milan, Italy, reminds us that interior designers are well placed to take on these challenges because of their knowledge and training. “The professional interior designer has a great knowledge of materials and a perspective on spaces and colors,” she says.
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Caterina Magliulo, an interior designer in Milan, Italy, reminds us that interior designers are well placed to take on these challenges because of their knowledge and training. “The professional interior designer has a great knowledge of materials and a perspective on spaces and colors,” she says.
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They Contribute to Our Well-Being
The human element is essential to interior design, which can have a profound impact on our well-being. “It is a profession that has an impact on the person,” Paris-based interior designer Margaux Carnevali says. “Our eyes need visual harmony of colors, shapes, and [we need] adapted ergonomics.”
The human element is essential to interior design, which can have a profound impact on our well-being. “It is a profession that has an impact on the person,” Paris-based interior designer Margaux Carnevali says. “Our eyes need visual harmony of colors, shapes, and [we need] adapted ergonomics.”
Another designer in France, Elodie Ricord, takes this a step further, citing design’s therapeutic potential. “Interior design can be therapeutic when it is shared with a client,” she says. “I think that it is essential in order to create a sense of well-being in the home, to put together interiors where one can find oneself again and to create suitable spaces.
“It is not something vital, but it is necessary for well-being,” she says. “The therapeutic role of interior architecture consists in creating well-being while representing the client’s ideas in material form. If this is done well, the clients are very happy because they recognize themselves in the interior architect’s work. We do everything we can to create the client’s universe, and this is a form of therapy.”
“It is not something vital, but it is necessary for well-being,” she says. “The therapeutic role of interior architecture consists in creating well-being while representing the client’s ideas in material form. If this is done well, the clients are very happy because they recognize themselves in the interior architect’s work. We do everything we can to create the client’s universe, and this is a form of therapy.”
Japanese interior designer Hiroko Machida says she bases her work on neuroaesthetics, or the study of the neural basis for the perception of beauty in the arts, literature, music dance, theater and film. She focuses on the state and functions of the brain in response to aesthetics.
“I am working on interior designs which relieve stress and strengthen immunity,” she says. “We are experimenting with interior design projects that apply the findings from neuroaesthetics research undertaken at the University of London.”
Ulrike Kabyl, who is based in Germany, says a comfortable home is particularly important in the current circumstances. “To withdraw into our four walls means leaving stress outside, finding peace, feeling good and perhaps finding inspiration.… Interior designers can help create these kinds of refuges.”
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“I am working on interior designs which relieve stress and strengthen immunity,” she says. “We are experimenting with interior design projects that apply the findings from neuroaesthetics research undertaken at the University of London.”
Ulrike Kabyl, who is based in Germany, says a comfortable home is particularly important in the current circumstances. “To withdraw into our four walls means leaving stress outside, finding peace, feeling good and perhaps finding inspiration.… Interior designers can help create these kinds of refuges.”
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They Help Us Consume Better
As trends change season to season and interior decor is turning into a hobby, overconsumption is becoming a concern. “For this, I think that interior architecture is necessary because it makes it possible, if it is well thought through, to consume less,” Carnevali says.
Roussos suggests that the profession will increasingly emphasize “slow living” — sustainable development, our connection with nature and the importance of our families and friends — thus encouraging us to consume less.
As trends change season to season and interior decor is turning into a hobby, overconsumption is becoming a concern. “For this, I think that interior architecture is necessary because it makes it possible, if it is well thought through, to consume less,” Carnevali says.
Roussos suggests that the profession will increasingly emphasize “slow living” — sustainable development, our connection with nature and the importance of our families and friends — thus encouraging us to consume less.
Ricord agrees that there is enormous overproduction today and that marketing pushes individuals to buy more and more. “Nevertheless, it is possible to change one’s interior by being minimalist and moving toward that which is essential,” she says. “For this, you have to ask yourself: How many times did I use my belongings this year? This way we realize that the things we use frequently represent only 10% of everything we possess. The rest should be stored, donated or sold to those who need it.”
Interior designers can help by encouraging their clients to figure out what is truly essential for them and by proposing more lasting alternatives.
Furniture selection is one example. “People often buy furniture only to abandon it in the street when they get tired of it. The quality of furniture and spaces is therefore important,” German interior designer Tino Büchsenschütz says. “I would recommend creating durable, simple and inconspicuous features for the most part, and picking and choosing elements that one could change easily according to the taste of the moment, like cushions, small furniture, lamps and accessories. In this way there’s no need to completely renew the interior when tastes change.”
Kabyl agrees, saying, “One should choose to create interiors in which one could feel well for a long time, because this is also a form of sustainability.”
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Furniture selection is one example. “People often buy furniture only to abandon it in the street when they get tired of it. The quality of furniture and spaces is therefore important,” German interior designer Tino Büchsenschütz says. “I would recommend creating durable, simple and inconspicuous features for the most part, and picking and choosing elements that one could change easily according to the taste of the moment, like cushions, small furniture, lamps and accessories. In this way there’s no need to completely renew the interior when tastes change.”
Kabyl agrees, saying, “One should choose to create interiors in which one could feel well for a long time, because this is also a form of sustainability.”
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They Encourage Us to Make Sustainable Choices
“We are living in a world where climate change and diminishing natural resources are very relevant, and I believe that we as designers have an obligation to society to take sustainable design very seriously,” Bradley says. “We have a tremendous impact because we select materials, construction methods and products. We influence how, ecologically, people will be able to interact with their surrounding spaces and have the ability to reduce energy consumption through our selections and methods. We can assist our clients with the selection of products and finishes that have a low environmental impact and those which are harvested sustainably.”
“We are living in a world where climate change and diminishing natural resources are very relevant, and I believe that we as designers have an obligation to society to take sustainable design very seriously,” Bradley says. “We have a tremendous impact because we select materials, construction methods and products. We influence how, ecologically, people will be able to interact with their surrounding spaces and have the ability to reduce energy consumption through our selections and methods. We can assist our clients with the selection of products and finishes that have a low environmental impact and those which are harvested sustainably.”
The sourcing of materials is also important: Sustainable development favors local production to avoid the carbon emissions involved in transport. “Now, more than ever, the benefits of sourcing locally have become obvious to all — not only for the sake of sustainability and reliable supply chains, but also to support local industry,” Roussos says. “Designers are pivotal in educating clients to create further demand for locally sourced products and engaging local artisans to provide them.”
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They Help Us Adapt Our Interiors to Social Changes
The pandemic’s effect on how we use our interiors highlights the role interior designers could play in adapting our homes to social changes. “I believe that values and habits will change greatly, as will our homes, post-COVID,” Bradley says. “Homes have become a place to retreat to, to stay safe in, and a place to come together but also have private space. Homes are now classrooms, offices, gyms and studios, and so the functionality of space in the future will be vastly different to what it has been.”
The pandemic’s effect on how we use our interiors highlights the role interior designers could play in adapting our homes to social changes. “I believe that values and habits will change greatly, as will our homes, post-COVID,” Bradley says. “Homes have become a place to retreat to, to stay safe in, and a place to come together but also have private space. Homes are now classrooms, offices, gyms and studios, and so the functionality of space in the future will be vastly different to what it has been.”
Machida notes that 70% of Japanese people live in cities and lead such busy lives that they have used their homes only to sleep. This is changing drastically because of the coronavirus, she says, as people find themselves confined to home, realizing they can’t relax because of lack of space and poor layout.
“Consider our information-linked, networked society where we live our lives without ever letting go of our smartphones, and the mental exhaustion this is causing so many people,” Machida says. “These are some of the problems that interior designers are increasingly being asked to think about. The world is in rapid transformation from a society based around competition and conflict. Interior designers need to think about every one of these social themes … [and they] carry a weighty expectation from society.”
“Consider our information-linked, networked society where we live our lives without ever letting go of our smartphones, and the mental exhaustion this is causing so many people,” Machida says. “These are some of the problems that interior designers are increasingly being asked to think about. The world is in rapid transformation from a society based around competition and conflict. Interior designers need to think about every one of these social themes … [and they] carry a weighty expectation from society.”
Finally, consider this comment from Philomena Seeto, who practices in Singapore: “Interior designers help to influence the way we live, dine, socialize, entertain, relax and play in the built environment,” she says. “Whilst I wouldn’t like to suggest that our services are essential services for our society, they are vital for the hope and well-being of our communities, as we are the creative leaders of the built-environment industry.… So are we an essential service? The answer is ‘No.’ But are we an important service provider? The answer is ‘Absolutely.’ ”
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The work of interior designers is meant to improve quality of life. “Our surroundings have an enormous impact on the way we behave and feel, and the role of the interior designer is more important than ever as we retreat to our homes during COVID-19,” Australian interior designer Lynne Bradley says. “A good interior designer will resolve the functionality of a space and address scale, curate a desirable aesthetic, inject soul and tell a story for the inhabitants as well as effecting productivity. Good interior design evokes happiness and soothes the soul. It can inspire confidence, empathy, pride, creativity, security and energy.
“Creating a meaningful space that fulfills the needs of the inhabitant and optimizes their space is one of our key roles as designers and is essential to our society,” Bradley says.
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