Week 1 Assignment

As a student pursuing the field of interior design, it is often difficult to pause and write a definition for what interior design exactly is. However, it is even more difficult for an outsider to understand the goals, motives, and profession of interior design because of perceived social notions of misconceptions about how we apply our skills.

Interior design has also been attached feminine ideals. Women who understand spatial relationships, style, color, light, etc have primarily taken on the execution of interior design. When I read your article, I agreed with a lot of points but it also made me question some things. Are straight men afraid to show interest in interior design for fear of being mistaken as a gay male? Do they hide behind the macho man figure instead? I feel like men take on the architecture approach not only because of the way their brains functions but because of their perception by others in social settings. The media is poisoning people’s minds into thinking that interior design is a quick easy fix that takes a day to create and a day to execute. The episodes show a seemingly quick and easy process. In reality, there is a lot that is cut out from the thirty-minute episodes. HGTV also feeds the stereotype of casting women and gay men as hosts and designers for the shows. The women have a soft caring sense about them when working with the clients and the gay men have a more flamboyant flair. I can see how it would be emotionally and socially difficult for a straight man to share his passion for interior design and relate to the people they see on TV.

Architecture as a profession has always had a clear meaning. It relies on a logical, rational way to create a structure and delegate space within it. Interior design relies more on a creative and imaginative background. Architecture and interior design are impressive in different ways. Architecture can impress with its scale, innovative use of materials and function of the space. Interior design relies more on the emotional response of an individual. The goal of a designer is to play on the empathetic side of a user, whereas an architect focuses on the logical program of the space.

Interior design and architecture have maintained a disconnect from each other in society due to boundaries between the two disciplines. While architecture is the creation of a space, interior design is the focus within the interior of that space. While there are differences between the two, both disciplines can agree that design should help solve a problem or create a better space and environment for the users. The concept of interior architecture is a solution to the gap between architects and interior designers. Interior design can be imaginative and doesn’t necessarily need to relate to the architecture that the space is housed in. Interior architecture calls upon the exterior of a space and acknowledges the architectural language and applies it within the space. This allows the exterior to be connected to the interior in a more holistic way. There will be more continuity between the exterior and interior.

I feel that straight men would lean more towards the field of interior architecture because it would be a way for them to express their design strengths and also explore architectural elements within the space. While the field of architecture remains relatively stationary, interior design is and has been changing rapidly over the years. Who knows what we can expect from here!