A thin veneer: Interior design's social compact

Interior design’s struggle to develop a sufficient social compact is considered in the context of the discipline’s nascent professionalisation. After interior design developed out of interior decoration it acquired some characteristics of a true profession (mainly a technical knowledge base, associations with higher education, and a public focus). However, its ontological origin as an arts-based practice remains. This practice is reliant on ‘good taste’, in which an essentially amateur activity is used as an instrument of class distinction. This renders the discipline unable to state its greater social contribution which is required to sustain a compact in which the privileges of professionalisation are counterbalanced by an endeavour to act in the public good. Subsequently, an attempt is made by academia to assert the discipline’s social contribution as a precursor to professionalisation. In a diversion from taste-making and decoration, a tacit compact is expressed by the introduction of topics such as human-centred design, well-being, and environmental sustainability. However, the pedagogic underpinnings which support the realities of commercial practice are diminished and the needs of the client and the end-user may be placed in opposition. We suggest that currently the social compact in interior design’s academic focus, although well-intentioned, is incompatible with the commercial realities of practice. The failure to resolve these contradictions results in graduates who are not able to apply the compact in conventional practice. This is counterproductive to professionalisation efforts since the discipline is unable to deliver its claimed expertise. Our aim is to consider the origins of this conflict and its implications on interior design as an academic and professional discipline. This is in order to provide a mediated position in which the discipline may assert a credible social compact which is constructed on the basis of its ontology. In our self-identification as interior designers (who approach the discipline as students, practitioners, and academics) we undertake a heuristic enquiry. We generate novel insights by relating the self to our context. Our insights and opinions are supported and illustrated with empirical data, literature, and pertinent examples. We argue that the constituent elements of interior design, namely taste-making, decoration and consumption, must be embraced and that the social compact be developed and applied in this realm. This would enable the identification of the compatibility between interior design’s ontological origins, its contribution to society, and its commercial value. This would effect an appropriate pedagogy, while contributing to interior design as a professio

Interior design’s occupational closure : an ethical opportunity

In March 2015 the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) announced its intention to register new professional categories for interior designers. This will provide statutory recognition for the professional status of the interior design occupation and it will allow interior design occupational closure, a state where both the practice and title of the occupation will be regulated. To reach this milestone interior design’s practical and scholarly endeavour was focussed on the professionalisation of the discipline; a lacuna was produced in which the discipline did not adequately consider a separate identity for interior design. The pursuit of a stronger discrete identity could provide a stronger professional identity (Breytenbach, 2012). If interior design reaches the professional status it pursued it faces two consequences: firstly the discipline arrives at an ethical dilemma; secondly energy previously spent in the pursuit of professionalisation would be at large to deliberate discrete knowledge areas. The ethical dilemma is located in professionalism itself. When an profession reaches occupational closure it succeeds in establishing a monopoly of service which is based on its technical authority which links skill and practice to provide services to the public which are uniquely trustworthy. Professions are technical and adhere to norms and standards. These norms and standards have an ethical dimension: they must service the greater public good (Wilensky, 1964). As an industry, the interior design occupation must focus its intentions, efforts and influence toward 'that which ought to be'. This represents a normative position for interior design in which the discipline must clearly state what its obligation to society is, and how it will be met. Currently interior design is offered the opportunity to redirect its scholarly endeavour in the pursuit of ethical and discrete knowledge areas. This paper will argue that interior design can face both consequences simultaneously, and that these can be addressed through its mimetic production. During this emergent and developmental phase interior design can expand its practice and scope of expertise in an ethical manner. This paper aims to present some of these opportunities: interior design is uniquely placed in the built environment to denote occupation, inhabitation and identity; further, interior design is a tangible vehicle for the expression of intangible cultural practices that are expressed as public rituals (e.g. casual encounters and the conducting of conversations and other opportunities of exchange). Interior design contributes to the establishment and expression of identities which could support social cohesion; this is relevant in the establishment of a principledriven and human centered profession. The professional accountability and social responsibility lies in interior design’s contributions in the cultural realm.http://www.defsa.org.za/2015-defsa-conferencehb201

An interpretation of the role of meaning in interior design

The cultural role of the interior artefact, through the representation and interpretation of meaning, is considered in this article. This follows Umberto Eco’s moderate hypothesis of culture in which all cultural phenomena can be studied as contents of a semiotic activity and in accordance with Jeff Lewis’s construct of culture as a collection of meanings. The ‘interior artefact’ that is considered here is the physical manifestation of interior design as a professional practice in the built environment and not a general product of human activity. It is assumed that successful interior artefacts are dependent on the generation of meaningful images and their appropriate spatial interpretation. The interior artefact is a material artefact that creates and communicates meaning; it offers the framework for situated meaning and is the result of that meaning. The interior artefact is the spatial embodiment of the visual identity imagined by the interior designer on behalf of the client. In this context, interior design is considered as a cultural activity with importance for human development, which includes the utilisation and development of identity. The article considers identity to involve more complexity than merely expressing categories of belonging (such as race and gender). In interior design the generation and interpretation of meaning is dependent on the visual presence of cultural discourses; the article concludes with a brief discussion of some of these.http://www.imageandtext.up.ac.zahb201

Architecture's 'other’: an ontological reading of the abject relationship with interior design

Dialectic relationships exist between architecture and emergent architecturally informed disciplines. Interior design constitutes such a discipline and is considered a critical case study. The main problem is to investigate the ontology of interior design by considering its affilia- tion with architecture. With the use of Julia Kristeva’s construct, the abject, a synopsis of architectural and interior design theory is read to ascertain the dialectic and overlapping relationship. Through heuristic enquiry an ontological analysis of interior design (with refer- ence to essentialist aspects of architecture) is made. The Manichean dialectic is employed to produce qualita- tive descriptions that portray the disciplines as dis- crete ‘others’. Architecture is a normative profession which considers interior design as a part of itself

Claim use adapt

Collective or communal housing (Cohousing) is housing featuring joint facilities available to all residents, while the residents also maintain autonomous, self sufficient housing units. The communal spaces form a central characteristic of the housing complex and is not just an added amenity. The shared facilities should encourage and accommodate social interaction, group activities and the coordination and cooperation between residents to carry out common tasks. A distinct infill level in buildings is gradually emerging. This level contains all the equipment, non load-bearing partitions and a substantial amount of services. The infill level restores the building as provider of space and shelter and facilitates the specific needs and preferences of the inhabitants more directly. Traditional notions of the family is being challenged, placing increasing demand on homes to be flexible and responsive to changes in family structure. Since the long-range benefits of a stable community is jeopardised if residents have to move when their spatial requirements change, transformable interiors were used to reduce this risk. Flexibility is largely used in the housing units, relying on advanced computed aided manufacture that is able to fabricate components for easy assembly on site. For the purposes of this thesis an under utilised office building in the Pretoria central business district was chosen to illustrate a cohousing complex in an urban environment. Design energy was focused on designing the communal facilities and a sample housing unit, illustrating the support system and investigating the unit's versatility.Dissertation (BInt)--University of Pretoria, 2004.Architectureunrestricte

The embarrassment over decoration : arguing against title change - The case of ‘interior design’ : ‘interior architecture’

This paper argues against the second course of title change for interior design (from ‘interior design’ to ‘interior architecture’). Heuristic reasoning based on design theory argues that interior design is an architectural discipline. Interior design experiences professional embarrassment (based on its marginalisation within the architectural profession) over the decorative aspects of its ontology, resulting in a situation where the discipline attempts title change to differentiate itself from a ‘less professional’ occupation (i.e. interior decoration) to assert its legitimacy. Title change may lead to artificial differentiations between ‘interior design’ and ‘interior architecture’ which will eliminate decoration from the discipline’s repertoire, leaving it impoverished. If interior design is defined broadly, differentiation between interior design and interior architecture will be redundant.http://www.icsid.org/events/events/calendar737.htmhb201

Presentation: Student as producer of individual, collective, and global knowledge in the MA Interior Architecture and Design studio, University of Lincoln

This presentation reflects on a teaching exercise promoting the concept of student as producer in the MA Interior Architecture and Design Programme at the University of Lincoln. The exercise required each student to situate their individual treatise within the current global event, the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI) World Interiors Day 2022. The theme of the event is ‘Pride of the Past. An Incentive for the Future’. Students are to individually produce a titled visual collage and written statement reflecting on the theme in relation to their own treatises. The students’ projects were compiled in a physical book for submission to the University of Lincoln’s Library and a digital publication which was shared during the IFI World Interiors Day celebration (May 2022). The creation of the book was a collaboration between staff (who produce the exercise and the book) and students, who respond to the exercise and produce the knowledge contained in the book. The exercise took a pluralistic approach to the concept of student as producer. On an individual level, the exercise was open-ended, it empowered each student to develop a distinct response to a brief that requires self-reflection. The brief prompted a synthesised expression between self, theme, and study through the exploratory medium of collage. On a collective level, the production of the book was collaborative. As compiled by staff, The book is a co-created tangible artefact symbolising staff and students as co-producers of knowledge within the institution. On a global level, the exercise was contextualised within the IFI World Interiors Day celebration through an online submission. The digital resource platformed the voices of students as knowledge contributors alongside a wider global community. This exercise engaged students as knowledge producers by promoting individual reflection, collectively validating their outputs, and globally platforming their ideas

Architecture's 'other' : an ontological reading of the abject relationship with interior design

Dialectic relationships exist between architecture and emergent architecturally informed disciplines. Interior design constitutes such a discipline and is considered a critical case study. The main problem is to investigate the ontology of interior design by considering its affiliation with architecture. With the use of Julia Kristeva’s construct, the abject, a synopsis of architectural and interior design theory is read to ascertain the dialectic and overlapping relationship. Through heuristic enquiry an ontological analysis of interior design (with reference to essentialist aspects of architecture) is made. The Manichean dialectic is employed to produce qualitative descriptions that portray the disciplines as discrete ‘others’. Architecture is a normative profession which considers interior design as a part of itself.This research was undertaken as part of the requirements for the degree Master of Interior Architecture at the University of Pretoria (Königk, 2011). The research was completed with financial assistance in the form of a postgraduate scholarship from the University of Pretoria. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the University of Pretoria.am2013ai201

Simulated practice: the interior treatise through a cumulative design research process

Professional practice provides a context which requires design to be performed as an efficient and linear process (which may be a determining factor in the sustainability of practices). Research is an increasingly important component of accountability for design decisions. In response to an environment in which graduates may not be fully prepared for the changes in, or the collaboration required by, contemporary design practice, the provision of a professional masters programme is organised as a simulated practice. Students act as associates in a practice with an established approach, knowledge base, culture, and documentation standards. This replaces idiosyncratic student outputs. The studio is considered not as the physical learning environment, but as the vehicle for a project-based learning strategy which allows the studio to generate synergy between the research and professional activities of staff and the learning activities of students. The construction of a theoretical model clarifies the interrelationship of technical, conceptual, and professional knowledge areas embedded in the simulation (which is informed by two sets of design theory: altering architecture and the imaginal interior). The result is a hermeneutic model of the research-engaged design process. This research illustrates how a master’s interior treatise is compiled as the result of a cumulative and linear process with design and research as reciprocal activities. It is significant since this contributes to the conceptual movement of design as personal, individual expressions towards design as the result of collaborative processes and contextual responses. Students are specifically instructed in the processes and outcomes of the various investigations they have to conduct to create and defend their projects. A simulated practice may produce an enabling studio with realistic expectations. Individual activities are coordinated to deliver consistent outputs to set quality standards. This provides a structured approach which supports the emancipation of the individual

A balancing act:mediating brand and local authenticity in localised retail design

The research was completed as part of the requirements for the first author’s PhD (Interior Architecture) degree titled, ‘Conditions and Strategies for Localising Retail Design for Global Brands’. (http://hdl.handle.net/2263/84160)Retail design authenticity has seen global brands expressing a growing interest in unique as opposed to standardised expressions of store design. To express authenticity, global brands may opt for localised retail store design (retail stores that express the place in which the store is designed) as a form of unique retail design that offers an experience that is rooted in a time and place. Localised retail design differs from conventional modes of retail design in that designers source inspiration from both brand and place (as opposed to brand only). This poses risks to brand recognition as the resultant retail store is not standardised nor aligned exclusively to the reflection of brand identity. This necessitates consideration in the mediation of global brand and local authenticity when localising retail design. This study asks: What are the areas for mediating global brand and local authenticity when localising retail design? Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, we conducted eighteen interviews with retail designers based worldwide. The interviews are augmented with a theoretical sampling of twenty artefacts of localised retail design for four global brands. It was found that global brand and local authenticity can be mediated in three main areas when localising retail design. These are in the authorship, informants, and inhabitation of retail design. In the authorship of the retail store, authenticity can be attained by appointing both brand and local designers who work collaboratively on localised retail design. In sourcing informants to the retail design, designers should derive inspiration from both brand and local essence to enhance authentic representation. In inhabitation, the retail store should communicate the brand to local consumers while platforming experiences on local consumer culture. The contribution of the study is a novel conceptual model founded on these three areas for mediating brand and local authenticity in localised retail. This model has implications for both retail designers and brand managers in the development of localised retail experiences of global brands.The University of Pretoria.https://link.springer.com/journal/41299gl2024ArchitectureNon