I always thought I was into interior design until family and friends started asking me for help.
I’m fine with furniture placement questions. Lighting questions. General spatial logic in a room.
But when it’s something like, “Can you help me make my house Scandinavian hygge?” I feel slightly irritated. Even though I want to help.
I understand the aesthetic language just fine and can reverse engineer that look for you, but it makes me uncomfortable.
A lot of these interior design labels are detached from the environment.
Someone lives in a:
- suburban American house
- drywall construction
- overhead lighting
- busy family life
And they want to create a cozy minimal Danish winter atmosphere.
Atmosphere does not travel that well.
This is the interior design version of the coastal grandma aesthetic when you live in Arizona.
Am I saying all interior design bad?
No.
I just think it should be a secondary layer.
I noticed I used décor heavily when the structural elements of my space were off.
One of the many coping strategies of being a lifelong renter.
Much like my clothing transition, I’ve moved away from “interior design.”
I realized my actual interest was closer to architecture.
I wasn’t interested in decorating styles.
I was interested in environments that made sense.