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.

Is 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.