In his final editorial for our newly released special issue, our founder and former editor in chief Robert Thiemann discusses the tactics interior and product designers, as well as their clients, should employ to shape an overall healthier spatial design landscape.
Every year we take stock of the overarching trends shaping spatial design, using the FRAME Awards winners as our starting point. After all, based on the votes and feedback from our 190 jury members, these projects represent the best this industry has to offer. If you’ve been following our publications, you are well aware that the five drivers for spatial design we defined one year ago won’t be going anywhere soon. They’re here to stay for years to come.
Let’s mention them once more. Especially in an increasingly digital-first world, people crave physical experiences. Since we spend about 90 per cent of our time indoors, the spaces we dwell and work in need to foster our health and wellbeing. The construction of any space has an environmental impact, which needs to be reduced as much as possible to combat climate change. Spaces should thus be more sustainable. Interiors need to become more agile to better adapt to changing needs. Finally, spaces should be designed in collaboration with user communities to give them a sense of ownership and better connect them.
The question is: How can we get there? Which tactics could interior and product designers as well as their clients deploy? With last year’s award winners in mind, we’ve written five essays to inspire you. First, designers can make their work more sustainable by simply doing less. Reducing the amount of materials and energy used to complete any space reduces its impact on the planet. What’s the bare minimum required to make an interior function for its users? We use the word ‘undesign’ to describe the economy of means that designers should consider when shaping spatial experiences. Such a ‘bare minimum’ space will probably not be to everybody’s liking. After all, we’ve grown attached to posting visually stunning pictures of our work on social media. What if our work is more sustainable but less conventionally attractive? This industry needs to embrace a different aesthetic to become more sustainable. We need to redefine beauty.
In the process, we might better appreciate pared-down interiors that enhance our wellbeing. Let’s face it, many spaces are simply overwhelming for certain demographics. What if they were more soothing? Adopting a simple colour scheme might be the trick. Sometimes even one colour is enough. Such a ‘mono-colour’ approach also provides a strong sense of place in a chaotic world. We’ll also see more ‘mono-space, multiple-function’ approaches to interiors. Being intentionally vague about functions opens up multiple use cases. Think of homes that double as galleries, and a store-slash-public-space that fosters biodiversity.
The last phenomenon we discuss is escapism. It’s the odd one out. While the other essays all revolve around wellbeing and sustainability, our final piece addresses our need to escape from the everyday. Especially in grim times, people long for positive vibes, excitement and togetherness. Can designers find novel, more sustainable ways to deliver?
Get your copy of FRAME 155 here.
