When I think back to past projects, there is one thing that I have always tried to do, I want to help create memories for people. This may sound a little too romantic for architecture or interior design but in thinking back to past experiences, family vacations, the town I grew up in, etc, I recall a lot of good memories. In each one of those memories is a building or interior that I remember. I can recall the shapes, colors, and how I felt in those spaces. I want to create that for others. In everybody’s mind is an ongoing movie. Each person has their own plot, scenes, characters, and locations/props; these scenes/locations are usually interiors. I want to help create these interiors.
The question that was put given to me was, “This I believe architecture or interior design should…” and throughout this blog I will try my best to answer that question and to provide examples but also try to incorporate other thinkers who may or may not share the same opinion. I will tell you why or why not I agree or disagree.
This I believe interior design should be seen as a tool that God has given is not only to give back to the environment but to also give back to other people. I do agree with sustainable design. William McDonough stated in his sermon Design, Ecology, Ethics and the Making of Things, “If we understand that design leads to the manifestation of human intention and if what we make with our hands is to be sacred and honor the earth that gives us life, then the things we make must not only rise from the ground but return to it, soil to soil, water to water, so everything that is received from the earth can be freely given back without causing harm to any living system. This is ecology. This is good design. It is of this we must now speak.” I know for me that I wasn’t even aware of the damage we are doing to our planet until I came to deign school. Okay well I was a little aware but frankly I didn’t care. However my opinion has changed since then. So much waste goes into our environment and yet were does it all go? I mean eventually we are going to run out of room to store it all. So why do we not care about where our materials go and who reaps in the toxins? It is so easy just to pitch everything in the garbage, let the garbage man collect it and be done with it. We live in such a fast paced world where people hate to slow down…we all say we want a break but as soon as we get one we are filling it up with other activities. I think it is very important to get involved in sustainability. If the younger generation sees how important it is to us, just maybe they could go even farther with the idea.
I do think there is a connection between God, the environment, and us. In Clyde’s Pick-Up by William Bryant Logan, he states, “God tells Moses, ‘Take off your shoes, because the ground where you are standing is Holy Ground.’ He is asking Moses to experience in his own body what the burning bush experiences: a living connection between heaven and earth, the life that stretches out like taffy between our father the sun and our mother the earth. If you do not believe this, take off your shoes and stand in the grass or in the sand or in the dirt.” I believe there is this longing inside of us to be connected with nature somehow. You may be asking how does this apply to interior design? Deep down inside of us, when we slow down and stop to focus on others than just our selves, we are aware of this longing to help people, to give them a space that they are familiar with, a space that they can call there own, something that is normal. In a book called The Seven Longings of the Human Heart by Mike Bickle, the seventh longing he talks about is the longing to make a deep and lasting impact. Bickle states, “As human beings we are desperate for a life of meaning, relevance and significance. We long to make a contribution to the lives of those we care about. We experience great enjoyment when we bring pleasure to others. This, too, is a legitimate longing placed in our hearts by a God of meaning and purpose. It is fulfilled by anointed service in his kingdom, resulting in rewards that literally last forever. God designed his people to make a relevant impact in the lives of others. In fact, Jesus wants us yoked together with him in the holy mandate that the Father has given him to disciple the nations (see Matt. 28:19). As we reject our tendency toward self-centered isolationism and walk out the second commandment at our Bridegroom’s side, we will satisfy the longings of our hearts.” To create and design is one of the many gifts God has given us. This is what interior design and architecture is about, giving back to the environment and our community.
God is the reason why I have chosen the profession of interior design. There is a need and I want to provide that need. I want people to not only experience design not only with their eyes but with their other senses as well. I want them to remember these spaces because of their senses. Louis Kahn stated in The Room, The Street, and Human Agreement, “The room is the beginning of architecture. It is the place of mind. You in the room with its dimensions, its structure, its light responds to its character, its spiritual aura, recognizing that whatever the human proposes and makes becomes a life.” Design starts in the mind, an idea. As designers we have to get our point across through our sketches and how we communicate it.
Carlos Castaneda – “Any path is only a path, and there is no affront, to oneself or to others, in dropping it if that’s what your heart tells you…look at every path closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary. Then ask yourself alone, one question…Does this path have a heart? If it does the path is good; if it doesn’t it is of no use.” Design has to have personal side to it. Your heart has to be embedded into the design. Why do you think many people hire Frank Gerhy, because they want a Gerhy design. Whether they like the design for the concept, function, or his different ways of constructing a building, the point is they want his personal touch. I believe your design should make people want to hire you. Not only do they want their ideas conveyed in the space but they also want what you believe in as well.
Lastly, good design is about creating a relationship with the designer and the people who will be experiencing their space. There should be something there that you can connect with, something to make you stand in awe. Design is an art and you want people to experience your art. When someone steps into your space, they should be able to understand your concept, what may have driven you to do this. You want their questions of why did he/she do this? Why was this wall placed there? And what is the significance of these colors/textures? If you can answer these questions without every saying a word, then your design has succeeded. Let the design speak for you. This is what I believe interior design should do and be.
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