Eight Interior Design Observations Revealing the State of Society
One fine Wednesday morning last June, I found myself debating the future of . . . faucets.
It all started when a straight-shooting saleswoman at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair handed me a free water bottle, lauding the fine quality of her plumbing company’s newest merch. Intrigued, I started chatting with her and our conversation turned into a deep dive on smart home technology, data privacy, and the very essence of modern living.
Though I had a blast at the ICFF (shoutout to the American Institute of Architects and Polish Institute of Culture for making my visit possible!), I was initially hesitant about just how interesting the cutting edge of interior design could be . . . After all, I was used to tech and finance conferences, so all that came to mind about the future of furniture was Pinterest, IKEA, and COVID-era ergonomic standing desks.
The ICFF ended up surprising me in the best way possible — it provided much-needed depth to my understanding of the people and elements that define twenty-first-century homes, especially after I spent my academic career studying another, much larger scale — the city.
Here’s what I learned.
0. Interior design matters more than you think.
We may be increasingly submerged in digital worlds but our physical spaces still matter. A healthy balance is essential. Therefore, interior design is so much more than a coffee table catalogue. It’s both an art and a science. A pursuit of aesthetics and optimization. A gift for the body and for the soul. How we occupy space can inspire . . . or suffocate us.
Notedly, being able to think about interior design is a luxury, as the experience of moving out of one’s parents’ house varies significantly around the world due to affordability and cultural traditions. In the US, for example, around half of all young adults continue to live with their parents; this helps offset how much income someone spends on rent (increasing from about a quarter on average to a third since the start of the decade). Therefore, picking out and assembling furniture for our first home or company is a HUGEEE milestones — shoutout to Teddy and Izzy!
1. We forget just how big of a cheat code IKEA is.
The interior design industry is an incredibly complex ecosystem, encompassing everything from plumbing to lighting, carpentry, and beyond. It takes a certain savoir-faire to navigate all these options and skillfully and beautifully combine them to create a home. Without IKEA centralizing and gamifying this process, it would take ages to furnish our homes. It’s such a breeze rebuilding my IKEA dorm reading chair every year.
However, this convenient catalyst comes at a cost:
- monotony: every time I stay at an Airbnb or visit another university, IKEA products are easy to spot. It can be hard to attach memories or value to mass-produced, fast furniture items.
- cheap quality: easily discardable items lead to less care and appreciation.
Instead, take the time to look into local shoppes, showrooms, or flea markets to find unique pieces.
As for how I personally decorate my spaces, well, it’s all treasures from my travels! I ardently avoid souvenir shops and seek out items like vases, teapots, or vinyl records to remind me of my adventures. Investing in local craftsmanship may be worth the higher price, allowing you to bring home something that truly reflects your personality.
For more serious designers, I’d recommend the NYC Decoration and Design Building, home to over 100 showrooms (!!) dedicated to the very best in residential and business interior furnishings. This iconic building has long been a hub for innovation and excellence in design, making it a fitting venue for exploring the delicate balance between restoration and renovation. A very cool discovery for a lifelong NYer like myself . . .
2. Discreet > flashy home automation.
Home automation is inevitable, but I’m pretty sure our homes won’t look like something overly futuristic from the Jetsons. Instead, appliances and applications will simplify our routines and reduce stress without taking up space. As a result, they will be discreet — people don’t want intrusive technology, especially in bathrooms. In fact, there’s significant development in camera-less bathroom tech that relies on voice activation, motion sensors, apps, or pre-programming your preferred settings.
If I had to guess which smart home tech (outside of the already widespread smart TVs/speakers/doorbells) is closest to being adopted en masse:
- smart mirrors that provide makeup application advice or guide kids on brushing their teeth (like HiMirror or L’Oréal Perso),
- touch-less smart sinks and faucets that can pre-measure cooking ingredients via an app, display panel, or by syncing with your smart home assistant like Siri or Alexa (examples include Delta VoiceIQ or Moen Smart Faucet).
3. Discreet doesn’t mean devoid of detail.
For the past few months, the Twitter bells have been tolling, declaring the “death of detail.” Cities are ugly. Homes all look the same. Have we embraced minimalism out of laziness? Perhaps in part.
I’m inclined to think that at the beginning of globalization, aesthetic diversity thrived due to the exchange of novelties and perspectives. Now, it’s been depleted by the Internet because we all seek inspiration from the same sources. Just think about how many landing pages have the same abstract, geometric hippie look. (Spoiler alert — it’s called “Corporate Memphis.”) Similarly, all major corporate logos have become flat and more universal.
Now, as we think about the future of our homes, I’m not arguing we should make our homes overtly sleek, metallic, and tech enabled, nor am I advocating to do away with all modern conveniences. I believe we should find ways to integrate them into vibrant and personalized homes. Tech and timeless interior design can co-exist! Similarly, cities shouldn’t fall into the trap of convenient, but drab, international modernism making commutes to work depressing. More on that another time.
Notedly, this isn’t the first time humanity has encountered such a dilemma balancing exciting progress and human skill. The colourful and flowing Art Nouveau of the 1880s — 1920s was, in part, a response to industrialization and mass production overtaking artists and craftsmen. The gesamtkunstwerk — that is, synthesizing a multitude of artistic fields to design a space inside and out — dominated. I wonder what human art movement, if any, will be a response (hostile or open-minded) to AI.
4. Restoration > renovation.
Speaking of human talent, studios such as Atelier Del Boca, though ever rarer, keep certain design traditions alive. For instance, the ICFF welcomed craftsmen from Del Boca to lead ornamental plasterwork workshops, as well as carpenters revealing restoration techniques of the Notre-Dame de Paris. I was surprised to see this at a contemporary furniture fair — it turns out restoration is rather in vogue, as it reveals and protects secrets that renovation might destroy or further bury.
For example — during WWII, some owners of Haussmann-era Parisian apartments painted over Cremone bolts (see above picture) to conceal their ornamental nature. They’re only now being re-discovered and maintained by people like my above mentioned plasterwork instructor, who regrettably was only one of three graduates of her trade school last year — not nearly enough to sustain this niche art form and French national heritage.
5. Go to trade school!
Yes, this may sound a bit biased, but I met quite a handful of industrial design students at ICFF motivating this statement. They studied laser cutting, welding, 3D printing, and a mix of artisan handicrafts and blacksmithing. As a result, their education was hands-on and skill-intensive, a stark contrast to my own experience, which has mostly reading and theoretical study (I adore my programme, but welding sounds so fun :)).
As I’ve extensively written in various articles of mine, I worry that I’m part of a screen-addicted generation who can barely come up with original thoughts, much less produce something with our own hands. Practical skills that were once commonplace (and incredibly fulfilling) are now obsolete.
6. Be wary of over-customization.
Some people equate luxury with designer brands. However, I believe true luxury comes with specifically designing things to suit your taste, schedule, and lifestyle needs.
That said, it may be risky to overly customize homes, as designs can become obsolete, leading to homes that feel dated after just a few years. Furthermore, personalized smart devices might make it hard to sell in the future, as the new owners might:
- seek different levels of data privacy and connectivity,
- possess a different budget for existing system maintenance, or
- intend to upgrade the home with devices that are incompatible with existing systems.
The trick lies in designing a home with lasting appeal AND flexible, modern functionality.
7. Stealth wealth = off the grid living.
Moving onto a different type of luxury . . . Another subject that the Twitterverse is drooling over is homesteading and living in the wilderness, far from large cities. However, only a limited few can actually afford to live off the grid. Huge costs arise from:
- speciality appliances like batteries and heaters
- storing enough backup parts/components for your devices
- driveway maintenance and access to larger roads in inclement weather
- and most importantly, TIME for construction and maintenance.
I won’t provide a sample cost-breakdown, as everything differs by climate and location, but these expenses amount to thousands upon thousands of dollars annually. Nevertheless, terms like:
- modular homes: exceptionally durable prefabricated sections that are easy to customize, scale, and outfit with separate water and waste management infrastructure, and
- cross ventilation: fresh breezes flow in → gently sweeps to other side of the house creating a continuous air current
are gaining traction as ways to make off-the-grid living more affordable.
8. Baby Boomers want to retire in style.
Forget the Villages (Florida’s infamous retirement community) — as Baby Boomers age, there is a growing number of those interested in an elevated retirement lifestyle. This stems from this generations’ greater economic security, as they are living longer than previous generations, are more highly educated, and have more work experience. At the same time, higher divorce rates and more blended/combined families mean they possess weaker family ties and less caregiving support (Population Reference Bureau, 2016).
As someone who has dealt with assisted living scenarios for multiple family members, I understand that it is not an easy process, logistically or emotionally. Making these spaces more beautiful, even at a cost, can do wonders in uplifting so many people’s spirits. A need, therefore, arises for designers aware of specific safety and style design choices, such as chairs that don’t rock or bar carts with adjustable heights.
And with that . . . that’s everything that stood out to me at the 2024 International Contemporary Furniture Fair. I sincerely hope these observations introduced you to a new perspective on a field that is often dismissed for being unserious — with all the time we spend glued to our devices, interior design matters more than ever before.
