Design Overload: An Editorial On The Trend of Visually Over-Caffeinated Interiors

I have been a professional Interior Designer for thirty-two years now, and after all that time, I still find immense pleasure in doing what a Designer does. One of the compelling aspects of Design for me is that of creating a space appropriate and pleasing for the user. In a residence, this involves providing a space that is attractive while being comfortable, calming balancing, and nurturing.  I like to think of home as shelter from the storm of our hectic lives.  In an office, it is desirable to create space that is enjoyable to be in while simultaneously inspiring the user to create optimum work.

Over the years, I have seen lots of design trends.  Personally, I seldom design to trends, believing my clients are better served by a design personalized to who and where they are in their lives. But still, I am aware of trends and do use them, as appropriate, for each client on an individual basis.

Having both residential and commercial clients, I subscribe to several national magazines as a means to stay informed of new products. Recently, an issue in Contract magazine pointed out a trend that I find disturbing. I call this trend the “Visually Over-caffeinated  Interior”. This issue had articles of several featured office space interiors.  As I looked at the photos of the featured interiors, I became distressed to notice the trend toward frenetic design.

Even looking at photos of these projects created sensory overload for me. Everywhere I looked I saw pattern and color and shape and texture. I felt that unrelated design elements were placed at random for their “coolness” factor rather than their “humanness” factor. It’s kind of like design after a six-pack of Red Bull.

I really appreciate the “WOW” factor. But, in a human space this should be balanced with a calm, reflective space.

In my own design projects, I use negative space as a means for creating emphasis and visual flow. Negative space is the quiet, seemingly unused space between design elements. This allows your brain to regroup and be able to really “look at” what you want it to. When you ask your brain to look at a whole lot of things at once, there is the tendency not to be able to see it all and appreciate the individuality of each element. I can use the analogy of eating dinner to explain what I’m talking about. Dinner seems much more appetizing when salad comes out first. After salad, you enjoy your entrée on another plate, and finally dessert after all else, again on it’s own plate. When I looked at the “over-caffeinated” interiors, it’s like all the food was thrown on one plate, with the desert on top. Not very appetizing, I think, to have to search to differentiate between salad and dessert.

Is my observation due to my age? Of course.  Today’s ADD lifestyle is extremely hectic, much more than I sometimes enjoy. But I contend that the need for quiet downtime to regenerate and nurture our selves is being neglected. Batteries must be recharged if we expect them to continue to provide energy. Why do we neglect the same need in ourselves? I think that people, particularly those younger than forty, have come to expect everything they experience to be high energy in an effort to keep themselves perpetually entertained. Is major burnout looming? Probably, but who can say for sure?

It was with some trepidation that I opened the following issue of Contract (May 2012) to see what they were touting as good design in this issue.  “Oh my,” I think. “Maybe things aren’t as dire as I thought”. I admit to feeling relief as I perused the article on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Campus in Seattle, Washington.  This office seems to be littered with attractive, quiet meditative places to brainstorm and let the creative juices flow, either individually or in a group. With pleasure I read the quote from the Foundation’s CAO, Martha Choe, “Our new location gives staff and partners a place to do their best work with the ultimate goal of giving all people a chance to live a healthy and productive life”. I sighed with relief. The design world still has some sanity and purpose left.

Our work environments and our homes are where we spend most of our time. Do yours suit your needs, not only functionally, but also aesthetically, providing a place for you to rejuvenate and create?

<This is an article I wrote back in June that is published on EZineArticles.com>