Most designers tell you they learned to appreciate design at an early age. I did not. I learned to appreciate the value of design on the job — specifically, the job sites where Carolina and I renovated or built five different houses over a ten year period.
When we’re planning a house, we’re often trying to figure out what to do with the space. A simple example of that went something like this: Take a look at this picture:
Huh? Look at what? There’s nothing but an empty corner here.
Now look again:
Gee, wouldn’t it be nice to sit here and relax, maybe read a book for a few hours?
“Aha!” says the Engineer in the Left Brain: “Design is really engineering. Just like engineers tweak components and interactions to maximize their functional usefulness, interior designers do the same thing with all the components that go into a home.”
“You know, a more useful space is more valuable space,” chimes in the Wharton grad in the Left Brain.
But surely good design must be more than just engineering for “functional” usefulness, lest we go back to living in Stalinist concrete blocks? (Which weren’t very functional either, by the way. Trust me.) Look at the picture again and ask yourself: Is this a chair you’d want to sit in and relax for a few hours? Or would you be happier curling up into one of these?
Source: Google Images search for “armchair”
No matter what your style, the right chair will make you want to relax in it, not to mention feel good about yourself for having such great taste. The wrong chair will inevitably elicit an “I can’t believe my husband/wife/mom/dad/grandmother bought that thing” whenever you see it. In other words, good design should make you happy.
When you walk into a space and everything feels right, it’s because somebody designed it correctly for you. The space should be useful, and you should feel happy when you’re there. That’s why design matters.
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