8 Interior Design Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Interior design has a great deal of overlap with other fi elds such as architecture, graphic design, landscape design, and social sciences (for example, environmental psychology). Interior design—at its best and simplest— is a practical art, a successful business, and an application of psychology to human needs. The Compelling Value of Interior Design The value of interior design is multidimensional and complex. By nature its value is hidden, unnoticed, and private—even when it is public. Only a limited number of people see any given interior, and they usually do not notice it when it works. The nation is evolving into more design awareness and appreciation of the relative beauty or ugliness of the built environment—hence the avid interest in design websites. The value of interior design is often analyzed fi rst on how well the spaces function for whom they are designed. For example, can the user accomplish the task he or she needs to perform in the kitchen, offi ce, or hotel lobby? Does the user have to walk too many steps to move from one room to another? Can the user reach an object in an overhead cupboard? “ Interior design comprises a relatively small segment of the entire building industry, but its impact is enormous. From homes to hospitals, restaurants to retail stores, schools to state houses, interior design directs and infl uences the look, the feel, the quality and the functionality interior environments we move in every day.”theof ASID State of the Industry Report, 2012 People also perceive the value of interior design in terms of how they feel in a well-designed interior space—their comfort or the warmth in the space. They can discuss their responses to the aesthetics of the space and its beauty. Therefore, its value equates to feelings and emotions experienced in the interior space that previously were merely dreams. Interior design is the only profession dedicated to altering the way people perceive the immediate environment. In a way, interior design shapes spaces that reassure people they matter. STUDENT SPOTLIGHT Carrie Zwisler: “To me, the value of interior design is its ability to form environments and experiences that can both consciously and unconsciously change your life. Living in a well- designed environment can have a tremendous impact on your emotional, mental, and physical health—the same way living in a poorly designed environment can have an incredibly large negative impact. People often overlook interior design’s ability to shape productive, healthy, positive, and beautiful environments.” Lauren Richards: “In the design world, possibilities are endless. Once a creative idea comes to mind, a designer can place that thought into a real-world application. The beauty of this concept is that anything can be an inspiration for a design. Anything: seen, unseen, felt, read, and heard can be translated and applied to a design. Specifically for interior design, I value the understanding that the design of a space has complete effect on the users. From the fi rst initial idea, which was then manipulated into a physical structure, now impacts the user’s human behavior in every aspect.” Jason Schleisman: “Interior design is something that shapes my everyday life in ways that I often take for granted. Actively conscious of them or not, infl uences created by design are present in all spaces I occupy whether at home, school, work, or elsewhere. From the utensils I use to eat with, to how I access my kitchen from the way my desk is illuminated, to how I am guided from a building’s entry to an office, interior design shapes the way I think, feel, and act. Because these infl uences, sometimes very subtle, have such an impact on my overall behavior, I fi nd the power of design to be of tremendous value in fostering not only my own intangible personal well-being, but that of others, too. Sharing this power by creating spaces that enhance quality of life for others is something I fi nd meaningful.” Perspectives on the Value of Interior Design