Chapter 1 The Value of Interior Design 19 Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. is a distraction-free environment which eliminates background noise, activity, bright colors, and the fl icker and hum of fl uorescent lights. This is at odds with the trend today for collaborative workplaces. Emerging more recently is the concept of socially benefi cial design. This movement concerns ■ the way problems and needs are defi ned ■ how solutions are developed ■ how those solutions are implemented For example, suppose a rural downtown area is no longer attracting the community. Through a process, town leaders identify the problem and needs and address them through design. The community develops a new town center boasting a gathering space for different age groups that invites new life into the downtown. The goal is to avoid shallow design concepts and instead evoke societal change. Critical skills for socially benefi cial design include the ability to prioritize and to be empathetic. With the help of designers, communities can address social issues of those who are homeless, who have fewer advantages, and those with physical limitations. This is one area in which the younger generation is going to change the world by caring. Ethnic and Societal Identity Interior design shapes spaces that reassure people of all cultures that they matter. Communal spaces in many countries refl ect self, family values, gender, class, cultural heritage, and religious affi liations. The home may serve as a sacred space (religion), a small kitchen for personal space (gender), and a large place in which families eat together (social). The interior spaces that hold belongings—both group and individual—capture ethnic and social identity. Interior spaces foster kinship and familiarity because they encourage interaction and exchange of ideas. The conscious design of these spaces celebrates cultural diversity and, if acceptable, individuality, Figure 1-10. The practice of interior design is a unique, ever-chang- ing, fun, and innovative discipline. It is a business, an art, a study of people, a unique way of thinking, Figure 1-11. It involves intense problem-solving skills as well Photographee.eu/Shutterstock.com Figure 1-10 The design of a space that fosters kinship and familiarity helps provide comfort and reassurance to clients. What social values does the design of this space affi rm?