By Shashi Caan, Allied ASID
Curiosity, imagination and a quest for discovery/improvement are intrinsic components of human nature. Design, connecting both the creative and rational sides of the human brain, embodies all of these while appealing to our need for self -expression and the search for beauty. Does design matter? Yes, it matters enormously.
It matters in its significance as a leading creative industry of the 21st century. It also matters in substance and content. Design gives shape and meaning to who and what we are, as well as to who we can become. In this, it is significant since each designer bears the responsibility to thoughtfully give shape and meaning to the behavior that is ultimately the end-product of all design outcomes.
The design of spaces and places bears an even greater responsibility. These environments provide visceral heavens which provide cues and impulses for each and every one of the human activities shaping society and culture. Design’s symbiotic relationship with the crafting of our interiors and the built world is particularly poignant because, as much as we do know, we know that we don’t know enough.
Today, World Interiors Day, is your day. Initiated by the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI), the “UN of Interiors,” World Interiors Day belongs to the world community of all and anyone who designs interiors. It is a special annual opportunity to pause, take stock and do something public to cause greater interior design consciousness. This day belongs to each and every designer who is passionate or who cares about the design of our interiors, environment, communities and cities. It is a day for reflection, discussion, debate and action. These are my ponderances for World Interiors Day 2013 … what are yours? #SpaceMatters
Shashi Caan, Allied ASID, is Founder and Principal of the Shashi Caan Collective, providing architecture, interior, workplace and product design solutions which focus on supporting people both pragmatically and qualitatively. She currently serves as President of IFI.
Photo courtesy of The Shashi Caan Collective.
