This documentary with three episodes made me think about the outdating of our homes. There are new houses being
built to serve the needs of past centuries, for example the agricultural era, even though for most of us our lifestyles have changed a lot since then. All design can get outdated. That is the point of building new, to make it more relevant than before. What I think the future needs is: 1. More physical diversity indoors We sit too much because there are too many places we have to sit. The indoors could have the same mentality than outside in the nature, and have different layers, hills and pits. We could also for example add more standing desks and longer tables to hang out and be productive indoors for long hours while not having to sit. 2. Saving money and energy Many of us live in in too big apartments. 3. More village spirit We lack a sense of community, because our communication is more online than offline these days. We need to develop attractive meeting spots for suburbs and cities. There should be more a energy and cost efficient, small homes built in cities that have a public area, which brings the community together and to co-operate. Overall, changes in all areas of life can affect on how we should build new housing, and we should always be designing to for the life we live now and for the years to come and question the previous model.
Our environments build us as much as we build them. It has the power to control our movements and even affect our thoughts, therefore it's really important to think what do we want from our life when planning settings of it. It should reflect our values and make us better in anything we want to be better at. These things are not only work related, but also they can improve the overall quality of our lives in many ways. That's where hedonistic vs motivating thinking comes in. We don't always need to be comfortable to feel content. There are other ways to feel fulfilled than feeling comfortable. A motivating environment pushes us to reach our long term or intellectual goals, that a too comfortable room could hinder. For example, if you want to be able to draw well, your desk should be the most captivating thing in the room, with a good lighting - and to be the only option in the room. It's even better to make it a bit boring, that way there is more room for inner reflecting. Building a room like this is kinder to yourself in the long run, because it removes the struggle of resisting of just peeking what's on tv, and excessive, tiring hedonism.
But of course life is not all about work. It's as crucial to work to survive, than it is to enjoy Spring-time for example. When we know how to make a motivating environment, we can make a room that is completely the opposite - and make the effect feel even more powerful. The room that is comfortable, and would have no desk or a computer to stare at us is stress-relieving, because it removes the pressure to work. There is already some controversy when it comes to schools, where we come to develop ourselves. When we pay money, some learning centers have taken it as a responsibility make studying fun for us, which is counterproductive to what we want from the experience on a deeper level. In the end, we pay for the results and not the fun, so the simpler the room, and less of the distracting fun things, the better.
The solution for this is to make clear distinctions in the between the spaces we want to work or play. If we do this, we can enjoy both more fully.
I love this design, one of the best homes I've seen.
In Finland we tend to live too wide. It's not only wasteful - smaller spaces can feel more comfortable when the scale is right for human beings. Also, life happens outside your room. It's not healthy to be too comfortable in one location. You should have ambition to explore life outside your home as much as possible. If you don't have a reason for it, there is no point in paying for extra cubes of air.
Bedrooms in Japan. This is the difference between the interior design in North EU and Asia. In Japan, they don't waste space. Everything is accurately measured to meet the needs of the user, and nothing else. And it doesen't feel restrictive, just the opposite, it feels comfortable. It feels like when there is enough space for me to move and not excess, it's suprisingly welcoming. When a room has a clear purpose, it gives the person in it a clear purpose. Being a part of the decoration and therefore a part of something that someone thought for you. No tuna cans.
This photo is fascinating. He was a rich at the time yet sitting in an empty floor except for his notebooks and record player. This kind of room is luxury nowadays. More minimal decorating will become more and more popular in the future. It displays sophistication, empathy, and playfulness at the same time. And I like to think, what would had happened to his ideas, if the room was full?
Check out Ghislaine Vinas' works if you wanna see something cool.
I love it how I feel like each of the designs has a message, yet has an element of surreal beauty at the same time. I cant get enough of watching these. See more at Ghislaine Vinas website.
