The Hardcore Business of Aesthetics
The two living rooms in the pictures above are in many ways completely identical. Actually, the only difference between them is aesthetic. Take a moment to think about, how significant this difference is, to the stories these spaces tell.
Who do you think lives in these homes? What are their interests, beliefs and values? How do they see themselves and the world they live in? Of course, you don’t know any of this, but you probably have an idea just by looking at their homes - which you probably perceive as quite different.
But if you take a closer look, you’ll see that the two spaces are also very similar - they contain exactly the same types of objects: chairs, tables, bookshelves, rugs and lamps. If you were to write a design brief, describing these two spaces, the descriptions of the functional and practical demands would be identical. The two buildings are even from the same time period, and both spaces have certain classical qualities to them. But how would you describe the aesthetic qualities that make the two spaces different? Which terms would you use?
When we design interior spaces we must accommodate many different demands, and some of them are easier to describe than others. Functional requirements and budgets are easy to specify. Demands like “We need 100 seats in the restaurant” or “Our budget is 1000 € per square meter” cannot be misunderstood.
Brands and organisations are like people - they have identities. And the aesthetics of their interior spaces represent brands and organisations, just like homes represent people.
But when the conversation starts to revolve around aesthetic demands, it suddenly becomes a bit tricky. And that’s because aesthetics cannot be described with objective terms like quantities, centimetres, and euros. Demands like “We want a beautiful restaurant” or “It has to be a cool store” can basically mean anything; because we often have different understandings of what ‘beautiful’ and ‘cool’ means.
At Morning Studio we’ve developed a design method that makes it possible for us to discuss aesthetics with our clients in a more competent way. It allows us to help clients identify and specify aesthetic requirements, so they become understandable and shareable for everyone involved.
Demands like “We want a beautiful restaurant” or “It has to be a really cool store” can basically mean anything; because we often have very very different understandings of what ‘beautiful’ and ‘cool’ means.
We believe that it’s important to handle aesthetic qualities just as deliberately and meticulously as we handle functional demands and budgets. Aesthetic choices must be well-considered and substantiated, because aesthetic qualities reveal significant traits and characteristics about the people, brands and organizations they represent. They also reveal how they these people brands and organizations think of the world around them – their clients and employees.
If you’re not convinced, look at the two living rooms above again - and remember that the only difference between them is aesthetic. And think about how significant this difference is, to the stories these spaces tell.
Brands and organizations are like people - they have identities. And the aesthetics of interior spaces represent brands and organizations, just like homes represent people. So, handle aesthetics as the hardcore business it is. Or let me help you do it.