Reading · Editions by Natalie Walton

Edition No. 14

Is it time to have an honest conversation about what’s happening in the world of interiors right now?

A pattern is starting to emerge.

Recently I’ve been working with a range of clients who have complete architectural plans for their home, but something is “missing”.

They have come to me because they should be ready to start building works, but their instinct is telling them that the design is not quite right.

More often than not, it doesn’t reflect them.

They are right to pause. Building and renovating is a huge investment.

As homeowners and designers alike, we face a new challenge when creating our homes.

Let me explain…

I have spent twenty years working in the interiors industry — from writing about homes to styling them for magazines and my books, and designing spaces for my own projects and clients.

It’s been interesting to see how social media — and the sheer volume of interiors we’re exposed to every day — has both lifted the standard of design and, paradoxically, made it more generic in some ways.

It seems everyone wants a space that’s photograph-worthy.

Designers want images they can share on social media, and across their websites.

They want to create spaces that help them get featured in publications, make Top Designer lists, and build their reputation (and client base).

What cut through five years ago, doesn’t today.

Interiors have to work harder. They need to be more unexpected. More memorable. They need to breakthrough.

It reminds me of the optimisation movement in self-improvement, which is increasingly coming into question and seems to be reaching a tipping point of fatigue.

Today it seems that our homes need to be optimised. Every room needs a moment. Every detail needs to surprise. Every corner needs to photograph beautifully.

And I wonder if we’re starting to feel the fatigue.

The Pinterest Problem

Pinterest remains one of the primary sources of inspiration for most designers and homeowners. This is both a gift, and a problem. It’s free, easy, and a never-ending source of inspiration at your fingertips. But it also means that everyone is drawing from the same pool of ideas. That’s why we now see a proliferation of checkerboard tiles, arched doorways, rounded niches and ceramic wall lights… None of these features are inherently “bad”. I’ve used some of them myself. But when everyone uses the same ideas at the same time, we quickly tire of them as a collective. For the homeowner who has incorporated multiple ideas with the same time stamp into their spaces, they can be left with an expensive kitchen or bathroom that looks very 2026. Then what? It’s ripped out a few years later, and all that money spent has gone. And landfill piles around the world groan a little more.

The Counter Movement

In what seems to be a reaction to ‘The Pinterest Problem’, another movement has emerged. These are designers who seem to run counter to what everyone else is doing. Rather than drawing from Pinterest, they create designs from increasingly niche references. This is the home of rare Austrian dining chairs and esoteric mid-century Brazilian ceramics. Design becomes a form of cultural currency. The more obscure the references, the more they signal expertise. Design magazines love it. But what do these designed homes tell us of the homeowner who lives within?

The Desire To Be Different

There was a time when many homes looked the same because of a lack of suppliers, especially in Australia. This was before online shopping opened up the world. As a magazine stylist, I could almost recite the Ikea catalogue — from the Expedit shelving unit to the Billy bookcase, Malm bed and Lack side table. I remember countless homes with the same rolled-arm navy blue Freedom sofa, and later the same faux suede modular. Today we have more choice than ever before. Ironically, many of our homes still end up looking surprisingly alike. The difference is that instead of everyone following one look, many are following different trends. Playful patterns, bold colours, ‘granny core’… Is this all borne from The Desire To Be Different? I can understand. We want our homes to feel special, and look different. But once someone catches onto an idea, it seems to spread quickly. Before long, what felt daring and different now feels familiar and common place. And again we’re looking for that next hit — an idea or chance to create something new.

A Radical Idea

Here’s a radical idea. What if we created homes to reflect who we are, rather than what everyone else is doing?

What if we gathered inspiration, but filtered it through the lens of what matters most to us?

What if we chose carefully and for the long game — ideas and spaces that speak less about what we ‘see’ and more about what we value?

It’s not always easy. I get as excited about someone pushing creative boundaries as the next designer. And I enjoy the challenge too. But somewhere along the way, I wonder if we’re missing the point.

Is design currently too focussed on the image, over the experience?

Our homes are not created for the gaze of others. They are spaces that need to support our lives.

And this is the ultimate test. The real measure of what makes a home beautiful is not whether it photographs beautifully. It’s how you feel when you step through the front door. This is what I strive for in my home, and how I try to help my clients too.

Dear Reader: Is this the conversation we need to be having? Have we tipped too far towards creating interiors for the gaze of others?

Have We Gone Too Far?

Comments