Interiors as global constructs: Framing culture and design discourses in a world of movement

At a time when ideas, people, and products move around the globe at unprecedented speeds and scales, interior architecture theory is called on to explore questions and practices that extend beyond the comfortable and the familiar. Instead, they allow for the exposure of “differences” and “biases,” translating into mediums for dialogues around the role of design in processes that can create marginalization and inequality. Exploring how interiors inform life in a world of movement adds new layers to our understanding of what it means to be human and complicates the questions scholars and designers need to be asking. In what ways does movement change the human experience of space and place? How are interiors impacting meaning-making processes? What are the implications of this understanding for theory development and how it can translate to education, policy, and practice? Answering these questions takes an interdisciplinary approach, one where design-related discourses are fused with knowledge from fields such as anthropology, sociology, philosophy, psychology, geography, and gender/ethnic studies.