All posts filed under: Lessons in Design

Domestic Anthropology

Domestic Anthropology and Interior Design

Well this sounds very serious doesn’t it? What is Domestic Anthropology? It’s the study of human behaviours and how our cultures, traditions and societal changes have affected how we use our homes. I’m fascinated by people, particularly how individuals and families interact, move around one another and within their four walls. Everything I’ve learned about people’s habits, pathways and needs in the home environment has been banked and informs all of my design. As the world evolves those needs change too and the world has moved on a great deal just over the past 24 months, so much so that it seems like everyone is extending, redecorating or remodelling to accommodate this societal shift. I’ve always viewed the home as a living entity, another family member; they age and change just like as we do. This anthropological interest in our domestic spaces helps me to focus on providing alternative and creative design solutions. I’m not interested in putting things where they’ve always been, because… “well that’s where the laundry rooms goes isn’t it?” Actually, if it …

MADE Adeline Stool

Kitchen Stools – Design Crimes Part 1

Hello everyone, how are you all? I hope you’re all coping and staying well. It’s been a really tough April here at Making Spaces HQ (still recovering from what we think was Covid), hence the lack of posting, but I’m trying to stay positive for May. And what better way to uplift everyone’s spirits than to write a trilogy of Design Crimes? Today it’s Part 1 – Kitchen Stools (Probably loads of better ways to be honest, but this has been on my list of blog posts to write for about two years, so that’s what you’re getting). Doing this job gives me a hyper critical eye on all things interiors. There is not one photo in my portfolio that I don’t completely pick apart, “I should have done this instead”, “Why did I do that?”… blah blah blah, yada yada. The learning curve I’ve been on over the last six years has been immense and it continues every day. What I love to do is share what I’ve learnt with you guys. So whilst this …

Proportion and Scale Interiors

The Use of Scale & Proportion in Interiors

It’s one i’ve been promising to write for AGES. And I did touch on it in last week’s post, but i’m getting more into the nitty gritty of what Scale and Proportion actually is and how we can use it in our interiors. Proportion and Scale Proportion is the relationship of sizes between different parts of a work. For example, how wide it is compared to how tall it is. Some proportions, such as the golden ratio and the rule of thirds, are thought to be more visually pleasing. Scale is the size of something compared to the world in general – an artwork might be termed miniature, small scale, full scale or life-size, large scale or larger than life, or monumental. Here’s a brilliant example of the use of Scale in design: The Original 1227 Anglepoise desk lamp in both its original size and the more recent edition the GIANT 1227, floor lamp version. The proportions are identical, as in how the components that make up the lamp relate to one another, size wise. …