The chapter ‘Inhabited Space: Critical Theories and the Domestic Interior’ by Alexa Griffith Winton analyzes interior design in three parts. The first part of the chapter analyzes the interior as a transition space as it leads from the outside to the inside. The second part of the analyses deals with the objects, decorations, furnishings, and other aspects which fill out the interior space. The third part of the chapter analyzes the interior as a space of people, activities, and experiences. Winton points out that the interior space as a threshold between the outside and the inside world is always approached by creating a sense of comfort. Designing a comfortable interior is the first aspect taken into consideration. Winton also analyzes how the changes in the use of material and architectural techniques altered the ways in which the interior is designed and decorated. For example the use of glass and concrete allowed for the modernist architectural interior design spaces to exist. Moreover, the use of glass also shows the change in people’s ideologies as the interior space was no longer considered as a private space but by use of glass it is being shared with the outside world. There was certain sense of transparency that came with the use of glass. Moreover, Winton analyzes the works of notable historians which show new ways of understanding interior space and design. For instance, the objects and furnishings within the interior also reveal relationship dynamics and other life aspects of the people who dwell within those spaces. Thus, the connections between people and the places of interior dwellings are very complex and intricate.
Works Cited
Winton, Alexa Griffith. “Inhabited Space: Critical Theories and the Domestic Interior.” Brooker, Lois Weinthal and Graeme. The Handbook of Interior Architecture and Design. New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2013. 40-49.