Looking Beyond Style

A large and vital part of life—some 87% —occurs inside buildings. Life begins and ends indoors. We raise families, work, eat, listen, argue, fall in and out of love, learn, get sick and convalesce, all within interiors.

Buildings provide shelter - that is their fundamental purpose. But without character - that which recognises and touches the humanity of the people inside - a building is nothing more than a structure. Whether we realise it or not, our quality of life is impacted by the atmosphere and functionality of the spaces where our life unfolds. Every space we inhabit has the potential to give us far more than shelter- that is the imperative that drives interior design.

When I was seven years old, my family moved to Germany. During the five years we were there, we lived in four homes, all of them rented. This meant we had to make do with the limitations of each house. The favourite ‘room’ of my entire childhood was in the last of these: my brother and I shared the unrenovated attic space that had all the cast-off furniture my parents had collected. The space was raw: silver foil insulation exposed on the ceiling, floors of bare chipboard, and a roof that was sloped at a dramatic angle. It was heavenly, a place where I could do as I pleased. So, decades before I took on my career in design, I spent blissful days creating entire houses within that attic space. I constantly experimented with the layout, the colours, textures, scale, patterns and lighting, and I was captivated discovering how the same shell could feel so significantly different.

While beauty that occurs naturally is mesmerising, beauty is also ours to shape, and that is the part that I revel in. Just like an exquisite painting, a well-designed interior has a life and vitality of its own. It energises and inspires, empowering us to live our lives to the fullest. Inhabiting a place you love and working in a space that is uplifting, is vital to living a happy and fulfilled life.

In Australia, we consume more interior design magazines per capita than any other nation, and the design and renovation shows that we view on our screens are among the highest-rated on television. The question thus arises as to why our cities and suburbs remain filled with a mass of uninspiring structures and spaces that are entirely lacking in character and liveliness.

The common approach to design encourages us to establish a specific look and decorate in line with the current trends. However, this approach disregards the essence of what and who interiors are for: human beings. Each of us is different, complex, and even contradictory. Because we are unique, it is inconceivable that any of us—each one bearing our very own history, needs, aspirations, and drive—could ever be served by a generic or universal style. Yet ‘trends’ and ‘looks’ are invariably passed to us, delivering on the ongoing consumption patterns that retailers want to unload.

Just as our values, beliefs and quirks make each of us exceptional, a truly stunning interior should depict you precisely as who you are: a unique, idiosyncratic, and unpredictable person, frequently unorthodox and at times eclectic. We humans share 99.9% of the DNA of every other human, with that critical remaining 0.1% making us unique. The same applies to interiors: buildings comprise the same basic structural elements. What creates a stunning interior is how these elements are combined in relation to one another.

Divining this singular 0.1% involves empathy, sensitivity, and the ability for profound and quality listening. A great interior designer’s creative process begins with truly understanding the people who will occupy and use the space. Curiosity is one of the most important characteristics a designer can possess: real interest in the client and their needs, as well as insatiable curiosity in exploring innovative ways to best meet these. An engaging, exceptional interior has a vivid spirit. The best interior design has the power to reshape the mundane and intensify the richness and flavour of life.

Kate Challis