Back to basics in interiors education: The morphology of interior space

Abstract

Today, interior education is characterized by many and variegated approaches and interpretations. Worldwide it is a field in rapid transformation and in search of identity based upon vivid explorations of its theoretical underpinnings. Triggered by the rich perspectives offered within academia, and at the same observing an increased distance towards the everyday, material interior and its basic elements, the Interior Master Program of the Faculty of Design Sciences (University of Antwerp—Belgium) set up a explorative pilot studio: the Morphology of Interior Space. This studio addresses ‘lost’ knowledge and practices of interior design, aiming to re-actualize its elemental premises and promises. It revolves around a profound and critical investigation, rediscovery and reassessment of the basic elements of the material, enclosed interior—the door, floor, wall, ceiling and window—put in relation to phenomenological approaches. This particular format, this studio maintains, holds the key to novel insights in the domain of interiors. This paper explains and explores the studio practices of Morphology of Interior Space, sharing its structure, methodology, educational and disciplinary aims as well as its outcome exemplified by works of students.