Residential Architecture vs. Interior Design - Tug of War?

Irwin Weiner ASID - I can tell when a home has been decorated by an architect. There's usually a precise, masculine rigidity to the interior space that isn't present in a home utilizing a professional interior designer. Decorators know how to relate a space to the individual needs of a client, and most of all, how to facilitate comfortable, everyday living needs. I've often said that a well designed interior should look lived-in, like it's always been there. Architects who "do interior design" oftentimes create a CAD model of how the interior should look without referencing the human factor and the need for harmony, mood, proportion, scale, and other variables. I chose today's video on a contemporary Estonian architect's home design in the woods to illustrate the point. The talented architect, Indrek Allmann, is frank with us when he details all the work and research and effort he put into the exterior design of the home - but how the interior falls short. I did, however, like the elevation of the home's foundation so that views of nature from the interiors show two-thirds forest and trees and one-third sky; a great touch.

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Comments

[Muurstickers]

Very nice article. I can understand the meaning behind the difference between architects and decoraters. Perhaps they should work together to benefit from both skill sets?