The importance of good design

A well designed, for our purposes, work space

I find myself pondering this subject often. It is so easy to spot a bad design but how do you come up with a good one. What makes a good design?



My usual design thinking is usually around how our living spaces work. A messy area is usually an area that is poorly designed for it's current function. If a small table is always buried in stuff you have to question why. Laziness is often a factor but it is often the same items again and again. If it's too much hassle to put them away in the correct place then perhaps they need a new place to be. Or perhaps that table shouldn't be there waiting to be filled. Or perhaps there is no better option for the time being.

I've noticed that the older I get the more I evaluate these things. I consider different ideas often over weeks at a time. And when it feels right I know that I have hit upon the correct solution. And then I think some more. Just in case I can tweak it into something better. For example, when I see a mess I don't instantly think 'we need more storage'. Well, not anymore! I consider if what we have is appropriate for our needs, if what we have can be used in a better way. At the end of the day we may well need better storage. But perhaps we just need less stuff.

Good design is not just for the wealthy who can afford interior decorators. Good design is about making your space work for you with what you have.

I often read the blog, DesignMom. One of her series is called living with kids where you get to nose around other peoples houses. Whilst many of them are scarily white it is interesting to see how people have designed their homes to suit the needs of their family.