Despite the remarkable success achieved during his lifetime, the Belgian self–made designer and interior architect Jules Wabbes (1919–1974) is still poorly represented whether in museum collections or in interior design history. However, he is now being acknowledged as a multi–talented creator and for his particular vision of interior design and space. Wabbes believed design is a construction of meaning for life, advocating responsible design. The intention of this paper is to: (1) interpret to what extent Wabbes’ interiors were based on a personal conception of interiors as total works of art and (2) to reflect on his high–quality furniture as contributing to interior concepts. On the basis of the available writings and mainly on his body of work, our goal is to portray his practice as interior designer. Our research perspective stems from a concept present in all of his works, design quality, and attitudes, from which we can derive the main thesis of this paper: for Jules Wabbes, each piece of furniture or decorative object should hold value in itself in order to be integrated in an ensemble, creating an atmosphere of well–being and fruition of space, in literal and metaphoric terms. On the basis of the simplicity of forms and flawless manufacture, his work exemplifies a feeling of timeless aesthetics. Case studies include Wabbes’ own home and two public interiors: Live at School as at Home, and Drugstore Louise.

Twenty–first century energy concerns related to climate change and fossil fuel depletion have triggered a transformation in how buildings are conceived and executed. New paradigms emphasize integrated perspectives and collaborative processes as a means to achieve high performance/low–energy buildings. The human side of the energy equation is identified as an emergent area of practice; this is supported by literature indicating value in considering issues such as behaviors and comfort. This paper argues that interior design's interdisciplinary foundations—design of the near environment, environment–behavioral sciences, and interior building systems—uniquely position the discipline to develop a role around human factors in energy consumption in buildings. The argument is developed by examining integrated design practice frameworks that encourage collaborative teamwork, inclusive of the end user, and that emphasize predesign efforts that are decisive in determining the energy profile of a building. Daylighting design serves as a narrative to establish a conceptual orientation and method of practice; specific examples and research demonstrate instances throughout the design process where an occupant–centered focus makes important contributions to overall design intent. Implications to the profession and practice include a human–centered approach to sustainable design, and expanded areas of research and practice.

Recently there has been a growing international interest in the history of interior design. Danish design owes much of its international renown to a few prominent architects and their iconic products. One of them was Finn Juhl, who earned an international reputation mainly through his elegant furniture design. However, an important aspect of his work has received virtually no attention: his seminal work as a visionary teacher and leader at the school for professional interior design in Copenhagen in the 1940s and 1950s. Harald Willerup, architect as well, and Juhl's equally visionary predecessor, had initiated this work in 1934, but has remained largely unknown. This article offers a historiographical mapping of the professional education of Danish interior designers in the period from 1934 to 1955—a subject, which has so far remained unexposed. Despite the fact that the leading figures and pioneers of the education of interior design were men, the students were almost exclusively women. The article seeks to explain this and to explain the consequences for the general image of the profession. The research into the development of interior design education in Denmark shows how the change of leadership from Willerup to Juhl resulted in a shift in the educational focus from functional and social issues toward a greater focus on aesthetics. The fact remains, however, that this work was informed by prevalent functionalist ideas at the time. A particularly fascinating aspect of the Danish history of interior design education is the hard struggle its pioneers had to fight cultural prejudice and conventional thinking.

A clear understanding of design strategies for the enhancement of building safety and security has never been more important for interior designers to comprehend than in recent times. Natural disasters, terrorism, and workplace violence represent but a few of the dangers, which threaten our built environments in unimaginable ways, and jeopardize the foundations of society and personal welfare. The application of building codes and life–safety regulations alone are no longer enough to mitigate for unforeseen disasters. Further practices and methodologies must be introduced in academic institutions to prepare future practitioners for the challenges that await them relative to designing for the safety and security of building occupants, particularly in commercial structures. This exploratory pedagogical study postulates that interior design students who employ safety and security strategies in applied scenarios retain a deeper understanding of the difference between building codes and supplementary techniques relative to enhanced protection of building occupants. This paper advocates for the use of charrette as an instructional method in studio–based coursework to reinforce a contextual understanding of safety and security concepts, and urges educators to be cognizant of charrette as a teaching approach to effectively assess student learning outcomes as well as potentially impact the body of knowledge.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, state governments commissioned capitols, libraries, and other public buildings. These monumental buildings were frequently conceptualized and designed by architects trained in the Beaux–Arts tradition, such as George Post (Wisconsin State Capitol), Charles McKim (Boston Public Library), and Richard Hunt (Chicago Administration Building). The architects’ training in the French academic system is reflected throughout their planning, exterior structure, and interior. While hierarchies are known in Beaux–Arts buildings and theorized to be related to pre–existing American social or political hierarchies, questions remain when interiors as a specialization has focus. What meanings of the interiors emerge beyond style and function, when taking a French Beaux–Arts academic view? What obscure ranking and ordering classification allowed finishes to be systematically assigned? How did this system relate to style and stature of rooms? What similarities of motifs are present when room and furniture hierarchy are considered? In what manner might an interior design plan of a Beaux–Arts trained architect integrate modern elements of their day forming a genre fitting America? These become essential questions when one's purpose is to understand the rationale underlying the comprehensive interior design plan of an American Beaux–Arts building. Through furniture types—a single design system within the architect's holistic interior plan—one understands the unification and yet discernment of rooms. Drawing upon a paramount form, designed en suite, this paper analyzes the hierarchy of tables in the Wisconsin State Capitol. Inquiry into a principal design element of the interior finish offers reinterpreted and new meanings for the field's consideration. The study presents findings that applied a postmodern research methodology combining practice, material culture analysis, and historical techniques. Data were derived from (1) direct observation of extant physical objects, (2) photographs from the original era, (3) documents from the architect's firm, and (4) literature pertaining to the topic. Findings clearly demonstrate that George Post integrated a French academic architectural ranking and ordering classification within an American democratic infrastructure. He methodically assigned finishes to departmental offices based on function and stature of governmental performance and organization. Further, the architect communicated intended meanings through a hierarchy of styles, materials, and construction variations. Additionally, he integrated both modern and historic stylistic elements; designing in both genres and applying both types of elements in a consistent pattern. The findings and methods offer ways to accurately portray an evident hierarchy, thus uncovering what might seem obscure when studying and restoring historical buildings or if using traditional document analysis alone. Interpretations offer relationships of room and furniture incorporating stylistic elements (motifs, scale, proportion, color), types of materials, and construction variations for each room category. As a collective whole, room and furniture reinforce monumental meaning to the building. These meanings reinforce the rationale permeated in classicism. Added to the materiality and physicality, we uncover beliefs, values, and cultural preferences of American Beaux–Arts architects in social terms as well.

Opinion: a judgment or assessment thought out but open to dispute Belief: a state of mind about a phenomenon based on trust or faith Knowledge: information or understanding of facts gained through study, investigation, observation, or experience Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (2005) Those who know me have likely witnessed that I am a person with strong opinions. Through my personal lens of experience and study, I have opinions which I am rarely hesitant to share. It is my concern and my opinion that graduate education in interior design is in jeopardy because it is not sufficiently valued by the profession or university administration. It is also my opinion that we as design educators have not served graduate education well. The lack of coherence, collaboration, productivity, or visibility of North America’s many graduate programs in interior design have too often caused the outside observer to ask, with no small amount incredulity, ‘‘What does one do with a graduate degree in interior design?’’ Or, even worse, ‘‘Really? You can get a master’s degree and Ph.D. in Interior Design?’’ About the undergraduate programs, my all time favorite: ‘‘It takes four years?’’ (Emphasis in the originals). Such exclamations are not confined to any component of the ignorant masses that may never have thought about or employed a licensed designer. It was not long ago that I ran into a former client, who is a highly successful Harvard lawyer, who was stunned and asked those very questions when I told him about my career taking an academic turn, a pathway requiring multiple advanced degrees. This, from a client for whom I designed three progressively larger offices over several years as he and his colleagues moved up the ladder of success. During our many years of association, I had clearly failed to educate him about the value and reality of his designed work environment. I now believe he thought I just had good taste and necessary connections with the furniture industry. Sadly, I believe this perception is not uncommon. Even more disconcerting was my own university’s (president, provost, and dean’s) recent decision to eliminate our fledgling doctoral program in design (without consulting any of the students or faculty). It is my opinion that such a decision and action was made because even they did not understand the value of design and the need for research that informs design decisions. It is not difficult to understand how they arrived at this misinformed opinion: low dollar volume in grants, research, and publication when compared to the typical productivity in the ‘‘hard sciences.’’ Severe budget cuts at the state level have made it increasingly difficult for public universities to adequately support or even maintain programs such as interior design that do not typically secure external funding. It is a simple equation: Low revenue stream +lack of understanding of the discipline =high probability of elimination.