If you are like me, the way you organize your room says more about you than your astrology sign. Anyone that walks into my room will immediately find out that I am moderately organized, I enjoy the occasional glass of Whiskey and that I try to impress people with my bookshelf of things that I have not read (except for the Batman comics). Every time I've moved into a new student housing situation these things in my room would come with me. I've staged my room so many times in the last 6 years that I could do it in my sleep (at least 12 times or more). However, no mater how similar the rooms have been, I always place things in a different order every time. I've never thought about why until reading the Structure of Ordinary. The reasons for these changes can be traced all the way back to the design of the building itself. The placement of my personal belongings responds to the arrangement of furniture in my room. The furniture is arranged in response to the door swings and the next level of permeance, the interior partitions. The arrangement of these partitions responds to the initial layout of the buildings structure. The way these rooms are initially designed will end up impacting the daily life of person who will control the space. These levels of organization end up creating a butterfly affect that frames the creativity of the future tenant. There is structure in the ordinary and its up to us to make sure that decisions we make in design allow for the most flexibility for the future users. The true beauty of these spaces come when the user feels comfortable and free to turn the space into there own, even if its with those cheesy frat boy lights.
I agree with you for once Kev. I generally feel way more at home in a place whenever I am able to bring my astoundingly larger that yours book collection and any of the other way cooler than Batman comic book things that I have collected over the years. Definitely bringing in things that matter to you is what makes a space feel more like home, not necessarily how its designed, although that helps. Also having lived with you, I would say you're more than moderately organized, more like psychopath level.
ReplyDeleteI also agree, but not for once like Aaron, this may be the second of third time maybe that we have agreed. I think having freedom to create our residences (whether short term or long term) with our own touch really brings forward the purpose of residential spaces. However, the places where I lived both first and second year of undergrad had a lot of built-in-furniture which conflicts a bit with your point. On one hand, built in storage/furniture can be nice to save space, but it does limit personal touches. I wonder what the balance is with giving the resident a "blank canvas" vs providing features in a home.
ReplyDeleteKevin I like how you related the article to your own room, I wonder if you will consider the way you organize and define spaces when you are moving somewhere long term, like when you buy a house that is a blank canvas with no furniture will the house or the furniture (that you will buy) influence the organization??
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting post Kevin. As I was reading it I was thinking back to my past rooms and I also have seemingly placed furniture into my rooms thinking "it has to go here" without thinking about why i felt that way. I wonder, just as Rachel did above, how that will come to pass as I get a house and there are no preconceived ideas on organization. How will that space differ from the spaces previously? Maybe i'll just pile everything up in the center and sit on top of it.
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