Ok so full disclosure I don’t know exactly what dopamine décor is. I haven’t read a single article and I don’t want to. The term ‘dopamine décor’ is all I need to know to know I don’t like it. So this post is about how to avoid the dopamine decor trend.
Dopamine is not the sole aim of interior design
In case you don’t know dopamine is a hormone. According to WebMD it’s ‘a complex hormone and neurotransmitter that affects emotions, behaviour, and movement. It plays a major role in how we feel pleasure.’
While we all want to feel pleasure, my question is do we want to be in a permanent state of pleasure? Isn’t that what would happen in a dopamine decor space?
If we feel pleasure all the time what does that do to our other moods and hormones?
The aim of interior design is so much more complicated than providing a dopamine hit. But I do think space is the place where pleasure can happen.
Doing pleasurable things, based on functionality is the key to successful interior design. If a space isn’t functional dopamine décor is void.
Function is key to interior design
In all my work the big wins come from making a space more functional. Then comes the aesthetics.
For example taking the stand up work function away from my client’s kitchen in Moonee Ponds, into a purpose built stand up built in desk in the living area.
Or creating three functional zones in my Southbank apartment interior styling project. The three zones were dining, TV watching and sitting.
Optimising the space and providing my client with different areas to do different pleasurable activities such as dinner parties, binging watching, reading or chatting with mates over a whiskey.
Also changing the orientation of the kitchen layout in my Northcote project to enable the creaton of a breakfast bar for the entire family of four. Previously the breakfast bar only accommodated two people.
These changes to space provide a pleasurable response because they are functional.
Interior design principles
There are five interior design principles. These are different to the interior design elements. The interior design principles are;
Balance
Rhythm & Repetition
Emphasis
Proportion & Scale
Harmony.
Harmony is the ultimate goal in interior design not a dopamine. Dopamine décor relies on colour psychology to illicit a response. Colour is powerful in interior design but only one of the seven elements.
All seven interior design elements and five interior design principles need to be considered and present in a space for a successful outcome.
You might be aware that I’m not a fan of trends. Trends distract people from creating a space that truly reflects their own individual interior design story.
Everyone is unique, everyone has a favourite colour or colours. Why follow trends such as dopamine décor when your home is most likely the only place where you can truly be yourself?
Most people like elements of different interior styles but the furniture sets I have created are designed to be cohesive and create harmony in your home.
This way you can undertake whatever pleasurable experiences you want. Creating a unique space is the best way to avoid the dopamine decor trend.
