Design Thinking for Interiors: Inquiry + Experience + Impact

Take a holistic approach to contemporary interior design.

The interior design process is changing. In order to create truly engaging work, designers are developing a deeper and broader understanding of how design theory, research, and existing practice can help them make better decisions. This inquiry provides answers on how design is experienced, and its impact over time.

At the same time, the profession is becoming increasingly collaborative. Designers today work closely with other professionals―such as architects, landscape designers, product designers, anthropologists, and business consultants―in new ways, engaging an expanding network of experts in the design process more than ever before.

Written by renowned scholars Joy Dohr and Margaret Portillo, the book brings interior design theory and research to life utilizing a narrative inquiry approach that offers highly accessible coverage of the interior design world as it exists today. By looking at real-life stories that demonstrate what makes a memorable design, coupled with photographs and drawings to further illustrate these concepts, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in keeping abreast of interior design in the twenty-first century.

JOY DOHR, PhD, is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she also was chair of design studies and an associate dean of academic affairs. Dohr presents, writes, and consults on interior design education at graduate and undergraduate levels. She is past president and a Fellow of the Interior Design Educators Council, and has served on the boards of CIDA, the IIDA Foundation, and InformeDesign, among others. She is a recipient of numerous awards recognizing leadership and excellence in design education.

MARGARET PORTILLO, PhD, is Research Foundation Professor and Chair of the Department of Interior Design at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Portillo is Editor in Chief of the Journal of Interior Design (JID). As guest editor for a special issue of the journal, she helped introduce the JID readership to the potential of narrative inquiry in the field of interior design. As chair of the FIDER Research Council, Portillo spearheaded a major study exploring creativity, leadership, and technology strategies vis-à-vis narratives of designers, clients, and key stakeholders. She is a member of the Interior Design Educators Council and has served on the CIDA Standards Committee. Dr. Portillo is the author of Color Planning for Interiors, published by Wiley.