Introduction

The domain of interior architecture is one of the most powerful influences on human lives. On average, people spend the majority of their daily lives inside a building surrounded by designed spaces. Their actions, thoughts, behaviour, and moods are perpetually interlinked with these spaces and they in turn constantly desire to shape and reshape their near environments to suit their varied needs and preferences. Thus, interior spatiality is a strong anchor of the human condition. Despite such vitality, interior architecture is often a misconceived field, framed by outdated historical perceptions, superficial messages conveyed by media, and territorial professional identities. This book, a collection of several chapters written by international authors, is a dedicated effort to establish that interior architecture is rather a rigorous, scholarly, and academic endeavour. It explains the deep and complex connections between people and interior environments they inhabit through empirical research and intellectual analyses.