There’s a lot of talk about trends in interior design. You know the type of headline: ‘20 Top Kitchen Design Trends for 2020’, ‘New Cabinet Colours Trending this Summer’ and the like. But what about concepts? I want to see a listing of the most fully realised and beautifully executed concept interiors.
I’m picturing a sci-fi bathroom design with a tub that looks like a cryogenic flotation tank, plus little 80s-style computer monitors embedded in the wall that emit a selection of synth bleeps and bloops curated by Brian Eno. It could have some industrial-looking metal fittings and weird but well-placed lighting that suggests the ambience of an underground research facility. It could actually be pretty relaxing in a particular kind of way, if you really think about it.
Or what about a kitchen designed to evoke an extraterrestrial space station? I’m imagining rows of lettuce and silver-beet growing aquaponically amidst a stark array of high-tech yet rugged-looking appliances, with DIY carpentry and… I don’t know, some kind of modular shelving. Maybe it has an underground cellar with a circular trapdoor.
In any case, you don’t see too many designs like these in the realm of bathroom and kitchen renovations. For Melbourne homes, they might be a bit on the extreme side, and the reality is that most homeowners are concerned with maintaining the market value of their property. Still, I have to assume that many people would secretly love to have a dark plunge pool in their James Bond villain nightspot themed living room – you know, so they can pretend to feed people to the sharks.
Reading over this, it’s possible that my idea of a ‘concept’ space has a particular flavour to it. I’m sure there are other types of concept you could pursue that don’t relate to sci-fi or James Bond. I don’t know what they are, but I’m sure they’re out there.