A Sense of the Interior

Interior design, as a recognized profession, paralleled architecture throughout much of the twentieth century in the United States. Some of the earliest university degrees in interior decoration and design were offered within architecture schools, where budding architects and interior designers engaged in much of the same coursework. Today, the two professions continue to be deeply intertwined. Yet, many of the hierarchies and power dynamics that have historically distinguished the two fields continue to play a role in commercial firm structures and, subsequently, the fundamental ways in which the design industry as a whole operates. While a decent amount of anthropological research has been conducted on architects and architecture as a career, little ethnographic research has explicitly focused on interior designers and how they create their professional identities in the context of corporate America, where power dynamics and gender inequalities continue to hinder the professional development and experiences of interior designers in some commercial multidisciplinary firms. By ethnographically investigating the professional development of women identifying interior designers, this thesis reveals how gender and power dynamics affect interior designers, individual firms, and the design industry as a whole. Their experiences show how interior designers are often caught in a double bind between conflicting stereotypes fueled by patriarchal assumptions that leave them feeling undervalued and restricted in their efforts to build their interior design careers. Moreover, by understanding the detailed implications of social structures on these designers’ professional development, we can better understand similar gendered hierarchical systems and their effects on other women professionals. To see the complete thesis, please visit https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/3r074w62n.