Far too often, folks attribute a “good idea” to the level of its novelty. We’ve heard the platitudes. In with the new, out with the old. Let’s do something that’s never been done before. Well, I hate to break it to you, but there’s nothing new under the sun — especially in interiors. But that’s ok. 

 

Because good interior design was never about new ideas in the first place.  

 

And if you’re trying to do something “new” with your home, you’re going about it all wrong. What you should be striving for is a unique take on an old idea. 

There Are No More New Ideas…

If someone thinks they have a new idea or are at the forefront of a new trend, what they really have is a knowledge gap in their design history. Nothing is new. Everything is borrowed or referenced from what came before. 

Folks don’t always appreciate the seemingly insignificant choices made by the designers who came before us, who have informed an entire industry, aesthetic, and culture. But when you take an academic approach to design and reference the history, you quickly see the interconnection between ideas and how they’ve built upon each other. 

I think Miranda Priestley says it best: 

 

“…What you don’t know is that that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise, it’s not lapis, it’s actually cerulean.

 

You’re also blithely unaware of the fact that, in 2002, Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns, and then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent, wasn’t it?… who showed cerulean military jackets…

 

And then cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers. Then it filtered down through the department stores and then trickled on down into some tragic Casual Corner where you, no doubt, fished it out of some clearance bin.”

 

Cerulean Monologue; The Devil Wears Prada

 

Everything we do in design references something else, whether it’s the work of another interior designer, an architectural style of the past, or even the color of a lumpy blue sweater. Just like Andy Sachs, so many folks are surprised to learn that the new trend they saw actually came from a long line of decisions made by people before them. 

 

But it’s ok that there’s nothing “original” left. Our job isn’t to come up with a “new idea.” Our job is to envision something in a new way, to put our mark on it. 

 

So You’d Better Steal the Good Ones

No new ideas are left, so you’d better make sure you steal the good ones already out there. 

 

I wouldn’t consider my interior design style to be modern. However, two of my favorite designers — Noguchi and Brancusi — are very much modernists. Even if you are not familiar with their work, you have seen their influence time and time again. Brancusi’s geometric, sculptural forms have inspired dozens of furniture collections. Noguchi’s lanterns have inspired the majority of IKEA’s lighting designs, which have been adopted in college dorm rooms across the country. His lanterns have even been deemed influential enough to have an entire museum dedicated to them. 

 

Brancusi and Noguchi are referenced, if not explicitly used in the case of Noguchi’s lighting, in many of my projects. But I’m not the only one out here taking their good ideas. The two even inspired and influenced each other’s work after meeting in a chance encounter. 

 

Designers need to understand design history, important periods, and key characters’ contributions. An IKEA designer didn’t settle on a paper lantern design by chance, just as I didn’t stumble upon a light sculpture. We both knew Noguchi and his influence. And we made the conscious decision to reference his work in our own. 

 

Good Thieves (and Designers) Know What to Steal 

Good designers know they’re stealing ideas. Bad designers are under the illusion that they’re the first to discover something (that has no doubt been done before). 

 

I’d consider my interior design work largely maximalist — hardly a new style, and many designers do well. While the idea behind maximalism isn’t new, my own take is unique to me. In my work, I like to celebrate all different periods of design, bringing together the best bits along with some low-brow whimsy that keeps things real! 

And yes, I’m stealing all these good ideas from the past along the way. Good designers don’t waste time thinking about “new” ideas. Why would we? The steps of the design process are the same every time. The same styles have cycled decade after decade. And the best ideas have already been thought up. 

 

None of our ideas are new. It’s the flourish, the personal mark of you and the client, that changes. Since nothing is new and everything was inspired by something else, the true expertise of a designer comes into play by learning where our ideas come from. 

 

It’s knowing what to steal.