Chapter 4: How Well Does Current Black, Grey Or Wooden Home Audio Styling Harmonize With Popular Interior Styles?
The fundamental understanding behind the theories that are presented in the Desaudio project is, that there are people who are concerned about what their homes look like. That means they are concerned about the styling of the things that they bring into their homes and will be prominently visible.
Each and every object contributes to the overall balance and harmony of shapes and colors in the home. Each person has his or her personally taste, a preference for a certain style and color scheme.
Home audio equipment are visible!
The theory is, that since home audio equipment, sometimes both the electronic components and also the loudspeakers, are well visible, then it will matter to these people how they look. How they sound isn‘t the only important thing although that is understandably the main issue.
For some people, the contribution that home audio equipment make to the overall style experience of the home may be positive, but for others it may be negative. They may feel less satisfied with the thought of seeing these objects in their homes, regardless of how well they sound. Usually, most people have several, entirely different things on their personal wish lists. It may be home related, car related, travel related, things that they wish to acquire. And in their minds, they have conjured a list where these possibilities are ranked, from what they most desire to acquire next, to what is less important for them.
For each thing that they desire, there may be positive and negative factors that determine the final ranking of each thing on that list. The factors that influence the ranking may be conscious or unconscious to the person, but the ranking is nevertheless very real, and it has a very real effect on the final purchase decisions.
Styling in home audio promotional material
The fact is that home audio electronics companies know quite well that the devices they are trying to sell will be visible in people‘s homes. Therefore, in advertising and promotional material, you usually see example pictures of these devices in a domestic setting. These are sometimes called „lifestyle pictures.“ These pictures are supposed to show how stylish and good-looking these devices are. They show how well these devices harmonize with the surroundings in a room.
Is there something that collectively characterizes these images, where home audio electronics companies are showing how good they will look in people‘s homes? Actually there is. All these companies have a tendency to show their devices in rather similar surroundings, in terms of the style chosen. These are surroundings that, in terms of styling, belong to the following styles.
The styles that harmonize with currently common home audio and home cinema styles
- Modern style (see designs on desaudio.com)
- Contemporary style (see on desaudio.com)
- Minimalist style (see on desaudio.com)
- Industrial interior design style
- High-tech style
– or a mixture of those.
The links are to pages on the website www.desaudio.com where I have created and posted conceptual designs to go with a room in that style, at the time of writing this book. It is possible that there are concept designs for other styles available at the time you read the book, so simply look around on desaudio.com to find out.
These styles are characterized by a predominant emphasis on black, white and grey colors, by minimalist forms and an absence of ornaments, and by straight lines and square corners and an absence of round and varied natural forms.
When these devices are shown in rooms in these styles, then these devices tend to look very good. There is harmony between the devices and the style of the room they are shown in. That is obviously a good thing, isn‘t it?
One good way to find such lifestyle pictures is to use the search term „living room loudspeakers“ on Google. This will give you many examples of these pictures, either from promotion material created by electronic companies, or pictures in audio hi-fi or home cinema magazines and blogs.
The problem is, that these styles are only among many, many different styles that people may desire that their homes shall be in. The fact is, that the predominantly square, black or dark grey facades of home audio electronics, and perhaps especially loudspeakers, would often not look as good at all when placed into rooms with some other styles.
All the other styles…
What are these other styles? Here is a list of 48 other interior decoration styles (in alphabetical order) that have been defined by interior decorators and architects, and where comprehensive description of form, color and general inspiration tendencies are well available. Among those are styles that are currently, at the time of the publishing of this book, featured on the website of Desaudio, with original designs by the author of this book matched with images of rooms in that particular style. These styles are in bold type, with reference to the Desaudio website:
- Art Deco style
- Asian style (see Chinese style)
- Baroque (see on desaudio.com)
- Beach style (see on desaudio.com)
- Bohemian style
- Boho style
- Chalet style (see on desaudio.com)
- Chinese style (see on desaudio.com)
- Classic style (see Traditional/Vintage style)
- Coastal style (Beach) (see on desaudio.com)
- Country style (see designs on desaudio.com)
- Craftsman style (see on desaudio.com)
- Danish style
- Eclectic style (see on desaudio.com)
- Eco style
- English Country style
- Farmhouse style
- French Country style (see on desaudio.com)
- French style
- Hollywood style (Glam style) (see on desaudio.com)
- Industrial style (see on desaudio.com)
- Islamic style
- Island style
- Italian style
- Japanese Design
- Mediterranean style
- Mid-century Modern style (see on desaudio.com)
- Modern Farmhouse style (see on desaudio.com)
- Moroccan style
- Nautical style
- Preppy style
- Regency style
- Rococo style (see on desaudio.com)
- Rustic style
- Scandinavian (Scandi) style (see on desaudio.com)
- Shabby chic style
- Southern style
- Southwestern style
- Spanish style
- Swedish style
- Traditional (Vintage) style (see on desaudio.com)
- Transitional style (see on desaudio.com)
- Tropical style (see on desaudio.com)
- Tudor style
- Tuscan style
- Urban Farmhouse style (see on desaudio.com)
- Urban Modern style (see on desaudio.com)
- Victorian style
- Vintage British style
- Vintage style (Traditional) (see on desaudio.com)
- Western style
- Whimsical style
- Zen style
The designs that I have created are shown on images of interiors in the styles above, where the style and coloring of the patterns harmonizes well with that particular image. The images are either from the public domain (in the Creative Commons zero or CC0 category), or images with a royalty free licence that were purchased from image websites that offer those kinds of images.
The reason why some of the styles above are not portrayed on the Desaudio website (at the time of the writing of this book), is because I couldn‘t obtain decent images of interiors in the style in question, that belonged to either of these categories (CC0 or royalty free licence). I couldn‘t just find images via Google and use them, even if the images would have fit perfectly. And I haven’t invested time and money into tracking down the rights holders of such images to obtain a permit to use them. The rights holders most often uploaded these images with their own commercial interests in mind, and spending time negotiating would be time badly spent.
At the end of the day, these images are namely for information and reference. They will not be used or actualized as such. Their purpose is to show examples of what Desaudio designs could look like, within settings in various styles.
What is most important, when it comes to actually providing clients with designs, is how the design harmonizes with the home or locale of the client. For those purposes, the images of the design would be superimposed into an image from the client‘s locale, in full confidentiality and privacy. Such images would not be posted on the website, unless the client permits that, which of course would be an interesting thing also.
How well or badly do they harmonize?
The important question is how well current home audio and home cinema devices design harmonize with:
- Modernistic styles, the first five styles.
- Traditionally inspired styles that are mostly based on design styles before the year 1900.
- Other styles.
The answer to this question is of course individual. It also matters how sensitive the individual is when it comes to interior decoration. How many think it matters really much, and how many are more relaxed about it?
Do you want to read more? Chapter 8 is also available:
Chapter 8: The humorous but very serious WAF (Wife Approval Factor)
