Xing Rongfa

Doctor of History, graduate teacher at the University of Macau, and member of the Macao S.A.R. Government’s Committee of Cultural Industries.

Cultural and creative industries in interiors

04 2015 | Issue 4

The cultural aspect of the so-called cultural and creative industries fulfills a spiritual need in people. The human spirit needs nourishment that comes from both the realms of reality and imagination.


First, let’s talk about reality. The desire for culture grows as people’s disposable income increases. Only then do people have the leisure time to desire products for both their aesthetic and practical qualities. Since half a century ago, western societies started transforming the meaning of industrial products through design, resulting in what we have known as cultural and creative industries today. Innovative spatial designs infused with culture, aesthetics and contemporary trends are combined with ergonomic thinking to build unique urban interiors. As consumer demand for such products grew, such design is now a full-blown industry.


In the fantasy world, such as movies, people seek to satisfy their spiritual needs through audio and visual experiences. The commercial opportunities have not been lost on marketers, as the use of product placement can subtly influence consumers. The other is the borderless, virtual world in which we all live thanks to computers and the internet. In this virtual world, people continuously design and develop things such as software and communications to fundamentally alter our way of life. The chasm between the virtual and real worlds means that humans are now living, as never before, in a continuous state between satisfaction and desire. It is still impossible to estimate how big the commercial opportunities can be.


Speaking of space, for urban dwellers, the space in which they live is extremely important as it creates a sense of security and belonging. But urbanites mostly live in dense apartment blocks that feel restrictive, pushing people to retreat further into the privacy of their own homes. With that in mind, urban interiors are creatively designed to lift the living quality of urbanites. A well-designed interior can affect one’s physical and mental well-being, and can even change a family or the face of a community.


An interior designer must be able to use his or her own personal style to grasp the trends of the times and what consumers want and create intelligent spaces. The designer must stay true to his or her own style, producing results that are not only intelligent but also comfortable and beautiful.


Interior design must incorporate rules pertaining to construction, fire safety and human safety, imposing restrictions on design. But this can in fact be beneficial, as it sets parameters for the designer. Thanks to these constraints, as well as ergonomic considerations, designers can focus on other aspects such as aesthetics, layout, flow, materials, colour, shape, light and intricate features to create interiors that feel beautiful, comfortable, rational and convenient. Don’t think that a design needs to be totally innovative to be different. As long as the design is stylish and satisfies the customer’s needs, even one or two unique elements as tiny as skirting or an ornament on the door can be part of a designer’s brand identity.