Assignment 4- Interview

For this assignment we were asked to select a question from a list of topics and then to conduct an interview. The topic I chose to look at was "What does the way someone decorates their living space tell you about them". I initially brainstormed some ideas which allowed me to come up with ideas and questions that would enable me to extract as much information as possible from my participants. Creating the initial questions was quite easy but the difficult part was selecting four key questions which would allow the participants to elaborate on responses rather than provide closed type answers. The three participants included both males and females with ages ranging from 19 to 49 years of age. The interview questions were as follows:

What is your favourite room in your house and why?

Is your style in decorating influenced by anything such as TV programmes, magazines, designers?
-If yes which ones?
-If no what influences your style?

What colour scheme would you say is most prominent throughout your home?
-Why did you use this colour palette?


Would you consider yourself to be brand conscious when decorating your home?


The first question asked if the participant had a favourite room in their home and if so, why. All participants had a favourite but differed slightly in their choice. Two out of the three people declared the kitchen to be their favourite room as they considered this to be the ‘hub’ of the home where the family spend the most time together. This suggests that they have outgoing and sociable personalities, are very family oriented and like to create a space within the house where they socialise with friends or family. The third and youngest participant considered the living room to be his favourite room, as it was somewhere where he would relax and chill out whilst listening to music with friends. This demonstrates how music rather than food orientated activities were important to this participant as he socialised with others.

The second question asked whether the participant was influenced by magazines/designers or television programmes and this produced very different responses. One participant appeared to be little influenced by designers or television programmes, preferring to look through catalogues such as Marks and Spencer's and Next. He stated that he did not follow fashion trends and preferred the ease of flicking through a catalogue and picking out what he likes and considers will be practical in its use but it could also be argued that even though it is not a priority, he is taking a safer option by choosing furnishings which have already been matched for him.

In contrast, the second participant appeared to be very inspired by both designers and magazines having admitted to recently employing an interior designer to redecorate his home to create a more contemporary look. He admitted to being heavily influenced by magazines featuring the homes of celebrities and often tried to copy their ideas. This demonstrates that he is very aware of current trends and likes to keep up to date with the latest fashions in terms of colour schemes. The female participant stated that she was very influenced by the media. Television programmes such as ‘60 minute makeover’ and ‘Home Invaders’ provided her with ideas and often encouraged her to redecorate her home even when it was not necessary.

The responses from the interviews demonstrated differences in taste which may result from the difference in ages between participants. The younger participants were more influenced by current trends and designers, whereas the older participant was influenced by media based information when decorating their homes.

Responses to the third question showed the two oldest participants to have neutral colour schemes throughout their homes. The female participant stated that she preferred pastel colours like soft pinks and blues because she was reserved and gentle in personality rather than being daring and bold. The middle aged male stated that he preferred pale yellows and creams throughout his home as he felt the more neutral pallets created a soothing and relaxed environment. In contrast, the young male participant had his home decorated in bright vibrant colours with contrasting furnishings as he thought that this reflected his outgoing and adventurous personality.

For my final question I asked whether people are brand conscious when decorating their home. Two of the participants denied they were and the youngest male was the only participant to admit to being brand conscious. He stated that he was very brand conscious as he felt this was a reflection of who he was and how much he could afford. He felt that his home provided the opportunity to demonstrate his love of designer labelled items which his friends could identify and relate to.

In conclusion, I found the interview method to be an interesting and informative way to gain information, as the information received is first hand and the questions can be adapted in order to gain the type of information required. However, the interviews were rather time consuming and it is important to consider how being familiar with the participants may have influenced their responses. This may particularly apply to the question regarding the influence of brand names. It may have been that the participants would have been more honest about whether they were influenced by such things if they were not familiar with the interviewer.
From conducting these interviews, I have discovered how much a person’s home can say about them, their life and even reflect their personality. The majority of people want their homes to feel lived in and inviting to others but the interview responses showed how each home expressed individual differences in personality. I also feel that there is a subconscious connection between our mental state and the state of our home and an environment can affect the development of personality. I can definitely relate to this as when my flat is untidy, it affects my personality in that I feel a sense of being unorganised and less comfortable in my surroundings.