March 30, 2026
Doors closed, drama wide open
A Taxonomy of Interiors
Glass boxes vs cozy caves: the internet picks a side
TLDR: An architecture blogger says real interiors are about enclosure, not blending indoors and outdoors, and unveils a 16,777,216-style framework for object–space relationships. Comments split between wall-loving cozy fans and glass-box romantics, with Titanic memes and “RGB for interiors” jokes stealing the show.
A veteran designer dropped a think-piece asking “what is an interior?” and flexed a wild framework — 16,777,216 possible ways objects relate to space — before bluntly declaring that blurring inside and outside is a rich-person fantasy. In his essay, he praises enclosure (think: gardens with layers, quiet rooms, actual doors) and side-eyes the “cruise liner mentality” of giant glass walls. Cue comment chaos.
“Team Walls” arrived swinging: “Let indoors be indoors” trended as energy-bill warriors cheered the death of open-plan everything. “My AC just sent a thank-you note,” one quipped. Hygge die-hards framed walls as cozy sanity, not nostalgia. On the other side, “Team Glass” defended sun and views as mental-health musts, calling the anti-blur stance “boomer bunker talk.” The line about air curtains failing set off bug-and-humidity horror stories — plus an outpouring of “mosquito raid boss” memes.
And that 16,777,216 number? Geeks instantly clocked it as the same count as 24-bit screen colors, roasting the idea as “RGB for interiors.” Others loved the nerdy taxonomy; minimalists cited Japanese tatami vibes, while practical folks retorted, “An empty room is a nap, not a life.” The funniest thread? “Cruise liner mentality” turned into full Titanic-core memes: Jack and Rose photoshopped onto a patio with a sliding door — “draw me like one of your open plans.”
Key Points
- •The author revisits a master’s thesis analyzing visual relationships between objects and spaces, exemplified by unifying relationships of colour, position, and shape.
- •The author calculates 16,777,216 possible types of object–space aesthetic relationships, derived via analogy to building–context figure–ground relations.
- •The essay critiques efforts to blur inside and outside, arguing that enclosure is central to the experience and pleasure of interiors.
- •Glazing is presented as a practical means to see outdoors while remaining enclosed; gardens illustrate graded enclosure without being interiors.
- •Interior design literature is contrasted: common chronological histories (e.g., Pile/Drew/Plunkett; Anne Massey) versus Graeme Brooker’s alternative taxonomy.