Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
24TH INTERNATIONAL ISTANBUL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH DOI: https://doi.org/10.30546/19023.978-9952-610-30-7.2025.5095 CONGRESS ON LIFE, ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE AND MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES, İstanbul, Türkiye, 20 Şubat - 22 Mart 2026, ss.130-131, (Özet Bildiri)
This study investigates how
third-year interior architecture students, who are at a critical transition
point between academic training and professional practice, conceptualize and
articulate their design paradigms for future furniture. The research focuses on
how students envision future-oriented furniture designs in relation to key
design parameters, including material selection, formal characteristics, scale,
technological integration, and color preferences. By examining these
dimensions, the study aims to reveal emerging tendencies in students’ design
thinking and their perceptions of future living environments.
The research was conducted with
third-year students enrolled in the Department of Interior Architecture at
Istanbul Gelişim University. These students were selected due to their advanced
level of design education and their increasing exposure to professional design
contexts. The study was implemented over a total duration of six hours within a
studio-based setting. During this process, students were asked to develop
conceptual furniture designs under the theme of “future furniture,” with a
specific focus on essential domestic activities such as sitting, dining, and
sleeping. This thematic framework enabled students to address everyday living
needs while reinterpreting them through future-oriented perspectives.
Participants were encouraged to
express their design ideas both visually and verbally. Visual representations
were produced through freehand drawings, while written statements accompanied
each design to explain decisions related to material, form, scale, color, usage
scenarios, and the anticipated functional and symbolic roles of the furniture
in future contexts. This dual data structure allowed for a comprehensive
examination of both visual imagination and conceptual reasoning.
The collected visual and textual
data were analyzed using qualitative visual content analysis. The analysis
process was supported by the MAXQDA Analytics Pro software, utilizing the code
matrix browser tool to systematically identify patterns and relationships
within the data. During the coding phase, detailed sub-codes were developed
under broader analytical categories, including design approach, material, form,
scale, and color. This coding structure enabled a nuanced interpretation of
students’ design paradigms and recurring conceptual tendencies.
The findings reveal that students
predominantly conceptualized future furniture through themes of technological
advancement, adaptability, personalization, and scenario-based use. Furniture
designs were frequently associated with flexible functions and interactive user
experiences. In terms of visual characteristics, blue and gray color palettes
emerged as dominant, reflecting associations with technology and neutrality.
Additionally, oval, fluid, and organic forms were repeatedly emphasized,
suggesting a departure from rigid geometries toward more dynamic and ergonomic
spatial expressions.
Overall, the study provides a
qualitative framework for understanding how interior architecture students
construct future-oriented design visions. By revealing students’ emerging
paradigms, the research contributes to discussions on design education, future
living concepts, and the role of speculative thinking within interior
architecture curricula.