The level at which lesser and lesser attention is paid to details is shocking considering that the trend tends to have people comfortably live with the unacceptable as acceptable, writes Robert YAWE.
THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS – Mmmh they say. Any mason can plaster a wall but it takes a great mason to plaster it flat and level. Well, as a consumer of interiors, I have realised that we are fast losing the eye for detail both in the case of the consumer and the supplier.
It is only after seeing the lack of attention to detail; starting from how we cook to how we drive that you realise where the failure in all the other facets of our lives originates.
A wise man once said; “When you wallow with the pigs, expect to get dirty”. This simply means if you hang around with pigs, with time you will be comfortable rolling in the muck and will also find it acceptable.
Advanced knowledge
The level to which we have cascaded into paying lesser and lesser attention to detail is shocking. It is certainly concerning. Most likely, this is what may’ve happened just before the fall of the great Mayan and Egyptian civilisations. How else could you explain the existence of great structures that required advanced engineering knowledge yet all the inhabitants surrounding them lived in caves and adobe structures?
If we continue to treat detail as optional, not only in our space interiors and exteriors but also in our lives we are likely to find ourselves literally stuck then back to basics.
You must be wondering where this rant and rave is doing in a magazine dedicated to the finer things in life, the interiors of our homes, offices, places of worship and vehicles.
What turns a house into a home or an office into a place of creativity is the attention to detail taken in its creation. Mr.Kigara, a lecturer at the University of Nairobi, during his presentation at one of the Ideal Interiors networking functions reminded us that all design is meant to serve the needs of the occupant.
The door heights sink levels, flooring materials, placement of toilet paper roll holders, door swings, and chair depths are meant to first be functional to the occupant before aesthetics is introduced.
Quality of work
The first time I saw a set of plans for a house was when designers used drawing boards yet the detail in those plans were far surpassing what is being generated today with all the technology available. We might have moved forward in the tools that we use but unfortunately we retarded twice the distance in as far as quality of work is concerned.
During a recent project I was involved in as the developer I came to despise the statement “- ditto –“that kept being used by the design team. A valuer once told me that no two houses are identical so based on the same tenet no two buildings are therefore identical “- ditto -” should be used sparingly. As a result of all the ditto instructions to the contractor we ended up with a building that was 10 percent bigger than budgeted.
With the ability to drag a wall to a new location, change colour at mouse-click while in 3D the quality and accuracy of our work needs to be 100 times better than what could be produced on a drawing board; one would certainly wonder what is going wrong.
There is too much wallowing taking place in the interiors fraternity and I have proof that it’s more because we have refused to keep abreast of what is happening within the industry and instead work in cocoons where we deceive ourselves that we are the greatest in our field.
I have a pet issue I like bringing up and that is the lack of a private hanging area for underpants in our houses. Some of us know that Africans have an issue with letting someone else wash or see them, yet in the over 20 years I have had a keen interest in interiors I have only seen one house where such a space was provided.
Disappointing plans
In the July-September 2011 issue of Ideal Interiors I raised the issue who is killing our interiors which referred both to our interior spaces and the profession of interior design.
As you drive around the leafy and also the thorny suburbs you will come across well designed and finished exteriors only to walk into the units and get completely disappointed in the floor plans.
It seems that the external of the building was what got initial approval by the financier before the floor plan was developed, resulting in awkward shaped/sized rooms, wardrobes in the wrong place and isolated facilities in en-suite rooms.
The worst of all is the little items like power sockets, TV outlets and lighting where even developments put up in the past few years have a single or two twin sockets in the master bedroom.
Yet it is obvious that there will at least be a TV set, DVD, stereo or hifi, two or more mobile chargers, a laptop or two and 2 bedside lights.
In addition to providing additional sockets they need to be placed in a way so as to give the occupant the flexibility in how to arrange the room. Forcing the occupants of a room to face their beds in a fixed direction is a cause of our unhealthy lives. I have a problem with sleeping at right angles to a wall and like the option to get out of bed from either side.
Persistent pain
Well, some of us pretend that we are able to live with such flaws in our houses but I can assure you that the persistent pain in your neck and tendency to drive slower as you near your home and faster as you leave are as a result of detail in the house that you are uncomfortable with but are either unable to change or you are in denial about its existence.
A shower cubicle that is half a foot too small, a door handle that is 2 inches too high, a socket that is inaccessible, a soap holder that is too low or skewed tiling might be what is causing the knot in your neck .
If you are renting then this are temporary issues that you can look out for when moving house but if you built or bought the house then the issues are different.
As consumers we need to learn to notice and take action when we come across a lack of attention to detail be it in houses, shoes or services as an acceptance of less leads to lowering standards and institutionalised mediocrity.
Uphold professionalism
Those of us involved in the interiors industry have a responsibility to uphold a high level of professionalism and adherence to tight tolerances. If you were on the operating table comatose in the hands of a surgeon, how would you expect them to do their work? Keep this in mind every time you provide a below standard service to a client as the child who grows up in such a space may become the surgeon.
Unlike the roofers whose bad workmanship can be easily lived with because it is unseen those responsible for the interiors do not have the same luxury as the client is constantly in touch with your attention or lack of to detail.
