The thesis examines the establishment of an original business model and the institutions which enable and perpetuate it. An alliance of elite Norwegian artisan builders and interior designers develops the model in catering to a market of bespoke manufacture for Norway's elite. The thesis argues that the originality of the model derives from the artisans' creative use and adaptation of institutions in the Norwegian Welfare State and its business and local environment, forming a distinctive entrepreneurial lifestyle that results in a thriving network of companies and in the achievement of 'the good life'. Drawing upon literature that posits the intertwining of social and economic activity, the thesis identifies and analyses the part played by artisans' families, associates, friends and firms engaged in making a livelihood. A dual economy characterises the functioning of these units: capitalist market exchange and closed market exchange. Two social codes govern closed exchange, one for the alliance, the other for its clients, with whom the artisans develop the institution of 'friends' and 'family' central to how the artisan network creates its wealth and well-being. The social codes regulate the network's entrepreneurial expansion and its limits by economies of scope rather than scale. This business model of keeping good companies departs from capitalist models of growth and the model of homo oeconomicus. Rather, lifestyle, 'the good life', structures the network's making a livelihood. This new finding contributes to an understanding of, and impetus for research into, accounting, business models, business strategy, entrepreneurship, innovation, international business, marketing, organisation, creating wealth and well-being, craftsmanship, and interdisciplinary research method. The visual and manual orientation of the craft workers warranted several methods of research: statistical measures, silent and semi-participant observation, cognitive linguistic analysis, and what one might call 'research conversation'.

This thesis is an exploration of concepts of interiority within Victorian Aestheticism. It is concerned with examining the Aesthetic interior in its many manifestations. Throughout my examination of interiority in the second half of the nineteenth century in Britain, an Aesthetic interior may be understood to constitute an imagined interior, as portrayed in the visual or Iiteraryarts, or it can be an actual decorative interior design scheme and realised interior space. Such an interior however can also be formed in less tangible ways such as the interior aesthetic experience of the Aesthete him or herself, along with the inner circles and connections between Aesthetic artists, designers, writers, taste-makers and critics. All of these interiors are the Inward Worlds of this work. It is my intention to examine these interiors of Aestheticism and the ways in which they demonstrate that many of the practitioners of AestheticisU;conceptualised Aesthetic culture as a form of total artwork, which was intended to touch upon, and reform, every aspect of Iife, be it material or spiritual. All of the interiors explored here are interiors of the imagination and I argue that conceptions of interiority are central to our definitions of Aestheticism itself; that Aestheticism was, and is, a world of interiors. These interior worlds were, and are, constituted by notions of both time and space as artistic and intellectual concepts, a complex set of interweavings between interior self, exterior self with interior space and exterior space, and the location of the self and of space within time, as past, present and future. These conceptualisations of time and space which I discuss are specific to Aesthetic thought and are frequently intertwined with notions ora wholesale artistic and spiritual reform of nineteenth-century culture, and, in many cases, the establishment of a utopian future.

This thesis is a consideration of the stucco ornament used profusely in the interior decoration of the palaces and houses of Samarra, the garden city on the Tigris which from the year 836 to 883 A.D. was the Imperial Capital of the 'Abbasid Caliphate. It summarizes the studies which followed the excavations carried out at Samarra, especially the works done by Ernst Herzfeld. Accepting the three major styles of Samarra ornament proposed by Herzfeld, the thesis demonstrates that Style A is the earliest of the three and relates it to its immediate Mesopotamian prototypes at Iskaf Bani-Junaid and Hira which ultimately derived from the pre-Islamic Sasanian school of ornament.From Style A it traces a development in successive examples terminating in Samarra Style B. Style B is thus conclusively shown to be derived from Style A. The thesis also demonstrates that style C played an independent role from the other two styles, and are apparently to be traced to Central Asia. It is proved that Style C was not executed by being Bast in carved moulds, as was hitherto widely accepted, but was carved, like A and E, freely by hand on the moist plaster.

This research is an attempt to find an objective system for maintaining cultural identity in design. The proposed framework will guide interior designers to identify the key features and design language of their traditional style, and then to modify it to give more variety to the developed style and to help it keep pace with fast developments in the field of design. This work came from the need to find a solution to the fact that there is a lack of cultural identity in the field of design such as those of furniture, decor and facades, in particular in the state of Kuwait. The lifestyle of the people of Kuwait has changed dramatically since oil was discovered, the lifestyle of its people has changed dramatically. The development of its economy have resulted in a more wealthy and up-to-date society. Such a transformation was not imposed on them, but was rather their choice. The problem is not in modernisation, but in the rush towards it without comprehending its consequences. There is no doubt that the traditional crafts are an important source of inspiration when generating new ideas, but what if the process of generation leads to cliché designs? The focus of this research involves the analysis of a popular traditional Kuwaiti product called Sadu. Style in art and architecture is measured in terms of consistency over a series of artifacts which can be recognised through the similarity between them. The aim of this research is to create a link between consistency in style and the Kuwaiti style, and it does this by dividing the work into three sections, each with an associated milestone. The first employed focus groups to identify the Kuwaiti style. The results of the test clarified the most common features of geometric shapes and symmetry rules among the Sadu products that directly influence the approach which the study proposes. Then the shape grammar method was adopted as a means of identifying the Sadu design language. The second section developed the traditional style using knowledge gained from the first step as a means of generating new designs. Seven design groups were created, each with a unique approach to creating patterns. The groups were tested to evaluate whether that the new designs had not lost their original identity, and to identify which method produces the most recognisable patterns of the Kuwaiti Sadu style, and what are the common rules in the seven groups that successfully generate this Kuwaiti style. Also the test measured the likability of the design group amongst Kuwaitis. In the final section, a design tool was created which incorporated features inspired by the data and evidence gathered throughout the study. The tool was then tested and evaluated to measure the consistency of the patterns it produced with the Kuwaiti cultural style. The tool produces inspirational designs that can be used for architecture or product design that has a theme of cultural identity, such as furniture, illumination, flooring and plan layout. Methods of developing a Kuwaiti style whilst at the same time maintaining its original identity have been presented. The key to developing the original style was firstly to measure it by identifying the common style features. Sadu was used as a case study as this was deemed an iconic representation of traditional Kuwaiti style. Specific geometric shapes and symmetry rules were established among the tested designs and these features were found to capture the essence of the original style. Shape grammars were applied to explore the style and the results produced a set of rules that were indicative of that style. In the second step, Kuwaiti Sadu was developed by shape grammars and the common rules of the established style were augmented with new rules that would produce recognisable and likable patterns which were still of the Sadu style. The degree to which these were recognised and liked by a sample of Kuwaiti people was tested. The end stage of this research was to develop a software tool with features established from the data gathered in the previous stages that produced consistent Sadu patterns so that Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis would be able to produce designs that maintain the original style. The framework and design tool that were used to develop a traditional style proved to be successful. These were used to generate 2D developed style designs that were translated into 3D models, through action research from an interior designer. These were found to emulate the Kuwaiti style.

This study explores how creative practitioners work and how interior spaces can be differently represented across magazines of different backgrounds and target readerships. This study produces an analysis of the style and character of the published representations of interior spaces. It explores the modes carefully selected by practitioners in order to construct visual texts - to successfully address their distinctive target readerships. As part of this analysis, and as a central element of the work, the thesis develops a way of looking at images. This study develops and demonstrates a method based on content analysis and presents a detailed coding form and protocol, for the detailed analysis of visual texts. This research produces an analytical tool to capture the atmosphere and dynamic of the image and the variations of interior space, rather than just the content of the image as content analysis normally does. This study draws on material from comparative analysis of three contemporary magazines (Wallpaper, Elle Decoration and Ideal Home) during the years 1997-2006. In order to explore the visual texts of these magazines I chose to combine quantitative and qualitative methods. From quantitative methods I selected content analysis and developed it in so far as to explore in depth the texts of the magazines. From qualitative methods I selected fieldwork observations collected in four London-based home magazines' editorial offices, and selective elements from diverse fields such as semiotics and visual theories, sociology, anthropology, advertising and media studies. This research suggests that magazines promote different representations of interior spaces depending on their background and target readership. Features aiming at an elite, very upmarket readership adopt an aesthetic approach and produce minimal, unrealistic and design-focused spaces, often with an entertaining or surreal twist; however, frequently these depictions look lifeless and self-centred. As we move towards more downmarket readerships, the representations of interior spaces become more realistic, practical and informative and less experimental; these spaces are lively, warm and human and often appeal to their readers' senses, memories and emotions; these are spaces that are designed to promote, cultivate and celebrate human relationships. 2

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The relationship between man-made interior designed spaces and the critical element of colour in these spaces is the concern throughout this study. It is the designer who thinks, re-thinks, decides, then applies the colours onto the interior environment; thus is the key to improve the colour outcomes in interiors. It is important to understand how designers deal with colour. Sensing a gap in applying colour for interior design, four routes of data collection were designed: literature review, case studies, interviews, and observations. While collecting data, the need for good analysis was needed; and thus CTSC (Constant Theoretical Sampling and Comparison) method was designed and applied. CTSC meets GTM in some rules, but differs in some others. CTSC clarifies the data collection routes/methods used in this study and proposes new terms and criteria for design process researchers. Many concepts and themes emerged from analysing each route individually; emerged concepts in CTSC are the results of analysing each study (for example: the refined results of the interviews are called the interviews’ emerged concepts). When linking all the emerged concepts of the four study routes together using the proposed CTSC big linking, the findings of the research were defined, and a justified theory was formed in the area of colour-in-interior design. The case studies analysed three interiors in the UK, whereas the interview study was the major in-depth followed route in this thesis, traveling to seven countries and interviewing twenty-five interior designers. The designed observational study included seven interior design projects. Building contacts with more than thirty designers and design practices facilitated more opportunities for the research to emerge in up-to-date concepts and themes, which allowed to result in theory, and gave the research more chances to design future plans. The insights of this thesis can assist future researchers who are interested in both areas: design process, by proposing data collection and analysis useful CTSC method, and the area of colour in interior design, by proposing the CTSC colour in interior design theory, which included crucial findings such as: colour comes first in design processes, and that designers will always like to keep their colour choices open to inspirations.

The Application of Traditional Chinese Aesthetic Principles to Contemporary International Design. This is a submission by publication consisting of 13 major design projects and an accompanying research report. China is undergoing phenomenal economic growth that is having a major impact on the social and cultural development of the Republic. Accompanying the growth is an unprecedented urbanisation of the population and expansion of the cities. This has meant an explosion in the building industries. At the same time China is moving towards the central position in the global economy that also has huge cultural implications. This is the context in which I have pursued my professional practice as an interior and architectural designer. Some of the questions I have been attempting to address through my practice arise directly out of this context. In the fast expansion of the field of interior design that has accompanied this growth it is vital that Chinese designers are aware of the cultural context of their work. Is it possible for Chinese designers working in the developing international context of contemporary design projects in China to make a unique contribution to the field that is specifically Chinese? This presentation of my practice will provide a cohesive argument for an approach to design in the international arena that remains specific to the cultural and temporal context of its origins. I will specifically demonstrate solutions I have found to the application of ancient Chinese aesthetic principles to contemporary international design problems. As practice-based research I have given much thought to the methodologies I have employed. I will provide a detailed outline of these 'action' research methodologies and definitions of the types of knowledge employed in the following report. The visual evidence is also accompanied by descriptions of the projects including the briefs, design solutions and specific Chinese characteristics. The presentation of my practice in this form provides evidence of the ways in which cultural specificity can be maintained within the international design arena and makes a meaningful contribution to debates and knowledge in the area of cultural diversity and design.

This thesis explores the way in which interior decorating developed as a practice during the interwar period in Britain and seeks to address broader contexts of gender, class, taste and styles. While traditional design histories have tracked the development of the interior design model through a direct sequence of movements and ideologies through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, this thesis addresses issues which have been problematic within the context of art and design history. It acknowledges the more linear dimension of the original strand and seeks to offer a complementary appraisal which considers and appreciates the role of class, wealth and privilege and deconstructs boundaries which have marginalized gender and obscured certain important influences. The study examines the way in which decorators, many of whom were female, negotiated a design agenda which engaged with modernity without fully renouncing hard-fought signifiers of their class, taste and individuality. It argues that in the development of its practices, significant alliances were formed with fashion and that the vital role performed by media representation and social commentary underpinned its commercial profile and provided the public locus of its discourse. The nature of professional decorating is explored against a background of emerging practices in the first decades of the twentieth-century which included the antiques trade; grand scale establishments such as Lenygon & Morant, White Allom, Thornton-Smith and Keebles; department-store studios including those at Heal’s, Waring & Gillow and Fortnum & Mason; and individual practitioners and designers including Syrie Maugham, Sibyl Colefax, Dolly Mann and Ronald Fleming. In a period rife with social and political upheavals and conflicting ideologies as well as technological advancement and life-style changes, the study’s analysis aims to provide a broader understanding of the way in which decorators proactively negotiated such conditions and presented a cultural and aesthetic response to modernity through the diversity of their styles.