Paper submission for DX conference: BY DESIGN: An Interdisciplinary Conference on Issues of Design Education, Business and Material Culture Conference Stream II: Architectural Heritage: Providing a Sense of Place Material Matters in a Modern Interior By: George Verghese ABSTRACT An architectural enclosure captures a volume of material matter within a spatial condition that is called an interior. The design of modern interior spaces addresses the paradigms of the age in a design outcome that either supports conformity, or searches for change. This age-old battle of continuity versus innovation is described in the design processes of planning, form-making, and material selection concluding in the finished designed interior. This paper will address the aspect materiality demonstrated in the modern interiors & design as a reflection of key concept of the age. It is argued that the modern approach to materiality was driven by the dynamic age of change and transformation in the twentieth century. However, this modern approach to materiality was equally affected by notions of abstraction, and was simultaneously, yet paradoxically, grounded in reality, as seen by a symbiotic relationship and fascination with industry. Although it can be argued that material culture is an essential element of being human with our allure to the material world being continual, it must also be noted that during the modernist era there was a fundamental shift towards a deeper and broader understanding of materiality within design. This led to a matured relationship with industry that directly affected modern interiors through its furnishing, fitments, finishes and equipment used to execute the design. Drawing from a variety of secondary sources, this paper will show that modern design struck a balance between the dualities of abstraction and reality; and between continuity and change, as its focus was not on the outward appearance of form, but rather on the inward conditions experienced by the user. This shift in thinking allowed for a phenomenological approach and a sense of place, as established within a modern interior, and its outcome was clearly derived from innovative manipulation of materials. KEYWORDS: abstraction, continuity and change, interior design, materiality , phenomenology, place 1 introduction An architectural enclosure captures a volume of material matter within a spatial condition that is called an interior. This elegant yet simple description of an interior space establishes a key issue that is useful for not only reflecting on the path of design over the ages, but for offering a view towards the realignment of methodologies towards solving future design problems. Materiality, in reference to enclosed spaces, is an important concern and the main emphasis of this paper. In an aim to establish a trajectory for the development of interior design’s body of knowledge, a conversation must be raised about some related key ideas, including a few that have been