IIDA Celebrates AAPI Heritage Month

May 03, 2023 By Vasia Rigou

Members Karen Muraoka, and Midori Shim, discuss the importance of AAPI Heritage Month in design

By Vasia Rigou May 03, 2023

Published in Articles

Each May, we pay tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in its future success—in design and beyond. The AAPI umbrella term includes cultures from the entire Asian continent including East, Southeast and South Asia and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Karen Muraoka, FIIDA, principal and interior designer at Karen Muraoka Interior Design, LLC, and Midori Shim, IIDA, interior designer at Gresham Smith share insights of their culture, traditions, and history in an effort to inspire, empower, and pave the way for future generations of creatives.

Tell us about the unique perspective and experiences that position Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders among those who have helped shape America’s history—especially considering contributions in design.

Karen Muraoka: In many ways, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been able to incorporate our unique culture into design work. Regional elements of pattern and color, language, shape, and material have become important features in our projects. Throughout history, seeing those elements have become representative of features that connect to our heritage, history, lifestyle, persona and location. We are quite proud to reflect these focal points. Most people of Asian and Pacific Islander heritage grew up in families that are very close, and are raised acknowledging the values of nature, quality, doing things well, and cooperating with and honoring family. This translates into how we design interiors. We provide areas for gathering and collaboration, for privacy, commemoration, for good health, and for peace.

Midori Shim: Preservation of tradition is a common topic in all lives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. The consideration of the sacrifices our ancestors have made for us to be part of the community today, drives many of us to honor our cultures throughout the world today, whether that be through medicine, art, design, law, activism, teaching, and so on. Considering the culture of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, we have learned to respect the land we live on by respecting the people in the community, working alongside nature, inviting nature into our spaces, and acknowledging the past. Though not all design resembles the “past”, design is derived from complex thinking and perspective of the world. A traditional “Asian American or Pacific Islander” is often represented by a stereotype or theme which designers of this culture have moved away from, and instead represent their tradition through textures, symmetry, unobtrusiveness, hand-made technical details, and so forth. This direction of design has shown the world the complexities of the Asian American and Pacific Islander’s experiences and the enriching culture carried with them.

Can you talk about the importance of diversity as a learning and growth opportunity?

KM: One of the most important focal points of the future for our interior design field is having diversified designers to represent true life today. Historically, it has been lacking to find a meaningful percentage of minority individuals in the design field whether they be Asian, Pacific, Islander, Hispanic, Black and others. There’s so much wealth in each group that can be represented and celebrated joyfully. Take a look at all of the wonderful museums around the world that have come into being that focus on a particular ethnic group, style of art, historical moment in time, significant artist, etc. that educate and enlighten their guests and opens up a whole world of “never known before knowledge.”

MS: To be diverse is not only valuing having different faces or races in your community, it is truly indulging and understanding the culture, behaviors, and respects held within each diverse perspective. To diversify is to challenge oneself to stray from the normal path to a solution. To forcefully take on a challenge though there might be a language barrier, and cultural differences, and adapt to social change not only builds resiliency in a person, it also teaches someone to listen before interrupting, develop stronger bonds with others, appreciation of how others work, think, or respond. We are social creatures that require communication and understanding. The more we respect others for their differences, the more we can learn about ourselves—the good and the bad.

What kind of progress do you see happening within the design industry and in what areas you would like to see further focus?

KM: I am very pleased to see that IIDA established an Equity Council is encouraging each chapter and city center to have a VP of equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) position. We have joined so many other groups, manufacturers, local and national government positions to say that we all matter, and that there has to be more obvious communication that propels change. Everyone must have a voice and an opportunity to feel valued. I would like to see collaboration between city centers and chapters regionally to talk about what is important in their area, why it is important, and how we can effect change for a better future. It starts with the individual to want to make a difference, but it is also with the community to bring it to life.

MS: Resiliency and flexibility—though similar in the workplace, we see more designers, students, and representatives taking out time to work through obstacles through a deep dive collaboration session or team building exercises. The world is moving fast, software changes every day, and after COVID-19, response to one’s wellness and personal mental health has been acknowledged. We realize that though we are doing what we can for our clients, family, and friends, the design industry is learning to respect their needs as well. The design industry has learned to adapt to technology fairly quickly, using technology such as AI to convert models, interiors, and images into a different world, or use AI to create designs which then are developed into even stronger concepts. The focus on learning to communicate ideas clearly to those with little to no art or design background would make our work feel much more interconnected. What we do and work on is communicating and presenting ideas and concepts to those who can turn those ideas into a reality, with a focus there, I believe design will be more understanding to all walks of life.