There’s no doubt that social media (and Instagram in particular) has made a huge impact on the world of commercial interior design over the last decade. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, though, images are the whole point of Instagram. This constant exposure to imagery has made everyone more design-savvy, creating a market that is more attuned to the looks and details of designed spaces than ever before.
In the era before social media, designers focused primarily on a space’s effect on its occupants. How a room looked in a photograph was a secondary concern, at best. But now, how a space looks when photographed is paramount. People (millennials, especially) are drawn to spaces that will translate beautifully on Instagram. Every corner is a potential photo backdrop for people who love to get likes and regrams.
Hotels can no longer be vanilla; they have to be unique, photo-worthy, and full of surprises. According to data from mobile travel app HotelTonight, when it comes to picking a hotel room, millennials prefer a picture-perfect room they can share on social media over saving money on a cheaper room. And one in three people book a vacation after falling in love with a hotel or destination on Instagram.
According to The Verge, the average restaurant guest takes photos for ten minutes before ordering anything. And it’s not just food photos— it’s a real thing to get a coveted picture of that patterned floor!
Tile, with its colors, textures, and patterns, is ideal for enhancing the photo-worthiness of spaces. The upgrade of tile for floors and walls has pay-offs, as more Instagrammable spaces attract attention and can represent designers and design firms very well.
“Everyone loves a beautiful tiled floor, and it’s not just designers. Maybe it’s the classic square framing of the app, or the sheer popularity of accounts such as @ihavethisthingwithfloors (829k followers) and @parisianfloors (145k) – either way, tiles draw in a huge number of Instagram users. Tiles provide a visual connector throughout a restaurant space and, in addition to enabling the perfect feet-and-floor shot, also look great when photographed in perspective.” ~ Sabrina Syed, ArchDaily
GIO’s range of looks offers so many visually appealing options. Follow us on Instagram for ideas, and check out these top three collections that are sure to up the ‘Gram game for your design firm. (Click the images to see the full collection on our website).
