Relating a narrative about, by, or for a user’s relationship to a space.

Storytelling in interior design is the creation of a narrative or journey, of an environment through careful space and object planning. It is a helpful tool in developing and determining choices about colors, palettes, materials, and furniture, and can be applied to residential, commercial, and other types of interior spaces. Storytelling is exceptionally useful in spaces where narratives drive an experience, such as museum exhibits and retail environments.

Narratives help foster an emotional connection between the design and the user interacting with the design. By communicating information in a visual way, the designer establishes a connection with the users of a space.

Prior to the development of written language, humans communicated their histories by telling stories and drawing pictures. In the process, these stories intimately tied these histories to memory, with many early orators using an imagined space—a method of loci, or memory palace—as a mnemonic device. This imagined physical space held objects that tied together collective memories. Aristotle, in his framework for rhetoric, described seven essential components of a narrative—plot, character, theme, diction, melody, decor, and spectacle. Not all listed are relevant to interior design, but several can be helpful as techniques to gain insight into users, build empathy, and connect emotionally through design.