The irony and metaphor of a designer writing about ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ is not lost on me! The only shades of grey I usually deal with are within a swatch book, and I’m aiming for things to remain that way from now on... But let's make an exception.

I'll be honest, I'm not particularly happy to admit it but I did read the first book in the 'Fifty Shades..." series, the one which caused the big stir. I know I'm not the target audience, and my reasoning was anything but a desire for sordid titillation, but more so because I wanted to know what was causing the hype. At the end of the day I work in 'fashion', so if something has become part of popular culture, it can affect what I do an how I do it. I had to know, why had it infiltrated the public's psyche? The book was breaking all sales records, and the more background info I discovered, the more it became clear. With the release of the movie, now seemed a good time to share a few thoughts (most I fear will be unpopular) and why I have an invested professional interest...

In the words of the author herself, she wanted to write an erotic romance for the twilight generation. Whatever floats your boat, right? 
Basically, she had identified a lucrative niche and formula which was riding a wave and she targeted it head on, clearly to enormous success. I can't criticise her for that, it's shrewd, however If you're cynical like me, you can view the book as a designed and manufactured 'product' more than a creative work.
     So, given the target audience, I knew it wasn't written for me. The author didn't intend for me to enjoy this, not one bit... And we were both proved right, so that's good! Mid-way through the first chapter I genuinely thought it was a joke parody of a ‘real’ book. The quality of the writing was nothing above GCSE student standard (14-16 year old kids, if you're not from the UK), and that's being kind. The language was simple, repetitive and lacking any expression, I just assumed it was intentionally dumb. Unfortunately, no. Either she's genuinely lacking as a writer and doesn't own a thesaurus, or she knew her audience don't like big words. I honestly don't know which it is.
 
This isn't a book or movie review so I won't ramble about my 'lack of enthusiasm' for the content too much, but if you haven't read it... The story is a mish-mash of stolen ideas, a story about the innocent 'Plain Jane', snaring and taming the wild, sexually deviant billionaire, the now notorious Christian Grey. A poor man's emotionally damaged Bruce Wayne without the Bat Mobile, or any notable charisma (he has a room with a few whips in it, instead of a bat cave full of military-grade gadgets) or any original, engaging facets as a character. They predictably become romantically entwined, she softens his cold heart and breaks down his metaphoric walls. The man who can have anyone, and he chose her...Yet it never became clear why he fell for this average, awkward girl or why she agrees to effectively become a live-in, professional hooker despite being a virgin. We've all been there though, right? 
    A real modern day fairy tale, without any magic, imagination or common sense. The whole thing woven together with some badly written and much over-hyped sexual content. I'm a man, and I started skipping the sex scenes. THAT is how bad they are. It's one step up from the little stories they print in the back of women's magazines like Chat and Take A Break (your local community centre or residential home probably have copies on the coffee table). I expected to find an agony aunt section and some personal ads in the back (I checked, but no). 

I know I'm being overly critical, we already established the book isn't written for me and I apologise if you love the book and/or movie. However, just  to summarise again what happened here: A lucrative niche was identified, filled with something which literally anyone can read without becoming confused, sent viral online and hyped to death. Peer pressure and the need to feel involved, relevant and socially validated with whatever is popular alone will sell units. Look at the music charts on any given week for confirmation of that. I don't believe people actually like or respect most of that stuff, it sells because people think they 'should' like it because it's popular and relevant.

Apparently this fictional phenomenon has created a sexual awakening among women (and men). I mean, what? Really? Well if that's true, in this age of the internet, and all manner of explicit material available on tap, I’m gobsmacked how sheltered and easily excited the majority of people seem to be. 
     Explicit sexual content has been in literature written for over a hundred years. Movies like Basic Instinct were mainstream in the early 90’s. Even the less mainstream bondage and S&M cultures which exist are aren’t even underground any more. Events like Torture Garden are legit and increasingly popular. So the popularity and interest in this particular story basically comes down to the way it’s packaged and sold, not the actual content.

I'm not naive though, I get it. Once something becomes mainstream, people see it as 'OK'. It is no longer some filthy hidden fetish; it's acceptable to be seen reading it on the train without too much judgement. Well, unless you mind being judged for reading bad fiction. It gives people permission in the eyes of society to try something which was otherwise seen as 'deviant'.

I'll come onto the relevance to design (stick with me), but it's just worth highlighting the modern phenomenon of online viral marketing directly to your audience in the right way.
     Anyway, from my perspective, the interesting aspect of the book and film stylistically is the 'red room of pain', not because I want one (I've had one for years, it's old news), but more so the symbolism of us all having a place and environment where we can indulge parts of our personality which others don't or can't see. Such a room can even be seen as symbolic, a metaphor for a part of ourselves, our personality (which in the book it is, or am I giving the author too much credit?).

Other than apparently awakening people to the possibilities of their bedroom antics, I'd also like to think the movie and book open possibilities and understanding of how decor and our environment play an enormous part in the whole mood, feel and emotion of our lives at any given time. Simply walking into a space decorated in a particular way completely alters our state.
     In this instance, one red room is literally is the hub and selling point on which this entire hype is based. Would the imagery have the same impact if it was a pink fluffy bed with floral scatter cushions? No, of course not. Interior design literally creates the chemistry and dictates the interaction between the characters and communicates it with the reader/viewer. The author describes (in her own way) the feel, texture and shape of every object for a reason. 
Proof that decor completely dictates how you view a space, how that space makes you feel about yourself and controls how you interact with the space and other people around you, emotionally and physically.

I have dealt with a bespoke furniture maker, "Mark Brazier-Jones" (look him up if you get chance), buying pieces for a few years now. He makes high end, exquisitely hand finished furniture. His designs are rooted in anything from Greek mythology to eccentric British aristocracy and references to, shall we say, sexual practices. 
     It was no surprise to me, to find out that an item of his furniture had made it into the fifty shades movie, but more specifically into the much talked about ‘room of pain’. Now, we're not talking about something you'd find in Ikea (see the picture at the bottom of the page; it's the green piece with stirrups… Yeah, exactly!) To me, the principle of designing and making furniture so blatantly and unapologetically sexual and deviant, is fantastic. Here it is, 'like it or lump it'.

The point is that within your own personal space, why shouldn't you be daring? Why shouldn't you allow every facet of your personality to be displayed within your own living area or indeed business premises? Why would so many of us rather create a false image, hiding our true personality behind a fashion-driven facade? Are we only making choices to appease other people? Scared they won't like it and praise our choices? I’m not being critical, we all do it in some sense to comply but we probably shouldn't still feel the need to do it quite so much.

So on a personal note, if there is anything good to come from this overexposed piece of literature, it is not a social sexual awakening, but more so an appreciation and awakening when it comes to taking creative risks and demonstrating true personality. To openly say "this is me" via your own space is both liberating, daring and should be commended. Even if some don't like it, they'll remember it.
Don't get me wrong, it's not rare for anyone to use vivid colour e.g. a red room, but it's often implemented badly within the space and usually has the effect of completely dominating (no pun intended!) rather than giving a punch of character and personality as it should. Like with anything, it's a case of knowing when to hold back and find a measured balance.

For the record, I'm not saying install a ‘rack’ and bondage gear in the living room or turn the local village pub into a fetish venue with a dress code of rubber and leather, but if my clients are tempted to take a few more creative risks and show a little more personality, that's fantastic news for me and extremely liberating for them.
     That's what I always ideally push for as a creative professional. I want a client's environment to inspire them, be a true reflection of who they are, what they’re all about and what they want from their life. That goes for both residential and commercial clients alike.

So yes, a... erm, less-than-good, yet well marketed and hyped book and movie, but maybe a big creative silver lining in that cloud. I can but hope…

Paul Hancock
(Founder & Director)

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