Culturally Responsive Digital Interiors: Exploring Identity, Tradition and Spatial Design
Pallavi Raila
Sharda School of Design, Architecture and Planning, Sharda University, Greater Noida, India.
Varun Kanojia
Sharda School of Design, Architecture and Planning, Sharda University, Greater Noida, India.
Khushboo Zehra Naqvi *
Sharda School of Design, Architecture and Planning, Sharda University, Greater Noida, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Digital spaces are reshaping interior spaces, enabling the expression of cultural identity and the depiction of traditional culture, spatial rituals, and aesthetic tastes in digital spaces. The research investigates the role of digital technologies in interior design in preserving, transforming, and evolving cultural identities. It seeks to analyse how digital interiors are being used as a means of expressing cultural continuity, promoting inclusivity, and enriching personalisation in a globalised digital space. The study employs qualitative, interpretive methods with comparative case studies, visual analysis, and user interviews. Results show clear patterns of localisation, hybridisation, and cultural continuity in digital interiors. Users incorporate conventional motifs, colours, religious symbols, and rituals in virtual environments, particularly in diasporic communities. Technologies such as VR and IoT enable culturally responsive design but raise challenges such as restricted access and platform limitations. Digital media provide innovative opportunities to reconceptualise heritage in forms that are immersive and inclusive. The research highlights the necessity of culturally responsive design approaches that reconcile contemporary technologies with the maintenance of identity, tradition, and membership.
Keywords: Digital interiors, digital environments, virtual reality, gaming environments, digital architecture, culturally inclusive design