Geographic distance does not at first make us think of the similarities among countries that make up the region of the tropics. But climatic conditions definitely have an impact on the way people think and act in countries as distant from each other and apparently dissimilar as Brazil, India, Congo, Singapore, and Puerto Rico, which in addition to sharing a climate, share an aesthetic that merits study.

Aspects such as climate, the design of spaces that relate the interior to the exterior, the flora and fauna, the way of seeing, perceiving, and using light, even the love of excess, whether of color, texture or flavor, are all characteristics that tropical countries share. In design, these qualities translate to the use of certain materials and preference for certain textures, colors, and lighting, among other things; and these characteristics contrast dramatically with Nordic design and aesthetics, which are much more rational and colder.

Concerned about the lack of discussion and research on design from and for the tropics, the Puerto Rico Association of Interior Designers-Decorators (CODDI) will host an International Tropical Design Symposium to promote discussion on how geographic and climatic conditions influence the design of furniture and objects as well as architecture and interior design.

With an ambitious list of international panelists, including a distinguished curator, prominent furniture designers, and renowned interior designers, this symposium will place Puerto Rico at the center of international dialogue on tropical design. As the world’s first such symposium on this subject, it will set standards for industrial and interior design as well as architecture.