Get in touch with your feminine side

What exactly is “feminine” and “masculine” design?

The internet is full of discussion, quizzes and checklists about finding your own aesthetic. We have even ventured into this trend a couple of times, but we have never discussed the Masculine vs Feminine design style.

Is this a gender-based design style?

Let’s get one thing clear: We are not talking about male or female gender roles or pigeonholing any person into a binary gender. The terms “masculine” and “feminine” refer to classifications of design styles that are many decades old.

Masculine does not simply mean “manly” and feminine does not always mean “girly”.

What passes as masculine designs?

Colours: Masculine colours are often dark, including black, charcoal, navy and deep dark reds and browns. White and light grey may feature as accents on dark colours and most masculine designs incorporate highly saturated strong” colours and apart from contrasting finishes do not.

Materials: Masculine designs do not shy away from so called “raw” materials and natural finishes like wood, leather, exposed concrete and metal in various finishes. Exposed brick, visible copper or galvanised fixtures and incorporated hardware are all hallmarks of masculine design.

Shapes: Hard corners, sharp edges, squares, triangles and geometric shapes with clean lines, with a focus on functionality and a strong sense of order and symmetry.

Examples of masculine design include industrial, modern and minimalist.

Take Note: Another clearly masculine style is brutalist architecture, which we covered last week

Masculine designs, when done right, can evoke feelings of physical security in a very primal sense, through a portrayal of strength and directness. Directly or indirectly adding phallic shapes in the form of columns, pillars and minimalist abstract statues obviously bring this style to an undeniable point…

It doesn’t have to be harsh.

It can however also create uncomfortable feelings related to institutional cruelty, intimidation and a total lack of warmth and nurturing. Masculine designs work well for residential spaces when coupled with wood and leather furniture, stone finishes and greenery. (Think snake plants, rubber trees, geometric succulent gardens with sand, gravel and natural rock accessories.) Trees like acacias and fever trees planted symmetrically can add a hint of softness to this otherwise harsh aesthetic.

Top Tip: Doctor’s offices, schools, nurseries and other places intended to comfort should steer clear of this design style.

The obvious antithesis of masculine design is feminine designs.

Feminine design aesthetics are in sharp contrast to masculine designs and include a whole different range of features and feelings.

Colours: Pastels, pinks, lavenders, soft greens and butter yellows. (Any lighter and brighter colours work here.) Think of those colours present in flowering plants.

Shapes: Curves, circles, wavy lines. Soft furnishings with curved arm rests, and rounded legs, pleated or button tufted finishings are all very feminine.

Materials: Soft textures like ginghams, velvets and even silks or gauzy organza and lace all add that feminine touch. Knits, macramé and crochet work well with this style.

Feminine design celebrate gentle curves, warm tones, soft textures, decorative accents, personal touches, and a focus on comfort and nurture.

Top tip: House plants like ferns, orchids, and arum or peace lilies, and roses, fruit tress and creeping florals like jasmine for outdoor planting will strengthen the feminine vibes of your space.

Examples of feminine designs include romantic, bohemian, traditional, “cottage core” and French provincial or country farmhouse

This design aesthetic can be used to great effect in living rooms, home offices, nurseries and schools, hospitals and other spaces of comfort like OBGYN offices, or therapist’s consulting rooms. Day clinics and children’s wards are usually more feminine than masculine in design.

Take note: Architectural offices, building contractors and financial advisers should rather stick to a more minimalist and straight forward design for their corporate spaces. (Unless you only cater to a very select group of clients.)

Homemakers shoutout:

One of our favourite feminine designs are the unique, flowing designs created by Curves and Bevels. Specializing in kitchens and spaces that celebrate organic, flowing lines and a softer approach to traditional cabinetry, they offer a fresh perspective on feminine design, combining a hint of the feminine with their minimalist, modern creations, giving your kitchen a distinctive and custom vibe. Their entire design process revolves around a collaborative approach, ensuring that you can create your dream kitchen.

When it comes to discussing these two contrasting design styles it is important to take the following into consideration:

• Don’t get stereotyped. Your space, your choice. Your gender identity does not dictate how your space should be designed, styled and decorated.
• Although they are opposites, this does not mean that they cannot blend. It’s possible to create a balanced and harmonious space, incorporating both of these styles.
• An important thing to remember is to focus on functionality. Consider how the design will be used and lived in, rather than just focusing on aesthetics.
• An easy way to ensure that these two styles blend in a living space is to stick to a neutral pallet, simply adjusting the hues and saturations of colours. Layer your lighting to allow you to showcase different focus points of each style at different times, and when in doubt, add a plant!

Still not sure which style works for you?

If you want to explore your own personal aesthetic, read more here.