Adapting to Cultural Differences in Residential Design: The Case of Korean Families Visiting the United States

Abstract

As globalization brings cultural changes, interior designers and architects are striving to understand the new design requirements of changing populations. The purpose of the study is to examine Korean temporary residents’ housing perceptions and housing adjustment behaviors in U.S. residences. Working from Morris and Winter's (1978, 1994) theory of family housing adjustment, qualitative study was conducted with Korean female temporary residents visiting the United States. Using a purposive sampling strategy, 27 women between the ages of 33 and 54 participated in interviews, observations, and documentation of their previous housing conditions in Korea. Results indicated that planned total duration of stay and length of residency in the United States were the primary factors affecting housing perception and adjustment; consequently, four representative types of cross–cultural temporary residents were postulated to define different consumer housing types. These residents voiced a range of views on their U.S. temporary housing. The positive impressions of the temporary housing included surrounding natural environment, built–in storage, combined open kitchen and living room, and exterior building appearance, whereas the sample viewed the following features more negatively: carpeted floor, interior lighting, bathroom condition, foyer, and types of heating systems. In response to the negatively perceived conditions, the temporary residents changed their behaviors, modified existing housing attributes, endured less–than–ideal circumstances, or moved. Among cultural housing attributes, a carpeted floor was the most difficult for Korean temporary residents to adapt to.