Cross Cultural Determinants of Spatial Preference: A Study of Iranian and Western Users in Residential Interior Environments

Abstract

This metasynthesis draws together insights from eighteen qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies published between 2015 and 2025 to explore how deep-seated cultural frameworks shape residential spatial preferences among Iranian and Western users, primarily from Northern European and North American backgrounds. Rooted in environmental psychology, proxemics, and space syntax theory, the analysis uncovers consistent and profound differences rooted in collectivist versus individualist worldviews, as well as varying emphases on privacy, hierarchy, and social ritual. Traditional Iranian domestic architecture embodies an introverted logic centered on the courtyard (hayat) as a private paradise, transitional vestibules (hashti), and clear public-private divisions between biruni (outer, male-guest areas) and andaruni (inner family domains). These elements safeguard family intimacy, gender modesty, hospitality obligations, and climatic comfort in arid environments while reflecting higher power distance and uncertainty avoidance. In sharp contrast, Western residential interiors typically favor open-plan layouts that promote visual connectivity, personal autonomy, flexible multifunctional zones, and egalitarian family interaction, mirroring lower power distance and pronounced individualism. The synthesis identifies six interlocking themes: privacy as a non-negotiable cultural imperative; spatial hierarchy and territorial control; collective versus individualized room usage; hospitality as a driver of social space configuration; climatic and biophilic adaptations; and the everyday tensions produced by modernization, urbanization, and globalization. Iranian apartment dwellers frequently undertake post-occupancy modifications—adding curtains, raising parapets, or reconfiguring kitchens—to restore cultural fit when confronted with imported Western templates, often at the expense of psychological comfort and well-being. Western users, meanwhile, report greater satisfaction with fluid, light-filled spaces that support self-expression and casual sociality. By combining reciprocal translation and lines-of-argument synthesis (Noblit & Hare, 1988) with re-analysis of published floor plans using DepthMap software, this study generates higher-order interpretations that move beyond single-context findings. The results carry significant implications for contemporary interior design practice, migrant housing, international student accommodation, and culturally responsive global development. Ultimately, the work argues for hybrid design approaches that respectfully integrate indigenous spatial grammars rather than imposing universalist Western norms, thereby fostering environments that genuinely enhance human dignity and belonging across cultures. Limitations include a predominance of English-language sources and the relative scarcity of longitudinal diaspora data, pointing to the need for future VR-based experiments and in-depth ethnographic follow-ups.