What is the difference between a sociological concept and a variable?

What's the difference between Concept and Style and Theme of interior design?

• im so confused.....my lecturer told me that Concept = Style + Theme, and theme is a feeling.....how bout style? something more structural? like contemporary, classical, but then what's concept??

• Answer:

  I can explain it but I'll have to do it in reference to architecture. Suppose I was contracted to design a building in New York with an early Georgian style. The building then will have elements reflective of that style; square shape, brick structure, orthogonal symmetries &c. Suppose the build was constructed in west New York state and the owner wanted the structure to reflect its surroundings; to satiate his demand, I may make the building low impact, I may have the brick made out of local clay, I may have the building have a split-level (All qualities non-native to the style). So now Ive gone from a contemporary Georgian style to a Modern Georgian style with heavy influence from the locale. So style is a preset idea, a guideline. Whereas theme is the personalization of that guideline to fit demand.