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 A
Complete Guide To Interior Design :
Successful
interior design is almost always based on a
predefined set of steps. The more you work in
the field, the easier it will become to apply
these steps to each and every project you take
on. Establishing a work pattern is one of the
most difficult tasks you undertake when beginning
a career in interior design. It is also one
of the most vital ones. If at first you do not
find a work sequence that works for you, don’t
be afraid to change it around in the next project
and see if you are more comfortable. When you
realize the cycle of events that agrees best
with you, take notice of them and what aspects
of them made you successful and apply that reasoning
to all future projects.
Below you will find a brief description of the
sequence that works best for me. If you are
uncomfortable with this order, as I said, switch
it around!
To begin with, you must have a relative idea
of the style that you intend to implement into
the design. Envisioning this style is the first
representation that you will have of the space
or area that is to be designed. It is very important
to ask for and listen to any ideas or feedback
that the client has concerning this step. Often
times, clients will have their own sense of
style or ideas and they are coming to you to
pull it together rather then design it from
scratch. These type of client situations may
at first sound like the simplest types of work
although take note that because these clients
have a predispositioned sense of style, they
might have very defined aspects of what they
want which might be more complicated in creating
than they understand.
Other clients may approach you with a picture
of a room or a comparison room that they like
and want something similar to, only including
their own style along with it. This is a great
way to start things out because, both the client
as well as the designer, have an actual visual
representation of the creative aspect of the
design. Discuss aspects of the picture or pictures
that can be improved upon, and even suggest
ways that they can bring in some items that
they already have in the space, readily available,
in order to cut costs
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The third type of style situation that you will
likely experience as a designer is a client
that has no idea what they are looking for;
they just want it to look good. As one of my
favorite clients once put it, “I have
the creativity of an onion.” Discuss with
these types of clients the things they do like,
for instance their favorite colors. Ask them
to close their eyes and envision the life they
live. Favorite clothes, activities, etc. All
of these factors can come into play in their
overall design needs. For instance, if they
entertain frequently, they will need an area
to entertain in that is agreeable with their
style of activities and friends. (A Friday night
football bunch might not appreciate traditional
teatime furniture!) Their lifestyle needs concerning
furniture, and their comfort zone with traditional
versus non-traditional design.
Styles range from traditional; country, home,
and Quaker--to contemporary; eclectic, retro,
and industrial. Each style has its own place
in almost any home and all of the styles can
be mixed and matched to create a new, hybrid
style that is catered to each individual clients
needs. This is the ideal form of style for interior
decorating.
The personal
aspect of interior decorating is the part that
allows us creative control over design choices
rather then sticking to a regiment. Practicality
of design is an aspect that is not always considered
by the over enthusiastic client and it is your
responsibility as the designer to introduce
new and well-thought out ideas for their design
that will offer them unique conveniences in
their everyday lives. When the style has been
decided upon, the next item on the agenda will
be to plan the space. During this aspect of
the design, I recommend that you first begin
with a measuring rule and a piece of paper.
First, I would measure the width of all doorways
leading to the space you will be working in
and record the measurements.
It would be a terrible waste of time to go out
and select and purchase a piece of furniture
that will not fit into the house or office when
you get it home. Once you have the dimensions
of the doorways, it is then time to measure
the actual room or rooms you will be designing.
Always remember to include plenty of room for
traffic in and out of the room as well as areas
of open space that can be used by the client
for activities.
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We’ve decided upon our style, have an
accurate measurement for all areas in the room,
and now is the time to execute the planning
period. Try not to ever skip over the first
three steps, even if they may seem a little
unnecessarily time consuming at first, you will
realize their importance as the following steps
become complete and the design begins to present
itself. Planning is in my opinion the VERY most
important factor to successfully achieving any
task especially any task that is related to
interior design. Inappropriate planning can
result in costly mistakes that are not only
a waste of money, but are also a waste of time.
Remove the furniture!!! This is a precautionary
step taken in order to prevent any damage to
the furniture itself as well as a planning step.
An empty room offers more promise and creativity
then does one cluttered with furniture around
the center or corners. If this is not an option,
try covering the furniture up with sheets or
blankets just to give you a surreal feeling
of emptiness. Once you have done this, begin
to look around the room and notice specific
architectural settings and features that you
might want to accentuate with your new style
such as windows, paneling, fireplaces, etc.
Challenges you will likely face at this phase
of the design mode are smallness of rooms, large-undefined
rooms, dark rooms, and low ceilings. Below you
will find a list of solutions to these problems.
This is by no means a comprehensive list or
a complete list of solutions. As a designer,
part of your job is to take notice of these
and other possible complications and take precautionary
measures before problems arise.
Small rooms can be made to appear larger by
arranging furniture close together and in groups.
This type of placement can add a more personal
touch to your room while adding versatility
with the different small sections of furniture.
It also adds a feeling of spaciousness by creating
more then one focal point in the room, thus
diverting attention from the room’s actual
size onto the contents of the room.
Multifunctional furniture can also be put to
great use in smaller rooms because they require
less space and provide more usability. Each
home or space offers unique design challenges
and possibilities. Be sure not to focus so strongly
on overcoming the challenges that you don’t
concentrate on the advantages the room offers
as well. A good working balance of the two makes
for a great combination.
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