The
role of the interior designer when designing the interiors for your home.
It may seem deceptively easy to design your own
interior and come up with a beautiful and harmonious interior. If you are one of those people who has a
flare for decorating, perhaps you can pull it off. All you need to do is put together “matching”
pieces of furniture, furnishing and accessories. But does this make you an interior designer? Definitely not!
The interior designer’s role is quite complex. An interior designer is a trained
professional whose job is to produce interiors that are aesthetically
pleasing as well as functional, to say
the least. When a designer takes on a
project, they are actually tackling a problem.
The interior designer researches the space, collects information from
the client, analyzes the information and then synthesizes it all in order to
produce a work of art.
How the Interior Designer works with you.
How the Interior Designer works with you.
Let us consider a domestic interior design project
for Mr. & Mrs. Smith and their family – the project being to design the
interior for the whole house. Each
member of the family becomes an important source of information to the interior
designer. Collecting information is
vital. Quite a task! The interior designer will listen to each
member, pick up on their likes and dislikes, how they go about their daily
lives, their favourite colours and items, and the list goes on……….. it should
also be noted that it is always better to get the information from each member
individually; instead of getting it only through the parents. Listening is an important tool that designers develop
for collecting information to help assess how the family uses the spaces in
their home. It is thus very important
for the client to open up to their interior designer because every little bit
of information counts. In the end the
designer will know each of his clients very closely and often becomes a close
friend of the family once the work is complete.
This trust is a key element for a successful interior design project.
How Interior Design Disasters happen! They can be quite expensive mistakes!
How Interior Design Disasters happen! They can be quite expensive mistakes!
What usually happens, when one takes it upon
themselves to design their own interiors without the guidance of an
interior designer; people go window shopping and consult magazines in search of
inspiration and ideas. It often happens,
in such cases, that certain criteria is overlooked such as the architectural
space itself, the size, proportion, orientation, fenestration, lighting
..etc. Another majore aspect one may
overlook is that the different family members will have different tastes,
individual to their personalities and lifestyle. The result will be an interior that is
neither balanced nor in harmony. The
colours may not match, the furniture may be too big or too small for the height
and size of a room. Often people go out
and buy curtains, for example, only to discover after hanging them that they
don’t match the colour of the flower in the sofa as they had thought. They may buy a light fitting not calculating
the extra length of wire that needs to be installed, ending up in a tangle of
visible and ugly wiring. They may choose
lighting that does not accentuate the colour scheme. It is, thus, by trial and error that one may
learn and this does prove to be expensive and time consuming. In addition to that there will always be a
feeling of unease around the home because even when one may know the interior
they want, they may not possess the skill to achieve it. It is here that the role of the interior
designer becomes very vital.
It is the interior designer’s role to put together
bits and pieces of apparently fragmented information and produce an interior
that satisfies all the users. Designers
will observe and ask the right questions.
Applying their knowledge of history of art, styles, function of spaces,
human proportions, technical data ..etc,
the trained mind of the interior designer will find solutions to
producing a beautiful and well balanced interior that will please the
client.
Simply Said!
Simply Said!
In a nutshell, a domestic project can be a very
challenging one, the larger the family, the more so because every member needs
to be satisfied. The designer’s role is basically collecting information and
producing a design that fulfils the requirements, taking in all aspects of
functionality, practicality, aesthetics and budget. The designer will many times have to educate
their client in order to convince them to accept or reject an idea. The
saying goes that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” so an interior is only
beautiful and successful when the client is happy and satisfied that their
needs are met.
Every home is as unique as its users, and coupled
with the interior designers own style, this just adds spice to its uniqueness.
Introduction
to general scope of interior design services for a project:
1.
SKETCH
DESIGNS: after receiving the client’s requirements, the interior designer will
prepare initial sketch designs and prepare a schedule to indicate scope of work
and an approximate estimate of the total cost of the scheme.
2.
PLANNING
DRAWINGS: this stage involves preparation of drawings sufficient for building
permit or for nomination and instruction of consultants and specialists if
any. Building permits are only required
for a special category of projects.
3.
DETAILED
DRAWINGS: this stage entails the preparation of detailed plans, working
drawings & specifications, sufficient for obtaining competitive tenders for
carrying out construction work, plumbing, electrical installation, painting
& decorating, supplying and making of furniture and soft furnishings.
What
the interior designer does:
1.
COLOR
CONSULTATION: Selecting the colour palette
and creating a color scheme for each space – walls, ceiling, soft furnishings
and furniture – selecting the appropriate lighting to suit the colour
tones.
2.
REMODELING:
the designer will assist in the decision making regarding the colour scheme,
finishes and soft and hard furnishings in the style of choice.
3.
FURNITURE
& FURNISHINGS & UPHOLSTERY: the designer could design custom pieces of furniture
and furnishings to suit specific interior requirements and will guide the
client as to the furniture styles suitable to a particular style of interiors;
as well as guide in choosing the
fabrics, wallpapers and accessories.
4.
ACCESSORIES:
The secret is not just in purchasing accessories but in placing them.
What to prepare when you meet your
interior designer for the first time:
·
You should
know what interior style you want – simply bring along magazines, photos, items
you like as well as list things you like.
This will help the designer know your taste. Feel free to discuss anything.
· * Be ready with
our budget.
· * Be prepared to
work on a time schedule – so the project does not extend forever.
· * Be prepared to
answer questions that may not appear relevant, but the designer will ask in
order to get relevant information.
Example: after a shower, do you
use a towel or prefer a bathrobe? Some
clients may say they hate bath-robes.
Some may say, they use towels but would like to have the option of a
bathrobe. This bit of information, seems
trivial, but it will help the designer decide on the type of accessories to use
in the bathroom (a bathrobe is longer and will need a special hook and perhaps the closet will
need a special storage area to hand these bathrobes).
