Interior design, planning, and the design of man-made environments are all elements of environmental design that are strongly tied to architecture. Although the desire to create a pleasant environment dates back to the dawn of humanity, the profession of interior design is relatively recent.
Since at least the mid-twentieth century, the phrase “interior decorator” has been utilized so broadly that it has become practically meaningless, resulting in the adoption of new, more descriptive terms. The phrase interior design denotes a broader field of activities while also implying its stature as a professional profession. Interior architecture is a term used in various European countries where the profession is well established. Environmental design is a term used by people who are interested in the many components that shape man-made surroundings.
Interior Design Principles
It is critical to note that interior design is a specialist branch of architecture or environmental design; similarly, no specialized branch in any discipline would be very useful if done outside of context. The best buildings and interiors are those in which there is no visible discrepancy between the various pieces that comprise the whole.
Among these elements are a building’s structural aspects, site planning, landscaping, furnishings, architectural graphics (symbols), and interior embellishments. There are numerous examples of notable buildings and interiors that were constructed and managed by a single directing hand.
Because of the technological complexity of modern planning and construction, a single architect or designer can no longer be an expert in all of the various factors that comprise a modern structure. However, the many specialists that make up a team must communicate with one another and have sufficient basic knowledge to carry out their common aims.
While architects are typically concerned with the overall design of structures, interior designers are concerned with the more intimately scaled parts of the design, the specific aesthetic, practical, and psychological issues involved, as well as the individual character of spaces.
Although interior design is still a developing industry with no precise definition of its boundaries, it can be divided into two broad categories: residential and non-residential. In contrast to the commission or percentage arrangement common among domestic interior decorators, the latter is commonly referred to as contract design because of how the designer is compensated (i.e., a formal fee arrangement).
Although the volume of economic activity in the sector of residential interiors continues to rise, there appears to be less need and less difficulty for the professional designer. This results in an increasing number of trained experts being active in nonresidential projects.
There are already specialized sectors within the subject of interior design. “Space planning,” or the analysis of space needs, allocation of space, and the interrelationship of operations inside business firms, is one of the newer topics. In addition to these preparatory concerns, such design firms are typically office design specialists.
Many design companies have specialized in areas such as hotel, retail, industrial park, or shopping center design. Others may specialize in the design of hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes, while others may concentrate primarily on huge college or school projects. Nonresidential design businesses range in size from small groups of associates to enterprises with 50 to 100 staff.
The majority of larger firms employ architects, industrial designers, and graphic designers. Interior designers who work on home contracts, on the other hand, are likely to operate alone or with two or three assistants.
The scale of the firms participating in nonresidential design demonstrates the relative difficulty of the huge commissions. Residential design is a different type of activity than commercial design since it is less sophisticated.
The residential interior is typically a highly personal statement for both the owner and the designer, who are both involved in all areas of the design. It is unlikely that a customer who wishes to hire an interior designer for his home would be satisfied with an orderly systems approach.
Most large architectural firms have their own interior design departments, while smaller firms have at least one interior design specialist. The career of interior design, like any other design job, has no clear boundaries.
Industrial designers and furniture designers, for example, work alongside architects and interior designers to create furniture. Industrial designers or furniture designers typically design furniture for mass manufacturing. Interior designers or architects design special pieces that are not widely available on the market or must fulfill specific criteria for specific work.
Those needs may be functional or aesthetic, and it is not uncommon for a unique chair or desk created for a specific profession to be so successful that the manufacturer incorporates such pieces into his regular line. The same basic condition applies to the design of fabrics, lighting gadgets, floor covering, and all home furnishings.
All design tasks are fundamentally similar, even if the emphasis on training and education in various design professions varies. A talented and well-trained designer can readily transition from one specialized area to another.
It is vital to highlight that there is a significant difference between art and design when discussing general characteristics of the design. A designer is primarily concerned with the resolution of problems that are presented to him (whether functional, aesthetic, or psychological).
The artist is more concerned with emotional or expressive concepts, as well as the resolution to difficulties he creates. A truly excellent or beautiful interior can be considered a piece of art, however, some refer to such an interior as a “beautiful concept.”
Aesthetic Design Elements
A general definition of beauty and aesthetic quality would be impossible to come up with, but thankfully, several generally acknowledged principles may be used to gain an understanding of aesthetic concerns in design. It should be noted, however, that such comprehension necessitates exposure and learning; appreciation of any kind of art necessitates such a foundation.
A thorough understanding of design must extend beyond the first impression. The interior of a Gothic cathedral may appear dark or gloomy at first glance. Once the visitor senses its majestic proportions, notices its beautiful stained glass windows and the effect of light, and begins to understand the superb structural system that allowed cathedral builders to achieve their lofty goals, he can truly begin to appreciate the overall aesthetic qualities.
One of the most important factors in any design must be whether the design “works” or functions for its intended purpose. No matter how wonderfully adorned a theatre is, if it has bad sight lines, terrible acoustics, and limited ways of entry and escape, it clearly does not serve its purpose. Such a design could only be judged good if seen abstractly as a type of walk-in sculpture.
In certain situations, the structure is intended to be a sculpture rather than architecture. The Statue of Liberty, for example, is primarily meant as a memorial, despite the fact that its interior areas are somewhat tormented.
Using functionality as the sole aesthetic criterion would be restrictive, but it is a relevant issue to keep in mind. Designers are frequently tempted to “style” or overdesign an object or interior rather than design it.
Some of the most beautiful artifacts of the twentieth century are gorgeous because they were created solely for functional reasons. Future art historians may regard a modern jet airliner as the pinnacle of aesthetic achievement in the mid-twentieth century, rather than any building, interior, or conscious art form.
The aesthetic approach to an interior and its furniture must consider social and economic factors, as well as current materials and technology. The exquisite or extravagant interiors that are typically associated with the 18th and 19th centuries were appropriate to the social and economic situations of the original residents, who were nobility or affluent bourgeois. The chairs were made for formal life, and the finely carved furnishings were made to be cared for by a large number of servants.
Such an interior is strange to twentieth-century existence and would be completely unsuited for a modern middle-class household. It would also be incorrect to emulate earlier materials and procedures with present materials and processes. Many producers make desperate attempts to make plastic look like wood, stone, or anything other than plastic.
All aesthetic criteria are related to honesty in some way. Some aestheticians have compared beauty to truth, and there is no doubt that honestly stated functions, materials, and manufacturing methods are vastly more beautiful than impersonation and imitation.
All interiors, by definition, take place inside buildings and so have a very real relationship to these structures. The best interiors, both today and in the past, are those that correspond effectively in terms of character and suitability to the specific structure.
Furniture created and scaled for large country mansions or castles will look out of place in a modest city apartment or suburban home. A bold and distinctive architectural component, such as New York City’s Trans World Airlines terminal (at John F. Kennedy International Airport), could not be adequately equipped with ordinary commercial furniture and products.
Whether the spectator agrees or disagrees with the architect’s notion, he perceives the strong correlation between the exterior and the interior—and hence the aesthetic unity and success.
The Ford Foundation headquarters in New York City, designed by architects Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo with interiors by Warren Platner, is another successful interior building. The design is remarkable for its beautiful areas that open out to an enclosed garden space. This would surely not have been practical or appropriate if the view from the offices was unappealing.
The interiors of mediocre or unappealing buildings must seek to compensate for the structures’ lack of design features. As a result, if no architectural character exists, it is often important to ignore the ugliness of the structure and create an inward-looking beauty.
The problem of appropriateness is the most challenging aesthetic concern. All of the preceding points must be considered when creating a suitable atmosphere or character for a room.
The architectural style of the TWA terminal makes it unsuitable for use as an office structure. Individual, more intimate, and small-scaled spaces are more appropriate. A discotheque’s interior design would be inappropriate for a research library, while a college classroom would not give the ideal mood for a kindergarten. Many of these reactions and associations are complex, with psychological as well as aesthetic components.
Design Elements
The single most crucial factor of all the component elements that make up a finished interior is space. Spaces can be exciting or gloomy, joyful or calm, depending on how the designer uses the many aspects that comprise the total.
In today’s world, space is a valuable commodity. The Gothic cathedral’s stunning spaciousness was made possible by wide dimensions and lofty heights.
Because of the significant increase in construction expenses in modern structures, spaces tend to be smaller and less generous; greater expertise on the part of the designer is necessary to give such limited spaces a certain feel or character. The mere volume of the room, on the other hand, is insufficient.
There is barely a larger room than the interior of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Florida’s John F. Kennedy Space Center, although its visual influence is modest. A location does not have to be enormous and colossal to be aesthetically pleasing.
Even within a modest structure, the manipulation of mass and form may be thrilling and attractive. Frank Lloyd Wright was a master at designing stunning spatial sequences within residential-scale structures. The Ford Foundation building is a little structure among New York City’s massive structures, but the experience of that space is real and delightful.
Space can be viewed as material that must be formed and molded using the designers’ tools of color, texture, light, and scale. The interplay of design aspects can be clarified by imagining the interior of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Being painted in gaudy colors, entirely black, sprayed with a foamy texture covering all surfaces, or flooded with an excessively strong floodlight that erased all play of dark and light. Obviously, any of these changes would devastate the space’s beauty and success.
The quality of light reflected from an item to the human eye is referred to as its color. When light strikes an item, some of it is absorbed, while the rest is reflected, and the apparent color of an object is determined by the wavelength of the light that it reflects. However, the scientific properties of color and light in interior design are less significant than the skillful arrangement of color values, hues, tones, tints, and, most importantly, textures.
Although there are no hard and fast laws about colors and textures, it is worth remembering Mies van der Rohe’s famous adage that “less is more.” His Crown Hall, completed in 1956 at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, is exquisite, subdued, and subtle, and noted for its meticulous use of textures and materials.
Accepting “less is more” as the main design guideline, on the other hand, would be a severe mistake. If there were no intimate areas with low ceilings in contrast to huge spaces of greater height, and if spaces did not interrelate to offer the user a sequential experience of moving from one to another, space, which is the essence of a meaningful interior, would be dull indeed.
Monotony would also occur if all of the interiors of a given structure were the same color, material, and textural quality. Man requires variation and change.
Space manipulation is important for both aesthetic and utilitarian reasons. A tiny entrance vestibule in a structure is required to keep out wind, cold, heat, and rain, but it is also necessary to provide a visible transition from the outside to the inside of the building.
Early cave shelters’ enclosed sleeping alcoves not only expressed man’s yearning for smaller and more intimate places for personal use but also provided protection from drafts or cold.
Much of our man-made structures are composed of natural materials, and it is important to remember that natural colors and textures are usually superior to anything a man can make intentionally. Competent designers are well aware of the inherent properties and textures of all materials, particularly natural ones.
A sensitive designer, for example, would use a simple oil finish on the wood to bring out the beauty and richness of the grain rather than the once-popular high-gloss finish, which tended to obscure and modify the texture.
Textures are significant not just for their look, but also for their sensation of touch and the influence they have on light absorption or reflection. Abrasive surfaces or extremely rough plaster would certainly be unpleasant to the touch and perhaps dangerous in an interior, depending on the intended usage of the interior. Textures can convey impressions of refinement (such as silks) or informality (such as denim or rough, tweedy materials).
Light, both natural and manmade, is one of the most significant architectural aspects, but the management and effect of light will be lost unless objects are appropriate in color and texture. The wonderful sense of space in a Gothic cathedral is closely tied to how light is handled.
The source of daylight, whether high above or filtered via stained glass, provides interesting patterns of light and shade, as well as a range of intensities and pools of light. A similar approach may be used in all interior areas, and modern interiors frequently include skylights or high windows to create variety and change light patterns. Artificial lighting is also significant, with the same considerations of highlights, overall illumination, and variation.
Concepts of design
The scale and proportion of any interior must always relate to the design within which the interior exists, but the human body is also an important component to consider when evaluating the scale of man’s environment. Designers and architects have endeavored to construct ideal proportions throughout history.
The golden section, developed by the ancient Greeks, was the most famous of the proportion axioms. This axiom states that a line should be divided into two unequal sections, the first of which is to the second as the second is to the entire. Leonardo da Vinci created an ideal man figure centered on the navel as the center of a circle surrounding the man with outstretched arms.
Le Corbusier, a French architect, devised a proportion theory called Modulor, which was also based on a study of human proportions. However, these regulations are only recommendations at best. They can never replace the designer’s eye and judgment. It is reasonable to expect that attempts to make the all-powerful computer a substitute for the designer’s sensitivity will be far from ideal.
As previously noted, the desire for a shifting size and spatial relations in the environment appears to be natural, nearly physiological as well as psychological. Consider some extreme situations to better understand the requirement for “personal” surroundings and size.
A person flying at 30,000 feet in an airplane loses contact with the reality of items because the scale of anything viewed on the ground appears so small. People who are afraid of heights are rarely affected by the view from an airplane since the distance to ground things is beyond conventional notions of scale.
A person’s reaction to the scale of a tiny house is very different from his reaction to the scale of a massive high-rise skyscraper. Pattern, texture, and material details are accepted and expected in the little construction because they are on a relevant scale in relation to man. Similarly, the sculptural embellishments on the tops of early skyscrapers appear ludicrous today.
Almost all interior design ideas may be understood using clear analytic thinking and good judgment, without regard for dogmatic norms. A gorgeous 18th-century breakfront (which could be more than eight feet tall) would certainly look out of scale if put in an apartment with a ceiling height just an inch higher than the piece of furniture.
If space is designed so that all of the heavy and huge items of furniture are pushed between one end of the room, and nothing on the other side, the room will appear out of balance. However, if balance and symmetry were inviolate design rules, the outcome would be very formal, highly classic, and fairly dull interiors.
Careful symmetry was a widely acknowledged rule throughout the Renaissance, and one can be guaranteed to find a well-balanced and symmetrical exterior in any classic building. Most official and traditional interiors had rigidly balanced designs. It is now understood that asymmetry can be used to achieve balance.
Both architectural and interior decorating in the twentieth century purposefully defied numerous standards handed down from previous centuries. It is more crucial for a structure or location to express its function.
It was previously customary for a theatre, concert hall, or performance space to take on specific forms and shapes without regard for sight lines, sitting distance from the stage, or acoustics. The Berlin Philharmonic Concert Hall (1964), on the other hand, performs brilliantly as a concert hall and reflects its purpose and function clearly in a thrilling and energetic manner.
What Exactly is an Interior Designer?
Are you a problem solver who is innovative and detail-oriented? You should think about becoming an interior designer!
An interior designer collaborates with customers to create visually appealing rooms and places. Clients span from homeowners to huge organizations, and the locations produced range from simple interior and exterior home situations to hotel lobbies and opulent estates.
Regardless of the assignment, every interior designer strives to create rooms that are appealing, useful, and safe while also addressing the client’s objectives.
What is the Job of an Interior Designer?
Interior designers attempt to create places that are appealing, useful, and safe while also fulfilling the individual demands of each client.
Through the use of furniture placement, color palettes, decorations, and functional decor, interior designers can create a variety of spaces — from living rooms that are beautiful yet functional, to offices that people want and love to work in. Elements such as artwork, lighting, window treatments, and flooring must work together to contribute to an overall look that will satisfy a client’s needs.
Interior designers can specialize in a variety of fields, including:
Corporate Design
Corporate designers develop efficient and professional workplaces while also attempting to include parts of a company’s brand into its design. They work in a wide range of environments, from office spaces and start-ups to major corporate facilities. Regardless of the project’s size or scope, its primary goal is to create an efficient and effective space.
Corporate designers also seek to develop locations, particularly work environments, that promote perfect health and stance for employees who spend the majority of their time in offices. Because many individuals use computers, computer desktops, and computer chairs for long periods of time, the arrangement of these objects is frequently the emphasis. If the wrong goods are utilized or if they have been improperly set or installed, users may experience extra tiredness, stress, and even damage.
Designers will evaluate the work (activity) being performed, the expectations of the user, and the equipment being used (its size, shape, and suitability for the task), and then design the space around those aspects.
Healthcare Design
Physician’s offices, dentist offices, hospitals, healthcare centers, clinics, and residential care facilities are all planned and renovated by healthcare designers. These creators specialize in evidence-based design, which was first defined as the deliberate effort to base design decisions on the best evidence available, in cooperation with an educated client, to make decisions based on the available knowledge from research and project evaluations.
The availability of this data and study aids interior designers in creating pleasant and welcoming places for residents, patients, and institutions.
Kitchen and Bath Design
Kitchen and bath designers cover all aspects of designing, remodeling, or modernizing a client’s kitchen and bathroom areas. They are well-versed in the cabinets, fixtures, appliances, plumbing, building materials, and electrical solutions for these particular rooms.
Themes, colors, patterns, and room layout are discussed with the client, and based on those talks, sketches and drawings are created. Once a project has begun, it is the designer’s obligation to maintain all expenses within the client’s budget.
Sustainable Design
The US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is frequently obtained by sustainable designers. This form of certification demonstrates to clients your experience in developing buildings and environments with sustainability in mind.
A sustainable designer’s major goal is to utilize sustainable and low-impact goods, reduce energy consumption and waste, enhance indoor air quality, increase energy and water efficiency, and design with space efficiency in mind.
Sustainable design initiatives are also concerned with blending beauty and usefulness with environmentally friendly options.
Universal Design
Universal designers improve existing facilities and environments to make them more accessible. The architect Ronald Mace coined the phrase “universal design” to define the concept of creating all items and the built environment to be as beautiful and usable by everyone, regardless of age, ability, or social standing.
The dropped curb was invented by Selwyn Goldsmith, author of Designing for the Disabled (1963) and pioneer of the notion of unrestricted access for individuals with impairments. It is now a regular part of the built environment.
These designs are mostly utilized to provide usable places for the elderly and those with special needs. Low-floor transit vehicles that “kneel” (bring their front end to ground level) or are equipped with ramps assist persons who have difficulties boarding a bus. These universal designs benefit a wide range of people, not just the elderly or those with special needs (such as someone pushing a baby stroller).
The following are some of the duties of an interior designer:
- Promotion of new projects
- New project bidding
- Meeting with clients to determine project objectives
- Imagining how the room will be used
- Plan design sketches
- Choosing materials and furniture
- Making material and furniture purchases
- Developing project timeframes
- Calculating project costs
- Project construction and installation supervision
- Coordination of plans and specifications with contractors
- Collaborating with electricians, painters, plumbers, and other contractors
- Ensure client satisfaction after the assignment is completed
Is Interior Designer the Career for You?
Interior designers are individuals with distinct personalities. They are typically artistic people, which implies they are creative, perceptive, sensitive, communicative, and expressive.
They are unstructured, unique, nonconforming, and forward-thinking. Some are also entrepreneurial, which means they are daring, ambitious, forceful, outgoing, energetic, enthusiastic, confident, and optimistic.
What is an Interior Designer’s Working Environment Like?
Interior designers might operate as independent contractors seeking new clients or for an experienced design firm. In either situation, they must develop a positive solid reputation in order to be considered for future work.
Interior designers require flexible schedules and a variety of work situations. Schedules are frequently adapted to their client’s demands, and designers frequently travel to their client’s homes or businesses to discuss design plans. Designers search for furnishings, artwork, and supplies to create the intended style and function after an initial appointment and a few planning sessions.
Many interior designers have their own or rent office space, which includes conference rooms for client and design team contact, as well as a waiting area, office, and creative area for developing interior aspects. While an office is not required for a freelance designer, it provides clients with the appearance of a professional service. A good first impression can help you succeed in the design business.
Modes of Composition
It should be noted that there are numerous moods or forms of composition that can be achieved in interior design. Because many of these forms are very personal, recognizing this reality makes it very difficult to apply meaningful analytical criteria to them. What appears attractive to one individual may appear ugly or chaotic to another.
Each person brings his or her own cultural mores and prejudices to interior design, and he or she is psychologically conditioned and influenced to accept certain items and reject others. When considering diverse types of composition, one must consider the occupants and their backgrounds, the region and site, and then attempt to use the most basic design concepts as general recommendations.
Formal and informal compositions are reasonably simple to define and categorize; in fact, this distinction has been beneficial throughout the history of furniture and interior design. Formal styles are typically linked with court life or furnishings for the palatial residences of nobles or the wealthy elite. The informal periods are typically linked with country living or simpler pieces of furniture created by local craftsmen in rural settings, where they practiced their trade with restricted equipment and native woods.
In general, formal furniture leads to formal interior compositions. Balance and symmetry almost always lead to formal compositions. Formality is not identified with any certain era. For instance, a well-known contemporary chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair, is a very formal and exquisite design. It seems inappropriate to utilize the chair in a casual room arrangement.
The character of a space is heavily influenced by its setting. A rustic setting, by definition, is rural and casual and would appear inappropriate and out of place in a formal townhouse or city apartment.
Because most corporate and public interiors are in urban areas, any attempt to make them look rural or cozy would be an artistic contradiction. By the same token, it would be equally strange to construct a formal and urban New England restaurant with elegant furnishings, whether contemporary or antiques of a formal kind, in an old mill or barn.
Certain patterns of composition are defined as much by the function of the rooms as by their location and construction. A comfortable or homey environment, for example, is typically linked with residential interiors or similarly intimate interiors, such as eateries that want to appear “cozy.”
Some interiors, like discotheques, demand excitement, while others, such as funeral parlors, demand peace or dignity. Certain styles of composition are expected for specific activities, but these expectations are vulnerable to a variety of external influences, including personal background, locality, psychological associations, and shifting fashions.
Until around 1950, for example, the traditional bank interior was intended to look strong, dignified, awe-inspiring, formal, and, above all, confidence-inspiring. All have come to accept contemporary design for business and industry, and the early 1950s saw the obvious extension of these well-established design ideas into the field of bank design.
The Manufacturers Trust Company Manhattan office, built by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill in the early 1950s, was one of the first significant departures from typical banking design. It was the first publicly publicized “glass” bank, and it established a trend that has since become the new paradigm of bank composition.
Fashion or design trends influence how people react to various types of designs. Clutter is commonly connected with Victorian design from the nineteenth century.
Clutter is typically associated with home interiors that have collections of decorations and an overflow of knickknacks—the classic Victorian home. In the mid-1960s, a new style of office design was developed that reflected the “cluttered” attitude.
At first sight, this office appears unorganized. The system (dubbed office landscape) interior design styles include public interiors. Space planning is highly efficient and so judged acceptable, even if the visual impression is chaotic. Traditionally, office and commercial interiors were spotless, ordered, and extremely organized, and the concept of a crowded appearance would have been unthinkable to designers.
Exotic composition is the most difficult mode of composition for objective examination. All exotic interiors are likely to be very personal statements that cannot be properly understood in theoretical design terms.
To begin, what appears foreign to the average American may be extremely ordinary or even familiar to another culture. As an example, consider Japanese or oriental design in general. A Japanese-style decor is exceedingly quiet, tranquil, and understated, but to the inexperienced, it appears strange.
Without a doubt, the same phenomenon occurs in reverse. Oriental people have frequently been impressed by Western-style design and have adopted it, perhaps because it appears exotic to them.
The increased mobility of many nations’ middle classes today has made overseas travel possible for an increasing number of people, tending to lessen some of the extremely significant regional distinctions in design. The compositional modes are still detectable nationally or by major regional and ethnic differences, but they are becoming less distinct.
Within the same country, many subtle variances occur, some of which are based on various socioeconomic backgrounds, much like the old distinction between formal styles (at court and in nobility’s residences) and informal forms of composition for the rural people and middle classes.
The designations given to different types of composition are frequently just descriptive. They should not be confused with objective design value evaluation. An interior that is exotic or scenic in the creator’s opinion may or may not be a well-executed exotic design.
Symbolism and Design
There are numerous historical instances of design achieved through the use of symbols; nonetheless, symbolism is often employed as a more understated mode of style expression as opposed to one that makes a deliberate assertion.
Up until recently, architectural statements of style or symbolism seen in religious structures, and churches, in particular, were consistently conventional. The development of the church as well as church architecture occurred during the Middle Ages. During this time, the Gothic style of church architecture emerged as the preeminent icon. Up until very recently, the majority of churches were constructed in the Gothic style.
It’s worth noting that a “Gothic” church designed and built 1820 may be easily recognized as such, but a “Gothic” church erected in 1920 has the year imprinted on its cornerstone.
A comparable symbolic or stylistic heritage exists in the design of public or governmental structures. The interiors and exteriors of city halls, courthouses, and major government institutions were typically designed in the “classical” style, symbolizing authority, power, and stability, as we have long associated these ideals with Greco-Roman antiquity and Renaissance thinking.
One further form of symbolism that may be utilized in interior design is the creation of interiors based on particular themes or notions. One of the earliest instances is the tomb that was discovered in Egypt. The king’s life or crucial moments from his life were reflected in the interior design and decorating, and the entire interior was built as a type of magic to secure the occupant’s journey into life after death and his happiness there.
Piazza Amerina, a Roman hunting lodge located in Sicily, is another example of a symbolic interior intended for a specific purpose. It features wonderful murals and flooring depicting animals and hunting, and it was built in the first century AD.
The inside of Theodore Roosevelt’s mansion in Oyster Bay, Long Island, which was finished in 1880, is an example of a more contemporary example of a similarly symbolic interior design for the same topic. It is crammed to the gills with hunting trophies and other mementos that speak to his personality and interests in the outdoors.
The socio-economic structure of the civilization that generated them was always reflected in interior design and furniture choices. It’s tempting to see a Louis XV chair’s exquisite, feminine features, delicately bent and lavishly cushioned, as a sign of court life’s superficialities. One might also envisage the life of a pioneer who made some of the poorly manufactured early American furniture.
Life was difficult, time was precious, and furniture was limited to the bare necessities. The requirement for effective use of space was represented by dual-purpose, utilitarian components such as dough boxes that functioned as tables and tables that changed into chairs and contained storage compartments for the family Bible.
Business and office design, as functional and efficient as it is now, is replete with unwritten symbolism standards. The architecture of an office reflects the rank of the occupant. The top executives are typically situated on the top floors of corporate headquarters, in the largest corner offices with the best views of the city. The size of the executive’s desk represents his or her position in the company’s hierarchy.
The highest-ranking officials, on the other hand, may avoid desks entirely and have offices that resemble living rooms to indicate that they are above routine paperwork and the need for standard office furnishings. Even in a short period of 10 or 20 years, design trends (or styles) fluctuate and adapt. As a result, another indicator, carpeting, has fallen out of favor.
Until recently, top executives insisted on wall-to-wall carpeting in their offices. These offices may now have wood or other natural floors, along with beautiful area rugs.
Of course, in a status-conscious corporate environment, the concept of a private office is the most essential symbol. However, designers have observed that the need for communication between CEO and staff, including visual contact, frequently renders private offices ineffective.
Symbolism occurs on many levels in residential interior design, albeit it is influenced by changing fashions. When television first became available, the home screen became both a symbol of wealth and the focal point of residential interior design.
By the 1970s, a television set had become a standard possession and was no longer a compositional focal point; rather, it was frequently concealed or carelessly integrated into the overall design.
A homeowner is likely to be concerned about the image of his or her home improvement work. Traditional furniture, for example, continues to be associated with elegance in the minds of many laypeople, which may lead to the buying of poor reproductions or meaningless imitations of nonexistent types.
A real fire in a fireplace is a satisfying physical and visual experience for most individuals, evoking nostalgic feelings. Fireplaces became a luxury and hence a symbol of substance to many people in the twentieth century, as they were no longer essential to heat homes. These circumstances have frequently resulted in imitation fireplaces of the worst possible design, replete with simulated fires.
From the standpoint of the designer, design symbolism in public places can and should be used in present terms rather than as a stylistic duplicate of prior eras. The new Boston City Hall, built-in 1968, is an example of such design achievement, embodying authority, power, and dignity in wholly original and modern terms.
There is little reason to add symbolism in residential interiors unless it is the type of cultural symbolism exhibited in Japanese interiors, such as that of the Zen tea house (cha-shiatsu), where specific architectural features reflect a way of life and have ceremonial meanings.
Design Physical Elements
The preceding section on aesthetic components emphasized the importance of the overall or whole effect in design over the specific device or piece used. The same is true for architectural components, which should be remembered during the following discussion.
Ceilings
Although ceilings are the greatest continuous surface in most designs, amateur and even skilled designers usually neglect them. Typically, the result is a mess of unconnected lighting equipment, air conditioning outlets, and the like, particularly in public and commercial environments.
Ceilings were emphasized in the Baroque and 18th-century traditions: beautiful residences from these eras featured richly embellished ceilings with painted surfaces or elaborate plaster embellishments and traceries.
Few modern designers make use of the design possibilities afforded by ceilings. One such approach is to create textured effects using wood. The impact of a simple plaster ceiling in an otherwise well-designed room must, of course, be acknowledged. Normally, the white plaster ceiling is necessary to reflect light and offer a calm cohesiveness to the area.
Because most modern ceilings are low, a heavy texture or a strong color might create a depressing environment; therefore, a simple white ceiling is typical. A simple ceiling should be just that: a smooth surface with no defects, bumps, or little unconnected areas of varying heights.
In modern public buildings, a “hanging” ceiling is generally seen beneath inner concrete structural slabs. The gap between the slab and the “hanging” ceiling is needed for mechanical equipment as well as the recessing of the lighting system.
Floors
Interior floors are classified into two types: those that are built into the structure and those that are added after the building has been completed. Interior designers working with architects can specify flooring materials such as slate, terrazzo, stone, brick, concrete, or wood, but in most situations, the flooring is established after the fact and is regularly updated during the life of a building.
A heavy floor, such as terrazzo or stone, can sometimes be incorporated into a finished structure or during reconstruction, but these materials, as beautiful as they are, are often too costly for surface applications.
Man-made or synthetic floor coverings are often classified as resilient flooring. Linoleum is the most traditional sort of this material. In the late twentieth century, resilient flooring materials included asphalt, vinyl asbestos, linoleum, cork, and vinyl.
Cork, a natural material, is appealing yet difficult to maintain and does not last very long. Other resilient floor tiles, in general, are fantastic flooring materials that are both inexpensive and easy to maintain.
Manufacturers are powerless to resist the temptation to give them virtually any look. They are quite appealing and acceptable when the tiles are simple, in nice colors or textures; nonetheless, they are commonly manufactured to mimic stone, brick, mosaic, or other materials, with typically less desirable results.
Pure vinyl flooring is the most costly and has been plagued by “design” issues. Vinyl tiles are the softest and most durable of the tiles, as well as the easiest to care for. Asphalt tile is the least expensive and consequently the most commonly used resilient flooring, despite being quite fragile and rough underfoot. Vinyl asbestos is softer underfoot and simpler to maintain than asphalt since it is grease resistant, albeit it is sometimes more costly. Linoleum flooring, which is priced between asphalt and pure vinyl flooring, is long-lasting and suitable for heavy-duty applications.
Ceramic tiles and quarry (unglazed) tiles are not just intended for bathrooms but, in the case of quarry tiles, may be used in almost any location. This material is challenging to utilize in older buildings since installation often requires a cement bed over the existing subfloor. Quarry-tile flooring, like other natural materials, offers a natural beauty while also being low-maintenance.
Wood floors continue to account for a significant proportion of all flooring, notably in homes. In addition to the common strip oak floors seen in many apartment buildings and residences, various attractive prefabricated parquet patterns in a variety of woods, styles, and sizes are available.
Like the resilient floor tiles, these wood tiles may be installed over existing flooring. Wood floors offer a lot of character and warmth, but they require more upkeep than synthetic or quarry tiles.
Walls
Every wall is a component in and of itself, and no material should be concealed if used correctly. Since 1960, several appealing constructions have used natural-textured concrete, exposing the formwork left by wooden forms as a conscious statement of the material.
Design forgery was popular in the nineteenth century, and today’s obsession with the accurate portrayal of materials is a reaction to that prior practice. Interior brick walls, for example, were considered lovely and desired in the twentieth century, even though many old mansions had layers of plaster, paint, or wallpaper on top of exquisite brickwork. It is not unusual for a decorative element or gadget to endure long after the initial reason for its existence has passed.
People have used wall paneling to provide warmth and elegance to their houses for hundreds of years. Earlier artisans could only use wood paneling in frames (stiles and rails) or wainscotting since it was made of solid wood and had to be split up into specified lengths to prevent warping and shrinking. This need resulted in beautiful moldings, carved details, and precisely proportioned panels. Plaster later developed an analogous art form.
Clearly, the means and procedures of twentieth-century construction rarely allow for actual excellence in complicated paneling or exceedingly beautiful plasterwork, and this style of imitative design would be inappropriate in a modern structure. Wood paneling and plywoods in a variety of superb veneers, on the other hand, are readily accessible and provide a wide range of beautiful, though pricey, wall surfaces for key spaces.
Pre-finished, pre-cored inexpensive plywoods, are commonly used as finishing materials in many homes in the United States for basement, entertainment, or utility rooms.
A good designer avoids the use of imitation moldings, printed moldings or paneling, or any of the other counterfeit wall-surfacing materials, which range from brick wallpaper to aesthetically poor wall murals. Nonetheless, not every space should be a blank canvas with natural walls.
Wallpaper with eye-catching designs has long been available. In twentieth-century design, a strong paper is typically utilized on one wall only, rather than enveloping the entire area with a prominent pattern.
Many wallpapers have natural textures, such as grasscloth and Shiki silk sheets from the Far East. A wide range of washable and hygienic wallpapers have been developed for public spaces and any other environment that requires easy maintenance and a high level of cleanliness.
The bulk of these are vinyl-coated textiles, and some of them are quite robust and durable, making them perfect for places like hospital or hotel corridors. Because these vinyl-coated wall textiles are often selected by designers and architects, the design quality is noticeably higher than that of handmade materials.
Many wall-surfacing materials are manufactured from fabrics that have been glued to paper. These coverings provide warmth, texture, and acoustics. Fabrics, in general, have been and continue to be used as wallcoverings.
The designer’s creativity and the client’s budget are the only limitations on the materials that may be used for wall surfacing. Ceramic or mosaic tiles, for example, are quite practical, although cork has exceptional acoustical characteristics.
For functional or aesthetic reasons, the designer may opt to use materials such as leather, metals, plastic laminates, or glass. No wall should be built or chosen apart from the overall scheme.
Windows and Doors
Windows and doors are not positioned as attractive components or as part of harmonious compositions in contemporary design but are largely studied and depicted as functional characteristics. When windows are carefully planned and configured for light, ventilation, air, and view, aesthetic treatments are often unneeded, and a basic device such as a shade or shutter will suffice to manage light and privacy.
Most structures, on the other hand, require window coverings since the contractor does not take great care in fenestration placement. The most used equipment are curtains and drapes.
Although there is no obvious semantic distinction between the two, drapery refers to more sophisticated treatments such as lining, overdrapes, valances, and tassels. A curtain, on the other hand, is lighter, plainer, less dramatic, and more functional.
Light materials are widely utilized to provide seclusion or control of light with minimum emphasis. Curtains, on the other hand, only allow limited control over light, glare, and privacy; shades, blinds, or shutters are typically necessary for total control or seclusion. Window shades without excessively ornate borders and tassels, as well as Venetian blinds, are completely suitable mechanisms for such controls.
Designers have been attempting to simplify window treatments since the 1960s, and if curtains, shades, or blinds were deemed ineffective for functional and aesthetic reasons, devices such as chains or beads on window panes or very simple sliding panels were discovered to be more effective than more elaborate treatments.
The fundamental decisions for windows must be based on both utilitarian and overall aesthetic aims. When a place is well-designed structurally and presents a consistent image, including a window or entrance seldom makes sense.
In office buildings or apartment buildings, poorly detailed windows are typically overcome or downplayed by using a basic curtain material covering the whole window wall. Screening off ugly elements with a window wall’s wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling treatment is frequently the only option.
Doors must be carefully designed, with the swing and position based on practical needs, and their heights, color, material, or textures relating to adjacent wall surfaces or design elements in the region. Most doors used in the twentieth century are “flush” doors, with unbroken surfaces made of wood or metal; even when glass is used, an endeavor is typically made to have as much glass area as possible free of frames and moldings.
As compositional focal points, entrance doors to significant sections are occasionally built or embellished, although the focus is typically on precision in workmanship and hardware rather than stunning surface patterns.
Other components
The complexity of door handling is one of the most important characteristics of interior design. Each architectural component must be precisely specified. Bad details lead to poor design.
Detailing is more than simply the graphic description of certain components on a drawing from the standpoint of design. It refers to the assembly of materials, the connection of one part to another, and the expression and articulation of parts and materials.
Stairs and ramps are essential architectural elements in commercial, public, and residential structures. Because these structural elements mirror large vertical shapes in space, they typically become the most noticeable architectural feature in an interior space.
Stairs, for example, are typically conspicuously located in hotel lobbies. In contrast, the actual stair design is very constrained and immovable. The riser’s height and proximity to the tread are fixed, with only minor adjustments required for appropriate vertical circulation.
Detail considerations include whether the stair is open or enclosed, whether it has a dramatic sculptural form or an airy dynamic shape (thanks to the use of open steps without risers), and whether the stair honestly expresses its material (whether wood, steel, or marble) or is carpeted.
The myriad intricate alternatives pose a considerable challenge to designers, and unlike mass-produced windows, light switches, or plumbing fittings, allow designers to create a completely original or inventive approach.
Heating units, electric outlets and switches, and phone connections provide minimal design alternatives other than a limited selection of mass-produced goods and ideal placement within the area. The pattern created by fixture placement is just as important on walls as it is on ceilings. A single wall has doors, windows, electric outlets, switches, air-conditioning registers, and heating units (radiators or convectors). All of these components must be addressed by the designer through design, organization, placement or deletion, and details.
The larger components, such as radiators, are commonly “eliminated” by embedding the unit into the wall or, in older, poorly detailed structures, by providing a “built-in” look through the insertion of some architectural feature. Radiators or convectors are typically housed in attractive enclosures that may cover the whole length of a window wall while also giving an extra surface under the windowsill. A continuous enclosure may add shelving or storage elements depending on the location, employing the extra space not necessary for the primary heating unit (or air-conditioning unit).
Mechanical components in big non-residential interiors are usually massive. Telephone installation in a large workplace for several hundred workers, for example, demands a huge area as well as a complex installation of conduits and other things that impact the interior design.
A small store’s air-conditioning or heating unit may be rather substantial, and the designer must consider both the allocation of space and the mechanical operation of the equipment. Specialists specify or develop all mechanical equipment for buildings, but an interior designer must have the essential knowledge and expertise to coordinate the different specializations.
While not often open or visible, the multiple pipes, stacks, and vents that form a plumbing system are extremely important to the designer. Architectural elements, whether apparent and detailed, disguised, or built-in, are included in the design.
Furniture and Accessories
The most important component of house design to the typical individual is the furnishings. Because it is the most personal and intimate thing that binds man to a structure, it is also an important component of design for professionals. It is also personal since it may be moved from one home to another and passed down from generation to generation, and furniture often holds substantial sentimental value.
Accessories are even more personal, but because they are smaller in size than furniture, they contribute less to the overall aesthetic of the area. Almost everything a person owns or collects can be categorized as an “accessory,” including useful things such as ashtrays and ornamental goods such as china, glass, or pottery.
Although there was some intricate furniture in ancient Egypt, its usage was infrequent during the Middle Ages and only became prominent in the West during the Renaissance. The majority of later periods have witnessed close interrelationships between architectural and furniture styles, as well as interior design kinds.
When pioneers of design and architecture such as Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, and Marcel Breuer constructed structures without historical references in the 1920s and 1930s, they were difficult to locate acceptable contemporary furniture. They designed most of their furniture, and some of their contemporary “classics” remain popular.
As a consequence of their long tradition of craftsmanship and design, Scandinavian nations produced well-designed contemporary furniture throughout the twentieth century. The genuine beginnings of contemporary furniture design in the United States began shortly after World War II, with most of it being created for non-residential usage.
Charles Eames, George Nelson, and Florence Knoll are among the renowned American designers who have pioneered furniture design and production processes. Their furniture was initially made available to the general public through its use in public or commercial settings. However, a large portion of furniture manufacturers has yet to be impacted by design in any manner, and furniture called “The Mediterranean” or “Italian Provincial” (both nonexistent historic styles) is being offered to the public.
The most essential criteria in furniture are functionality, comfort, and durability, as well as aesthetic concerns, regardless of the material or manufacturing technique used. Architects and interior designers typically strive to include furniture wherever possible, yet some of the most beautiful antique and modern spaces contain minimal moving furniture.
A space devoid of furniture or accessories would most likely seem austere and uninviting, demonstrating the importance of the personal touches made possible by the selection of appropriate furniture and accessories.
Decorations can include a wide range of ornamental objects or plants. Every accessory used in a house, company, or public location is, in some ways, a component of the overall composition and must thus be chosen with care. There are no criteria on what is “acceptable” other than the fundamental design elements stated above.
Lighting
One of the most important aspects of interior design is light. Most spaces that were built in the twentieth century employ artificial light in the same way they employ sunshine; as a result, lighting is an extremely important tool for the interior designer.
Lighting has three primary components. They are health, function, and aesthetics. The latter aspect is frequently overlooked, yet inadequate lighting can cause people to strain their eyes and even cause physical pain. But engineers have created recommendations for illumination standards for specific tasks, as well as rules and norms relating to how bright the lighting source is and ways to shield the eyes from it directly. Light may be dispersed and, in general, extremely precisely regulated.
In modern interiors, two forms of using light are implemented. They are fluorescent lighting and incandescent lighting. Incandescent contains all of the colors in the spectrum, even if it is a little redder. Colors appear distorted due to the uneven spectrum of fluorescent light. A combination approach is frequently the most effective way to attain color accuracy.
Some fluorescent bulbs now are close to what you would see with daylight, and factories are constantly improving the grade of current lights. Both lighting options can be employed in either indirect or direct interior lighting. A hybrid approach is another possibility with semi-indirect or semi-direct lighting.
Both architects and modern designers attempt to incorporate as much illumination as feasible. Recessed or sunken lighting, coves, and architectural light options, in general, are far more controllable than portable bulbs.
To avoid monotony, a pleasing lighting plan should include some variation in highlights, accent lights, and even shadows. A uniform lighting system, such as a bright ceiling may seem very efficient, but it does not have much personality and intrigue. Most interiors necessitate some degree of adaptability to accommodate various roles within the room at various times during the day and even at night.
Lighting becomes a showcase and sales technique in certain spaces, such as in stores, and in lively spots, such as ballrooms or theaters, the quality of light can create a festive mood more successfully than any other component design. Consider the potential of lighting in the context of the theater. Some productions are presented without traditional sets, yet managed lighting can indicate changes in mood and setting.
Most intimate spaces rely on portable or fixed (ceiling and wall-mounted) lamps to some extent. Lamp design, particularly table lamps for households, has produced a large assortment of terrible designs alongside a lesser number of brilliant ones.
Many lampshades are equally uninteresting in style, however, such a shade is an effective light diffuser and glare shield. Some lamps and shades are intended for specific jobs, while others are intended for accent illumination.
Fabrics
The appearance and usability of fabrics for interior usage are determined by three main factors: fiber composition, weave, and design. Fibers might be natural or synthetic. Cotton, wool, linen, and silk are the most important natural fibers.
Although silk has long been regarded as the most exquisite and desirable of all-natural fibers, it does not fare well in direct sunshine or heat and, in general, requires more care than most other textiles.
Wool, like silk, is an animal fiber; depending on the weave, it can be fashioned into incredibly robust and elegant fabrics, making it quite popular for modern interiors.
Cotton and linen are both vegetable fibers that are resilient and pliable. Cotton and linen, unless interlaced with other fibers, are not as strong as wool or man-made fibers and are best suited for light-duty interior applications.
In the twentieth century, man-made (synthetic) fibers abound under a variety of trade names, and new synthetics are constantly being created. Glass fibers, acetate, acrylic, modacrylic fibers, nylon, olefin, polyester, rayon, and saran are some of the primary families of synthetic fibers.
The chemical composition and procedures employed in the production of man-made fibers allow for a wide range of specialized properties. Some provide strength and elasticity; others provide resistance to fire, stain, mildew, sun, or abrasion; and yet others provide resistance to moisture and organic agents, while others provide resistance to crushing and wrinkling.
Many fabrics are woven with a blend of two or more fibers to improve their look, function, or both. The “hand” of the fabric is another consideration when choosing or specifying fabrics. Certain man-made fiber materials seem unpleasant to the touch when compared to silk or wool fabrics.
Weaving is an ancient skill, and there is little difference in fundamentals between the very early handlooms and the power looms used in major textile companies today. Plain weaves, which include basket weaves, floating weaves, which include twill and satin weaves, and pile weaves, which include both cut and uncut weaves, are the three most commonly used weaves. Knitting, twisting, shaping, and felting are weaving techniques that are less important in interior design.
Textile pattern, particularly in current terminology, is typically the natural pattern generated by the weave of the fabric, though patterns can also be created through printing. A reference to the pattern in traditional textile language usually signified a historical style.
Textile history spans from early Egyptian and Oriental motifs to the present. Each age has its own set of fashionable and popular patterns. Modern textile designs, for example, are frequently abstract or geometric, but floral and vast flowing patterns were fashionable in the twentieth century as well.
Color is an important feature of fabrics in interior design since fabric colors are typically the most important areas of color in interiors. Unspun fibers, spun yarns, and woven fabrics can all be dyed. Colorfastness is a crucial consideration for interior designers because fading materials can be very damaging to an interior.
Natural elements
No man-made product can match nature’s beauty, therefore it’s no surprise that incorporating natural elements into interior design has always been regarded as desirable. Regardless of their beauty, a plant, a tree, rocks, or water cannot be introduced randomly into an interior.
The primary concerns must be the space’s location, climate, and relationship to the outside. The type of plant, flower, or tree that may thrive in an interior is determined by climate. Under unfavorable conditions, even the most beautiful plant will not survive long, and a dying tree or plant offers little decorative benefit.
Another key factor to consider when incorporating natural materials is the position and direction of the interior to outside spaces. In warmer areas, a gentle transition between interior and outdoor is possible, and plants that provide this natural transition will look good and thrive. In colder areas, a genuine barrier of glass or a complete wall separates the indoors from the outdoors, and the transition is made visually at best.
A variety of inexpensive gadgets are available to keep delicate plants and flowers alive under controlled conditions. Greenhouses of various sizes, from window to room size, can be the most lovely places of an interior, but special conditions and upkeep are required.
The scale of plants or small trees must be taken into account. Even a tiny area might benefit from the addition of a huge indoor tree. Too many trees or plants in a tiny space would be overwhelming unless the space is primarily built as a greenhouse or plant room.
Water, rocks, stones, pebbles, and planting spaces in natural soil are examples of natural components that can be employed in interiors in addition to plants and flowers. Large spaces, such as those seen in large buildings, pools, or water-contained regions, can be highly beautiful and thrilling.
Running water and small recirculated waterfalls have been used to create certain interior embellishments. A modest area of pebbles with a few plants or well-selected rocks can sometimes offer a touch of real beauty to a room. Even collections of rocks, minerals, seashells, and other natural objects can add a touch of nature to an interior.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is the first thing you should think about before designing a room?
The subject. A good design starts with deciding on a theme or style, which can range from the exquisite country style and art deco to Hollywood glam, Asian, feng shui, or minimalism. Once you’ve decided on a style, design the entire area around it, using artwork, colors, textures, furniture, decorations, and lighting to achieve your intended theme. Create your own theme if you don’t have one in mind. You can achieve this by combining no more than two themes: a largely modern style with a splash of traditional elements.
What are the crucial décor aspects that will bring a room to life?
Accessories. If you intend to preserve your old furniture but want to give the room a new look, accessorize. To liven things up, simply add a few important pieces. Décor items, which do not have to be expensive, may make a place look stylish, cozy, and professionally put together. In reality, the majority are pretty affordable. Plants, indoor water features, soft furniture such as comfortable carpets and throw cushions, framed art, sculptures, carvings, and gold metal embellishments are examples of significant décor elements.
How should a small area be designed?
Make use of color. You want to maintain it stunning while avoiding a cluttered and overbearing impression in small places. Use soft, light color paint on the walls to make the area appear larger; if you prefer white, that is also acceptable. Make one of the four walls a focal point by painting it in a complementary but understated color. However, avoid using cheap or low-quality paint. Don’t over-furnish a small room, and make sure the furniture you employ is small-scale.
How do you design a larger room?
Make zones. If you have a large living room, divide it into two or three discrete seating areas with furniture. Avoid employing large-scaled furniture and instead opt for small-scale furniture. One zone can be designed to seat six people, another to seat four, and a third to seat two.
What is a decent method for adding illumination to a room?
Mix standard, ambient, task, and accent lighting. Incorporating these many types of lights to generate diverse illumination is the greatest approach to enhancing a room with lights. There is a reasonable ratio to use: 70% of overhead lights (pendants, ceiling, and/or recessed lights) and 30% of free-standing lights (wall-mounted sconces, night lights, table lamps, and floor lamps). Spotlights can be used to illuminate wall art and paintings.
How can you give a room a distinguishing feature?
Make a statement wall. A feature wall can be designed in a variety of ways. When designing a focal point in a room, color, texture, form, and personality all come into play. You can utilize the room’s main wall or the wall you face when you go in. Mirrored feature walls can be painted in a radically contrasting (but complementing) color. It can have a single enormous piece of artwork or a collection of framed paintings/illustrations. It can also be adorned with decorative stone, light art, plaster, wallpaper, vertical wall plants, or simple-to-install wall panels.
How do I choose the best furniture?
Select the appropriate scale. There is no such thing as ‘correct furniture,’ because the choice of furniture is determined by the design or theme of the room. However, the scale of furniture must be correct, and the easiest way to avoid mistakes is to first measure the room and, if possible, draw it out before going out to buy furniture. Use huge furniture in tiny spaces and small-scaled furniture in larger rooms. Also, don’t over-furnish the space.
How can you make the most of vacant spaces, alcoves, and dead ends?
Display and shelving. Finding space for a solitary bookcase or display unit in a tiny apartment might be difficult. If this is the case, beautiful wall mounted shelves are the finest option. These leave enough floor room for other furniture. Shelves give space not only for books but also for decorations, mementos, figurines, and other collections in dead places, corners, recesses, and between windows.
What kind of countertop material can you use to update your kitchen?
Stone, wood, or man-made materials are all options. A kitchen will be completely transformed with a countertop alteration, but the material of a kitchen countertop is primarily determined by cost. Granite and quartz are more expensive, but they have many advantages and last a long time. While marble and limestone are also fine choices, they are not as stain and scratch resistant as granite and quartz. Woods such as maple, cherry, and oak, as well as laminate countertops, are less expensive, but they are prone to dents and scratches and are not appropriate for direct cutting. Non-porous stainless steel countertops are aesthetically attractive, water-resistant, and resistant to heat and stains.
In Conclusion
In spite of what some people may believe, interior design is in fact a type of art. Many individuals have the misconception that art can only be exhibited on surfaces that can be touched, such as paper or canvas. With a little bit of imagination and creative thinking, any space can be transformed into a work of art.
Many people choose to make a career out of redesigning interiors. Interior designers should be regarded as artists on par with painters and sculptors. Interior design is an art form. It takes a lot more effort to design interiors than simply throwing some paint on the walls and rearranging the furniture.
If you have a gift for self expression through textiles, decor, and design then I would say interior design could be a great career path for you!
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