Interior design isn’t just about home decoration. It is concerned with creating functional and beautiful to look at interior spaces in all sorts of places including houses, public buildings and commercial properties such as shops, restaurants, leisure venues and offices. Interior design can also be applied to temporary environments, whether that’s pop-up shops that are in existence for just a few months at a time, or show homes and exhibition stands that may simply last days. Anything that has an interior can be designed, redesigned or refurbished.
The interior designer
Most professional interior designers will have some kind of qualification in the subject. They may have studied architecture for a period or be trained in 3D design or a related subject. Designers who have completed a degree or diploma in interior design are eligible to register for accreditation from BIID (British Institute of Interior Design). Most interior designers who work at the higher end of the industry – on luxury homes, for example, or hotel interiors – will have some architectural expertise or employ architects to work with them on schemes. Others will only concern themselves with the furnishing of a space.
The architect
Architects don’t generally like to be called interior designers, even if they do work predominantly on interior design projects. It takes considerably longer to qualify as an architect (seven years including two years’ on-the-job training) than as an interior designer. Although, the reality is that a lot of architects and architecture practices do work on interior schemes as well as building projects – commercial interiors in particular where they will focus on structural and spatial issues as well as surface design and decoration. Bigger commissions will involve the design of both a building and its interior.
The interior architect
Interior architecture straddles the middle ground between interior design and architecture and is a relatively new discipline. It is often taught by architects and through architecture schools. Courses are usually between three and four years long and cover interior design theory as well as practical space planning, project development skills and technical drawing using the latest CAD software.
The interior stylist or decorator
A stylist is more a dresser of space than a constructer or moulder of space and is primarily concerned with surface design and decoration. He or she will most likely be involved in a more temporary type of interior design that is only seen for a few days and possibly then photographed for marketing and publicity purposes.
The homeowner
Spurred on by the DIY craze of the 1990s and more recently the glut of home, design, property and architecture shows on TV, more people than ever are taking on their own interior design projects as a way of increasing the value of their homes or just simply expressing taste and personality. Luxury homeowners, however, are still more likely to employ professional interior designers for the job.
The interior design process
Winning a project
Designers get work a number of ways. Better known practices may be asked, along with several other companies, to pitch for a job having been given an outline of what the client wants from a scheme. There is usually no fee involved at this stage and there is no guarantee of winning the work. Some interior design projects will be open to competition. These will usually be for publicly-funded interior schemes. When a designer or design practice becomes more established they might get work through recommendation or word of mouth, but most will still have to pitch for jobs occasionally. Once a job is won, a fee must be negotiated with the client (fee negotiation being a much-underestimated skill) which will depend on the size and scope of the job as well as the design team’s experience.
The brief
The success of an interior design scheme will depend not only upon on the skills and creativity of the designer in question, but their ability to answer the brief set by a client. A good brief will be as detailed and project-specific as possible. It will outline the client’s requirements .
In all cases the designer will need to know:
Who will be using the space and what are their various needs/requirements?
How many people will be using the space?
How long will the space be used for? Days? Months? Years?
What does the client hope to achieve/gain through commissioning the work?
What’s the budget?
What’s the time scale for completion?
Research
The type of research and preparation an interior designer embarks upon prior to designing a scheme will differ from project to project. In the case of designing a commercial environment, like a shop, bar or restaurant, for example, they must research the client’s brand inside and out, and understand its customer base. Some investigation into the clients’ competition and their interiors is also important.
Interior designers will also often spend time observing how a client uses their existing space in order to understand where they should position functional parts of their design such as lighting, doors or electric outlets.
Creative design
The creative design stage is likely to begin with the designer creating sketches or visuals which will be used to communicate their initial ideas and concepts to a client. When the client is satisfied with the plans the design team will often move on to technical drawings or plans (usually done using AutoCAD software), which a builder or fit-out company can use to start the construction process. 3D modelling and rendering software (such as Rhino and 3ds Max) is also used to help bring a project to life.
In commercial projects, a building regulations application will have to be made, which involves a professional (either a licensed consultant or a council employee) looking over the technical drawings to ensure they satisfy health, safety and efficiency requirements. Bigger building projects will require actual planning permission from the relevant local authority.
Adjustments to the designs are likely to be made along the way as briefs can alter (clients have been known to change their minds) halfway through a project. This will also have an impact on the budget and could impact on the proposed completion date.
Building a team
Depending on the type, range and scale of a project, an interior designer will need to work with various specialists. These can range from lighting consultants, mechanical and engineering consultants, electricians and engineers through to environmental consultants and fit-out companies. Most interior designers and architects will be keen to assemble their own team of experts – usually trusted firms that they’ve worked with before.
Specification
Sourcing the right materials, furniture and furnishings for a scheme is a significant part of an interior designer’s job. An interior designer working on luxury residential projects is likely to access one of a number of select retailers and distributors who specialise in supplying items for professional interior design projects. – acting as a showcase for leading fabric, furniture and furnishing companies. Interior designers working on commercial or public projects will also have their own set of specialist suppliers they can go to – contract furniture companies who are used to supplying items in bulk, and therefore at cost price.
Completion
Interior designers will want to see a project through right to the end. There will be finishing touches to make and probably some styling to be done, possibly more for a residential project, in order to realise a scheme’s full potential.