Various Aspects of Interior Design and How They Relate to Space - Term Paper Example

INTERIOR DESIGN Student Tutor Course Date Introduction There are numerous theories about place and space including space as the location for objects, events, and subjects, concrete, and static. However, there is a need to understand and consider space as being socially made or produced. Interior design, as a theme of spatial design, involves the production of space achieved through design activities which are themselves located in space via presentation of blueprints and concepts (EXNER 2009, p 62). Interior design productions mainly organize and regulate space through cultural, political, social, and economic meanings. The study is aimed at discussing interior design as a theme of the spatial design. It incorporates various aspects of interior design and how they relate to space. Interior environment is vital in creating meaning to individuals. It contributes to people’s physical comfort, emotions, sense of belonging and general wellbeing (EXNER 2009, p 43). Therefore, interior designers play important role in shaping and defining spaces people live in and hence have the obligation and liability to satisfy those needs. Moreover, spaces, buildings, and places are not just props in people’s lives but are also embedded in with deeper cultural and personal meaning as well as symbolizing interpersonal relationship and histories. Buildings provide shelter to people as a basic necessity. However, it needs to impact a sense of belonging and identity to cater for one's wellbeing. People do not merely exist in the established physical environment but, interact and derive meaning from it. Aesthetics cannot be absent form a building as it plays an important role in reinforcing the spatial experience. It encourages a space to evoke senses, comfort, movement, responses, and control which are vital in people’s lives. There are several activities that a space can suggest to evoke feelings among the inhabitants. Furthermore, human experiences of an environment are greatly affected by their perceived visual quality of that place. Their perception of a space can be a determinant factor for their state of mind as well as work productivity (GIBBS 2010, 111). Studies reveal that many people value the visual quality of their environment more than other aspects and inconsistent physical appearance of the surrounding can result in them avoiding the place. For instance, one is likely to avoid a place if it conveys or represents undesirable meaning. A perfect example is a restaurant or a cafeteria; a customer can make an early judgment by the physical appearance of the place followed by assumptions of service, prices and food quality of such a place. Such judgment goes a long way in influencing their decision as to whether to have their meals there or not. Therefore, it is important that interior designers learn to predict such perception to develop the design that is meaningful to the target inhabitant. The production of space as presented by Lefebvre asserts that space is directly produced (LEVEBVRE 1991, p23). It maintains that space is not just an empty volume to be filled but an element inseparable from human activity. It is thus considered as a daily product which is constantly and equally producing. According to the traditional western culture, it is perceived as a product to be filled with scientifically made reason and rationality to give meaning to the inhabitants. Moreover, social space is considered physical and conceptual. It is the realm in which people enact their cultural life. According to Lefebvre, there are three levels in which space can be interpreted. Representational Space This is the space of users and inhabitants. It represents the interest, and values held by its inhabitants or users. Moreover, the experiences of such a space are heavily influenced by theories and ideological thoughts held by people. Such space contains spatial codes that change with time as user’s interests develop. They include spaces like churches whose interior design demonstrates the beliefs and spiritual ideologies held by the church members. A church contains symbolic elements and images that reflect its doctrines thus representing the users (LEVEBVRE 1991, p123). Therefore, the interior designer strives to understand the spiritual values and norms held by the church members to create a design that brings meaning to them as illustrated in figure 1 below. Figure 1: Shows symbolic elements like the cross to represent the spiritual belief of the inhabitants. Sources from: Accessed: October 11, 2016 Representation of space This refers to a conceptualized space without life and can be described as models, maps and plans. It includes spaces like those used for geometry, calculation, or visual by designers. For example, it includes the earth, cosmos, and blueprints. Although the representation of space does not directly influence the interior design, it describes the general environment in which interior design exists (LEVEBVRE 1991, p 46). For example, it describes the earth as a general surrounding of buildings and how it influences their design. Spatial Practice Spatial practice describes space as an element of social factors of the inhabitants. A social space is produced by every society and vital to reproduction to that society. It also describes the outside space such as towns representing cultural belief of a particular society. Interiority in Interior design It is safe to argue that interiority or interior design is more linked to women than men. This is due to the fact that feminine beings have the desire for inclusion and connectedness as compared to men. Their desire for inclusion is attained by recognition of underlying connectedness to objects and people in their surroundings (GRIMLEY 2013, p 74). Female self-identity is determined by how they connect to their everyday experiences. They have a tendency to recognize the connection and overlook dichotomies rather than ignoring the differences. As a result, their perspective to interior design promotes closer spatial connections between spaces combining both objective and subjective information involved in the design process. One of the important theories developed by Hewlett, C. J. champions for creating an habitant sensitive to human beings in its wholeness (GRIMLEY 2013, p 63). One method of achieving this as suggested by Hewlett is by altering the designer's consciousness to develop a design that offers an emotional reward to inhabitants. Further, he stated that the main goal of interior design is the interiority and not for visual, technological, materialistic or object oriented purposes. In this context, interiority is referred to as the process within an individual reflecting the unique awareness of their relationship to the world. They include the need to understand their own life experience and be able to reflect on it in relevance to how they relate to others. Interior design cannot be treated as an isolated entity when ensuring optimal performance of the interior space as well as the building as a whole. Interior design should be an integral part of the design practice to ensure satisfaction of the client. It thus plays an important role in residential design as a component of the overall design approach (GRIMLEY 2013, p 78). Moreover, the residential designers need to fully engage the interior designer as a key participant in the process. An interior designer is responsible for ensuring that the interior environment of the building is conducive to the inhabitants. He or she should thus contribute to essential decisions regarding the building process such as selection of a site, massing, orientation electrical and mechanical system design. Lack of coordination between the key architects in residential design in the building can result in catastrophic consequence or undesired house (SLOTKIS 2013, p 92). For example, once the architect completes constructing the schematic design without consulting the interior designer, it is passed to the structural engineer for implementation. The building is then constructed according to the drawing which is then passed down to the mechanical engineer. Finally, the interior designer is handed the drawing after essential decisions about the building have been made. It will not be just too late to make appropriate recommendations but also, expensive to make adjustments to meet the expectations of the owner. For instance, the interior designer may want to provide under-floor air distribution to ensure flexible office layout, but a ceiling plenum had been installed for air distribution. In this case, the outcome may be undesirable to the client or the target inhabitants. Interior design affects key aspects of a residential design such as system and energy use including the partition of the house, the floor plan, interior finishes, and lighting design (SLOTKIS 2013, p 93). Interior finishing is crucial to creating a comfortable space for inhabitants. It defines the choice of color that suites the owner as well as the relevant lighting system to match the choice of color. Moreover, interior finishes influence the indoor air quality, acoustics, building maintenance as well as the comfort of the occupants. Therefore, by participating in the overall design process, the interior designer can provide effective insights for ensuring satisfaction of the client. Furthermore, the building process will be able to create an interior environment that reflects inhabitants' value for space. Figure2 illustrates how effective interior finishing and choice of paint color influences the overall design process. Sourced from: https://wbdg.org/ccb/AF/AFDG Accessed: October 11, 2016 Another important aspect of interior design in residential design is lighting system. The lighting system not only contributes to the building aesthetics but also regulates the internal energy (MILLENIUM INTERACTIVE INC 2004, p 47). Natural or artificial energy is key to ensuring conducive space in the environment. Further, it helps create and enhance the bond between the inhabitants and the environment. Through interior design, the residential development team can suggest paint with high reflectivity which greatly reduces the required number of lighting fixtures. As such, could save on the energy cost, high-quality interior light, reduced cost of installation and maintenance as well as reduced head load. Figure2: Demonstrates the importance of interior lighting in an office boardroom. Sourced from: https://wbdg.org/ccb/AF/AFDG Accessed: October 11, 2016 Third, interior design is vital in determining the appropriate floor plan to ensure effective air quality as well as addressing other health issues. The floor also contributes to the aesthetics of the building as it reflects the general building paint color (SLOTKIS 2013, p 95). Moreover, it also determines future maintenance processes such as the installation of mechanical appliances. Therefore, the contribution of an interior designer on decisions involving the type of materials and design for the floor is important. Figure3: Depicts the choice of floor material to bring about aesthetics. Sourced from: https://wbdg.org/ccb/AF/AFDG Accessed: October 11, 2016 In conclusion, while many deem interior design as inferior aspects to architecture, it is crucial to creating a space relatable by the inhabitants. Therefore, its direction needs to focus more on the lager sense of bringing change. People's perception of space depends mainly on what they can see, experience, know and the nature of the world. The interior design strives to incorporate all these aspects by integrating space into what human beings can relate to on a personal level. It culminates many design aspects to create an environment conducive for human beings. References List EXNER, U., & PRESSEL, D. (2009). Spatial design. Basel, Birkhäuser. GIBBS, J. (2010). Interior design. London, Laurence King Pub. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=1876086. GRIMLEY, C., LOVE, M., & GRIMLEY, C. (2013). The interior design reference + specification book. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=3399942 LEFEBVRE, H. (1991). The Production of Space, Oxford UK: Blackwell. (translated by Donald NicholsonSmith) .Bottom of FormMILLENNIUM INTERACTIVE INC, & OTIUMATION INC. (2004). Interior design. [United States], Millennium Interactive Inc. SLOTKIS, S. J. (2013). Foundations of interior design. Top of Form Read More