What is Interior Design - Essay Example

Interior Design Introduction Interior design does not only involve picking colors, functioningwith flourishing stunning fabrics or being creative all day long as many people may think; interior design also delineates a group of numerous yet linked projects that engross turning an interior space into a valuable setting for the range of individuals (Broker & Stone, 2010, p. 28). According to Edwards (2011, p. 32), interior design involves making the sale, organizing the details and making sure that everything is perfect. Interior design is also about negotiating with installers, making payments to furniture manufacturers, keeping accurate billing records and ensuring that one has met the country codes of interior design. Background In the ancient times, interior designers were incorporated in the processes of building. Interior designers are the people who carry out interior design projects. The multifaceted architecture that has resulted in the development of industrial processes and development of the society has transformed the profession of interior designer (Edwards, 2011, p. 46). The strife to use space effectively, functional design and user’s well-being attribute to the development of the present-day interior design profession. In the past years, architects worked as interior designers in India. This is well illustrated by the sculptures with historical texts engraved on the palace buildings constructed in the 17th century. The dark ages have had an outstanding impact on the development of interior design. This era led to the advent of wood paneling, stone-slab floors and nominal furniture. In addition, this era led to the invention of stone carvings and wall fabrics as decorative aspects. The end of this era also signified the beginning of the work of color and embellishment. In the 18th and 19th century, interior design was a significant aspect to a homemaker (Massey, 2008, p. 32). Architects would pay artisans or craftsmen to do the interior design for their buildings. As a result, interior design emerged as a profession. Elsie De Wolfe is accredited for the establishment of interior design profession. She first designed the interior of her house, and then offered her interior design services to other people; thus, interior design gained momentum as a profession. The publication of books on the subject led to the reinforcement of progress towards professionalization of interior design. This also resulted to the establishment of new schools of Design, like The Bauhaus, where new approaches to the design were taught, trough craft and experimentation with different materials. As previously mentioned, artisans and craftsmen were the people contracted to do the interior design for most of the buildings before the evolvement of interior designers (Gibbs, 2005, p. 52). Interior design is significantly distinct from interior decoration. The former emphasizes on planning, effectual use of space and functional design more than the latter. An interior designer undertakes ventures that engross arranging the fundamental outline of spaces inside a building over and above projects that need an apprehension of technical matters such as lighting, sound and temperature (Stibbe, 2009, p. 47). Although the interior designer may create an outline of a space, he or she may not continue building the space without the approval of an architect. In redesigning a house, an interior designer should consider the following principles: Adaptation: In this case the original function of the building is totally changed. New rooms and new circulation of the space are created. Reuse: Is the process where the building could be demolished in one site and new junctions are built. Usually is more expensive and is coordinated by the Designer manager. Alteration: It happens when the designer it creates and alters the new space, still responding to the previous principle of the building. Restoration: It is the technique of returning the condition of the building to be original character. An already existing building provides the interior designer with advantages as the materials are already on site. Reuse connected to sustainability gives an additional value to the final design. Interior Designer Though many people may take up the responsibility of decorating their homes and offices, they will experience challenges in trying to get the right look for their interior design. It is in such situations that the role of interior designers comes into the picture. In this regard, an interior designer promotes the function, aesthetics and safety of interior spaces while considering different textures, colors, furniture, space work and lighting to meet the requirements of the owner (Gibbs, 2005, p. 83). Being an interior designer is a high and demanding role. Trying to satisfy all requirements from client’s needs is essential a continually research. Feeding his eyes and his mind allow the designer to generate new incredible ideas. In most occasions, interior designers can be part of the project management, where they are required to show that they can work on numerous projects under arduous time limits. Therefore, interior designers must apprehend corporate scheduling, desire to comprehend how to table creativity to customers, generate enlightening and convincing plans, demonstrations, and sustain favorable customer relationships. It is imperative for them to articulate brief responses, know how to use different surfaces, texture, colors, lighting and other factors that give the identity and the atmosphere to the entire project (Stibbe, 2009, p. 86). An interior designer should also have strong technical skills. Know how to survey and plan a space, how to give a presentation in a singularly clear and stark visual way: through sketches, 3D drawings and images, so it can be easily communicated to the client. It is imperative that interior designer possess some artistic talents with reference to preparing sketches to assist them in identifying where everything will be placed and how it will look after everything is in place (Gibbs, 2005, p. 86-88). Moreover, interior designers must comprehend the operational prerequisites of their strategies, building codes, health and safety matters, and many other practical facets. Communication is an imperative aspect that interior designers must consider. This is because interior designers should communicate their ideas to engineers and architects. In this regard, interior designers must be flexible to meet and deal with anyone. Edwards (2011, p. 77) notes that an interior designer is responsible for shopping around and purchasing the most outstanding and least expensive subcontractors, materials and furnishings. Broker and Stone (2010, p. 73) denote that while still continuing with the project, the interior designer is supposed to have various meetings with the client. This is aimed at giving the owner updates on the progress of the project, provide for questions about decorations and design and anything else that may arise as a result of the interior design task. As an interior designer, it is imperative to be creative. Creativity is a fundamental factor that makes interior designers salient at what they do. Interior designers should take a concept or image and impart that concept or image into the interior design of a room or building (Broker & Stone, 2010, p. 76). However, though interior designers are supposed to follow the prescriptions of the client, it is also essential to be creative enough to invent exceptional ideas. Moreover, interior designers are required to be time conscious. Since most of the home owners require their projects to completed within a stipulated time, it is essential for the interior designer to posses the positive characteristic of timeliness (Massey, 2008, p. 58). Design Industry Being an interior designer in the contemporary world allows the imagination to create and design numerous spaces. There are different interior designs; which include commercial design, residential design, health care design, hospitality design, and spatial design (Edwards, 2011, p. 52). Commercial design engrosses numerous subspecialties. It involves retail, corporate, institutional, industrial, and healthcare. The role of the Interior designer is to produce distinctive commercial interiors that say something about the business. Often interior design practices are operating to help companies, and their brands to achieve high successful business standard through creative ideas (Stibbe, 2009, p. 51). In this context, the Interior Designer should be aware of the current marketing market and understand the demanding of the society by proposing new and innovative design solutions that generate stand out and successful projects. Residential refers usually a planning design of private and rented houses, flat or apartments. Usually the interior designer offers a personal design service from concept to completion, covering every aspect of the interior, which includes kitchens, bathrooms living rooms, bedrooms, conservatories, and extensions (Massey, 2008, p. 61). Often every room is unique tailored to the clients taste and requirements, using different styles and concepts. In other cases, the interior designer prefers to proceed with the design applying the same pallet of colors and materials. Exhibition and leisure is of the most interesting part of the Interior design profession. This involves spaces, sound, lighting, interactivity, audio systems and other specialist services. According to Gibbs (2009, p. 71), interior designer is developing from an initial concept through the final decommissioning on site, reflecting meticulously to the details and exacting standards. There are essential qualities bidding during the process of building an exhibition, like problem solving, creative thinking, guarantee the cost effective results and a real practical understanding of how various material components will work together, and the ability to get along with everyone, from the Manager Director to the bricklayer and work on the site even during late hours. It is essential to develop and plan the project in an exceptionally fast environment as the site is often built in a couple of days (Massey, 2008, p. 72). The role of the Interior Designer is to come up with a useful cultural sensitivity to transform the client experience into a unique utilitarian reality. The use of temporary spaces is not a very old phenomenon in Interior design. However, it has gained momentum in the field of interior design. Many people live in temporary spaces and decoration of such temporary spaces entails decorating the bedroom, the sitting room and the bathroom or any other room in the temporary space (Edwards, 2011, p. 132). While decorating the bedroom in temporary spaces, it is imperative to consider the bed height, the colour of the bed sheets and the lamb stands. All the selected decorations and design should be right for the room to create a sparkling temporary feel. The design of the different exhibition and gallery spaces should communicate different meanings to the people according to the themes of the art or the exhibition. In such spaces, it is imperative to consider the aspect of light. In this regard, an interior designer should consider transforming the window areas of the spaces to a tectonic lighting agent. Every element of exhibition and art spaces should be well thought out. Lissitzky’s concept of interior design is considered uniquely appropriate for the contemporary exhibition and art spaces (Edwards, 2011, p. 142). Lissitzky’s concept of interior design is portrayed at the Hannover Museum carried out in the early 20th century. Sustainability Sustainability plays an imperative role in the contemporary Interior Design as consumption, in the larger developing countries, is increasing rapidly. For this reason, an interior designer should be conscious and careful with his abilities through creating new sustainable design solutions, for a better life style (Broker & Stone, 2010, p. 69). Their unnecessary consumption causes environmental problems, which undermine the ability of the Earth to support human life. In this regard, the Interior Designer has an opportunity to help the globe by developing an eco-friendly environment through using materials that are not harmful to the environment. Conclusion One of the primary aspects of being an Interior Designer is comprehension and interpretation of ideas and identification of a client to provide an appropriate environment in which to live or work. It is essential to come up with a space, which will convey a message (Edwards, 2011, p. 127). In addition, a significant emphasis should be placed on all the design processes, generation of new ideas, experimentation of different concepts and harmonies, specification of unusual materials and commitment to accurate attention to details. An Interior Designer must cover all the procedures of formulating a concept, from formulating ideas, concept boards and technical drawings to a new design solution. Needless to say, interior design can also be used as a marketing tool by promoting itself or the representative company. References Brooker, G., & Stone, S., 2010. What is interior design? Mies, Switzerland: RotoVision. Edwards, C., 2011. Interior design: A critical introduction. Oxford: Berg. Gibbs, J., 2005. Interior design. London: Laurence King Publ. Massey, A., 2008. Interior Design since 1900 (3rd ed.). Thames & Hudson. Stibbe, A., 2009. The handbook of sustainability literacy: Skills for a changing world. Totnes, UK: Green Books. Read More