5 INTERIOR DESIGN – THE PROCESS OF DESIGN

D. Sumathi

Introduction

Interior design is an exciting career, and it is also a fascinating avocation, providing a lifetime of personal, aesthetic, and intellectual fulfillment. Anyone with a keen interest can become knowledgeable language about design and can create interiors of charm and truly style.

Being involved in interior design is a reward pursuit that broadens intellectual horizons and deepens aesthetic sensitivity. Interior design is vital, vibrant dynamic; it is never static. As the world changes also changes and design keeps pace. An interior design will never really be “finished’, because as life changes so do we. Styles evolve, our outlook changes, the composition of our families and households alter careers shifts our designs adjust to life’s ebb and flow. What an exciting thing it is to be fluent in the language of design, to know the historic roots of the design language and to understand the new expressions of the language all a around. It is even more exciting to be able to speak the language of design by creating our own interiors. It is truly awarding lifelong avocation that is within the reach of all who are willing to invest the time and effort.

Objectives

The objectives of this lesson are:

1.      To understand meaning and language about design

2.      To become aware of the factors involved in the process of design

3.      To pursue clear cut idea about design development

Interior Design: A Lifetime Pursuit

When homes have the good fortune of growing and evolving with their occupants over a number of years, the charm will likely be even greater. This is the reason model homes often lack the emotional warmth of real home environments. Even though they may be designed and furnished with great sensitivity and filled with intriguing objects and ideas, they may still lack the sense of ownership and distinction that comes to a home that is lived in with core and care over a period of years.

Users

The research process begins with identification of each of the users. The users, as the name implies, are those who will use the design directly or indirectly, from principal occupants to service people to guests and friends. In a residential design, a profile is developed for each of the principal residents who will live in the home. The profile should include such things as age, sex, background, culture, values, temperament, personality, personal habits, need for privacy, style preferences, responses to color, and an inventory of possessions and furnishings that need to be accommodated.

Lifestyle and Function

The profile helps the designer understand the lifestyle of the principle users. Lifestyle is a term frequently used in the principal users. Lifestyle is a term frequently used in residential design to describe part of the program for a home. It represents the constantly changing way a person or group of people live and how they use their time.

The foresight to project changes in lifestyle is an important asset in the programming process. Many kinds of design solutions have come to be accepted as standard. However, the lifestyle of the users will often dictate solutions to design problems that go beyond standard. Individual needs should be assessed in terms of the kinds of functions a user envisions for a space, as well as the kinds of furnishings and equipment required.

Determinations should be made regarding every space and its use. For example, a bedroom could accommodate study or sewing space as well as sleeping. The family room could be used for dining, television, and stereo, as well as conversation and games. The dining room or guest room could double as a library or hobby room. This kind of flexibility is crucial because the cost of space is high, and infrequently used rooms need to be made more useful by planning for several functions.

Relationships

When the functions for each space have been assessed, the relationships of each function must be determined. Important lines of communication and the need for proximity must be identified. For example, it might be convenient to plan sewing and ironing near the laundry. Kitchens and dining areas where food will be served should have logical and convenient relationships.

The consideration of relationships should even extend to the location of areas outside the building. For example, the convenient relationship of garbage containers to the kitchen or of kitchen to patio or garden is important. Identifying these types of relationships facilitates efficient use of space and makes the design more effective because of its convenience. Well-planned relationships also smooth lines of communication, cut building costs, and make traffic patterns more efficient.

Space Requirements

When the designer puts pencil to paper, it is important to know exactly how to divide the space. Consequently, during the programming step, it is necessary to estimate the amount of space each function will demand. This requires some understanding of standard amounts of space allowed for traffic, as well as standard dimensions for furnishings. To program space requirements, the designer must establish inventories of furnishings, clothing, and special equipment belonging to the users. Lifestyle profiles will also help in estimating space requirements. Not only should there be adequate space for movement and circulation within a space, but the designer should also consider how the mind moves through a space.

Environmental Factors

Our relationship with and responsibility toward the environment has become a very important issue. As the developed nations in particular gobble resources, pollute, and destroy the environment at an alarming rate, the preservation of the environment has become not only a moral issue but a political one as well.

Environmental considerations such as climate, weather, and physical location must be examined as part of the programming process. Some aesthetically pleasing designs are failuresbecause they ignore important environmental questions. Environmental concern cannot be subordinated to aesthetics; there must be a synthesis of the two.

Climate and Weather

Problems of climate and weather are generally straightforward. Climates with extremes of heat and/or cold will require ample insulation, as well as adequate heating and/or cooling systems. Climate and weather also influence the placement of a building to take advantage of favorable climate conditions such as breezes ‘or sunshine or to avoid unpleasant ones. In fact, weather and climate should be keys to determining the type of structure to be built. Building materials should be suitable to the climate so that they will not be subject to excessive deterioration.

Physical Location.

Physical location involves factors such as site, view, prevailing solar exposure, noise, and environmental hazards.

Site

The site of a building should influence its design. The building should be compatible with its neighbors, though the style need not be the same, merely harmonious. Where conservation and preservation of the environment are important, the design should be well suited to, and harmonious with, the natural surroundings. Plans should be developed to do the least possible damage to nature and to integrate the building with existing natural features.

In other cases, the design may be created to stand out in contrast to its environment; the environment may even be altered and reworked by the designer. Good and responsible judgment is paramount in such situations. Building and development are the natural results of growth and change and should be planned so that in years to come they will have improved with age.

View

Beautiful daytime or nighttime views are a valuable asset to an interior and should be featured in the design of the building. They should not be upstaged by excessively ornate window treatments. Where views are unpleasant or nonexistent, attention should be focused in-ward and treatments should be selected to deemphasize them.

Prevailing Winds

Prevailing winds can be a positive or negative feature of a location. They can provide pleasant breezes or disturbing winds. When breezes prevail, buildings should be oriented to use the wind for natural cooling. When winds are gusty or icy cold; the building and its landscaping should provide shelter and protection. Berms (small constructed hills) or trees, planted in a windbreak can help minimize the effect of cold winter winds.

Solar Exposure—Like- the wind, the sun can be both a positive and a negative factor. In the winter, the sun streaming through south windows may be warm and comforting, but without adequate protection from the sun, an interior may become difficult to cool, and ultraviolet rays and heat can damage furnishings as as produce disturbing glare.

Noise

Some types of noise are enjoyable. The tumbling of a small creek or brook, the sound of waves breaking at the seashore, the crackle of a warm fire in the fireplace, or a breeze rustling through leaves can be comforting and pleasant. While most people enjoy an environment free from loud, annoying noise, it is amazing how humans can adapt to noise. Those who are accustomed to sleeping in rooms facing busy city streets may find it difficult to sleep in a completely quiet environment.

Noise from the outside and noise through interior walls can be controlled with extra insulation, adequate construction, and insulated glass. Noise within an environment can be controlled by the use of materials that refract (bend) or absorb sound waves. Textile applications (upholstery and floor, wall, and window coverings) refract and absorb sound waves and can largely eliminate echo noise, or reverberation.

Environmental Hazards

When planning, it is important to be aware of hazardous conditions, some serious enough to warrant selection of a new site. Fault lines, slide areas, eroding waterfronts, areas subject to flooding or forest fires, high-power lines, railroad lines, heavy industries, areas of extreme pollution, and even former pollution sites all are examples of potential hazards. Streets with heavy traffic may be hazards for families with small children.

Mechanical Considerations

Mechanical considerations include heating, ventilation, air-conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, lighting, and telephone. A basic knowledge of the way these systems function will be helpful in understanding how they must integrate with the completed interior. Such understanding will also lead to a smoother and more productive working relationship with the skilled technicians who install these systems.

Psychological and Sociological Considerations

Psychological and sociological needs also must carefully be considered because the design of an interior has tremendous power to make people feel good about their environments and can even affect the way they feel about each other. Most people recognize the effect that an interior environment can have (for both good and ill) on our well-being and even on some aspects of our character. Space, color, texture, pattern, scale, balance, furnishings, and all the other design elements and principles that constitute our interiors make us feel and act in certain ways. Knowledgeable use of these elements can lead to the ration of environments that make us feel emotional responses such as cool, warm, happy, romantic, nostalgic, awed, compassionate, hungry, full, restless, soothed, stimulated, or relaxed. That is why an interior designer must carefully consider the subtle manipulations that of affecting us so strongly.

Other sociological and psychological considerations include the need for privacy and interaction, cultural relationships, security and safety, and familiarity and stability.

In many homes the kitchen is the heart. Even when homes are provided with areas for individual Study, many times the family will end up studying around the kitchen table. When guest arrive for parties, they frequently gravitate to the kitchen. It is this tendency that has led to the popularity of great rooms, which are large kitchen/dining/family room spaces where most of the day-to-day living is centered.

It is equally important to plan spaces where members of the household can be alone. Libraries, studies, workrooms, or bedrooms are logical places for privacy. A desire for solitude and introspection is a basic human need that must be planned for and respected.

Cultural Relationships

   Distinctive aspects of local culture or family history can enhance the quality of An interior. It is also closely tied into the history and culture of the area and provides an emotional link with the prevailing culture. When an interior will be used by people with ties to a foreign culture, if can benefit from incorporating cultural elements, from structural features and choice of materials to displays of artwork or crafts. In this way the interior becomes an extension of personal history and experience.

Security and Safety

The physical safety of the occupants and possessions can affect the psychological well-being of a home. There are few things that compare with the feeling of terror and despair associated with a fire or other disaster. To help prevent accidents and fire, government agencies have established guidelines and rules (codes) for safety and fire prevention. Smoke detectors and fire extinguishers offer even greater security, both physical and emotional.

The need for protection is one of the most basic reasons for seeking the shelter of .a home. Home security has become a multimillion industry providing alarm systems and other means of securing homes. Some of these security systems utilize complex equipment and sophisticated electronic surveillance, while others are as basic as well-engineered locking mechanisms.

Familiarity and Stability

The design of an interior can include items that create stability and reassurance through their familiarity. For example, space might be designated for family photographs and other personal mementos. Art, accessories, and furnishings collected while traveling also have the same effect of tying us, to our personal experiences. Such belongings are often reminders of events or people and are part of an emotional support system. The use or display of cherished collections, objects, or furnishings should be included as part of the planning process. Because of their familiarity and warm associations, our environments can support better mental and emotional health.

Economic Factors

   Economic factors are one of the most important considerations because they have such an impact on the extent of the design. Without proper funding, a design can remain forever on paper. Economic considerations will govern all aspects of the interior design-from the time allotted to re-search develop, and execute’ the design to the quality of materials and furnishings.

There are some considerations that will make designs more economical. For example, building materials that are plentiful or indigenous to an area will usually be cheaper. This means that brick is less costly near the factory because shipping costs are generally less. Where brick has to be transported many hundreds of kilometers, the cost will escalate. Wood is a natural choice in wooded areas and adds the economical quality of good insulation as well. Building and finish materials that require the least upkeep and give the greatest length of service or durability for the climate and location are also economical choices, a justification for selecting brick or siding instead of wood.

Exterior and interior building components that are standard sizes are less expensive than those special ordered or custom manufactured. Examples include doors, windows, and ceiling heights, and standard in-stock items such as appliances and plumbing fixtures.

The cost of replacement when materials wear out is also an important factor in planning for economy. It is sad when a home that has been mortgaged for fifteen, twenty, or even thirty years is outfitted with materials that need replacing in as few as five years. For example, a lower-grade -vinyl flooring or carpet will likely wear out and cost more to replace than a better-quality, durable flooring would have cost in the beginning. Hard wood, tile, or even stone floors, which are initially expensive, will seldom wear out or need replacing. In the long run, cheap may cost more than expensive because poor-quality goods wear out before replacement is economically feasible and then those who use the design must live with shabby goods. The credo “Buy once and buy good quality” will serve well all choices for design materials and furnishings.

The cost of maintenance or upkeep of materials is an-other factor in planning for economy. If a finish or material requires constant dusting, cleaning, polishing, waxing, or other maintenance, it may not be the best choice. The cost is counted in two ways-the money for repair or hired cleaning help and the time and effort spent in maintaining it yourself.

Economy may also include planning ahead for future changes or additions. Plumbing and wiring can be in-stalled for central vacuum systems, intercom units, or entertainment and sound systems that will be added later. Planning ahead saves costly remodeling, with its accompanying inconvenience and frustration.

Design Preferences

As data are gathered, the client’s or user’s design preferences may be sought. They include preferences of theme, color, and even historic-period or contemporary styles. These preferences guide the designer through the concept-development phase of the design process. Personal preferences are particularly important in residential interiors where the client will be the principal user. In other cases, these kinds of choices may be left to the designer’s discretion.

Codes

Codes and restrictions are laws established by federal, state, and local governments and their agencies for the health, safety, and welfare of the consumer. They are exacting and often complex and they tie the designer to a considerable amount of liability. Codes provide requirements for mechanical systems that will function both safely and properly and for fire and occupational safety with certain types of materials, equipment, and structures.

Writing the Program

This list of consideration may seem lengthy, yet raising and answering as many questions as possible establishes a clear understanding or mastery of the problem such mastery becomes the ‘basis for a good design solution. The only limiting factor in asking questions is time. At some point the information-gathering phase must end and the design must move forward.

Analysis

All the data uncovered in the programming process must be studied to establish design ‘priorities; real ”need” should be separated from “wants.” The prioritized data can then be organized into logical sequence for inclusion in the written document. If questions or discrepancies arise, they can be resolved through additional research.

   Written Program

Putting the research information into written form is the last step in the critical programming phase of the design process. The resulting document is the key to a successful design solution.

Since the program is a constantly changing set of circumstances, the gathered data will reveal the program only at a given point in time. The program gives the direction the design solution must take, and in this way it is like a road map that helps the design stay on Course. The length of the written program will very according to the size of the Project.

The finished design will be only as good as the quality of research and articulation of the data. A fine design is the result of spending adequate time to analyze and organize before beginning to create.

Design Development:

Solving the Problem

The creative mind will be generating ideas for design solutions all the way, through the research phase of the design process. However, only after the research data have been analyzed and clearly articulated in the written program can the development of the ideas or concepts be formulated with accuracy. The design comes into being through:

• Design concept development
• Working drawings and specifications
• Execution

Design Concept Development

Concept development usually begins with brainstorming, freely generating many ideas without stopping to judge their quality. The ideas can be verbal, sketched, or written. Some very good design solutions have been scrawled on table napkins and scraps of building lumber. The important part of brainstorming is the flow of ideas as one idea often triggers another and the two may suggest a third or a combination idea. When the best ideas emerge, they are put on paper as the basis for the design solution.

The ideas take the form of quick drawings called schematics, which are used to help visualize space plans, traffic patterns, details, or even possible color schemes. These can be modified as the process continues until the parts begin to form the whole. As the design starts to come together, the brainstorming process continues as one scheme generates variations. These ideas must be examined, and at some point decisions must be made.

An important part of concept development is the selection of proposed materials, finishes, and furnishings. Materials consist of floor coverings, wall coverings, textiles for window coverings and upholstery, and materials for architectural trim and custom cabinetry. Finishes include paint and stain for walls, trim, cabinetry; and hard surfaced floors. Furnishings are furniture and accessories such as rugs and lamps. Fixtures used for lighting and details as small as electrical switch plates could also be considered furnishings.

The presentation of the proposed interior design is generally made with a series of boards or through CAD drawing displaying the following;

• Conceptual drawings demonstrate the ideas or concepts for the design without the time-consuming precision of finished drawings. They include scaled drawings showing furniture placement.
• Materials and finishes boards are mounted with photos of furnishings and actual materials for the pro-posed design.
• Renderings are colored perspective drawings of the space that help to visualize how the finished design will appear.

On the basis of the presentation, the client may approve the concept. If it is not agreeable, the design must go back to the drawing board and the process begins again with additional client input. When the concept is approved, the design work may proceed.

Working Drawings and Specifications

The final design development includes working drawings; final selection of materials, finishes and furnishings; and written specifications.. When approved and signed, specifications and working drawings may become part of the agreement or legal contract between one client and the designer. The working drawings are the finished mechanical drawings or plans prepared for use by the contractors in making bids and completing the construction of the design.

   Execution

The execution is the implementation of the design. During the execution, the actual construction begins, and the materials and furnishings orders are finalized. Ordering can be time consuming, yet like each step in the design process, it must be done with great care and accuracy During this phase of the design process, the work the contractors should be, inspected to ensure that the plans are being carried out properly.

It is necessary to check with window treatment fabricators and installers as well as wall-covering and flooring installers to ensure that the goods are correctly fabricated and installed.

Post occupancy Evaluation

After a period of time in which users have lived with and tested the effectiveness of the design, the post occupancy evaluation (POE) reveals how well the design functions. The evaluation can be accomplished by on-location interviews and open-ended questionnaires. It might seem that the information from such evaluations would be too late to be of any value. The value lies in future improvements and in the benefit of information that can be implemented in other projects.

Nonresidential Considerations

• The design process for nonresidential-interiors is largely the same as, that for a residence with the exception of the following:
• Nonresidential design has a greater emphasis on the preparation of contracts and agreements between the client and the designer.
• Preparation of bids is a more common procedure in nonresidential design. The designer develops a concept and prepares an estimate of how much the implementation of the concept will cost.
• The specialties in nonresidential design are diverse, including health care, hospitality (hotels  and  restaurants),  commercial  (stores  and  businesses),  and  office  planning. Specialization allows the designer to stay current on issues within his or her area of focus.
• The  profile  for  a  nonresidential  design  maybe  more  generic.  Because  customers, employees, and guests are transient, the design of a nonresidential space may be not for a specific person but rather for any person who performs a certain task or uses a certain space.
• Codes and restrictions require that the designer be aware of the needs of the disabled. Today, all areas of a public building must be easily accessible to those with physical limitations.

Conclusion

Well-selected materials, finishes, and furnishings reinforce the design concept and make the project exciting because of their individuality and design harmony. When the best ideas are brought to a degree of completion; the design concept begins to emerge. As the composition of families or groups changes and as people grow older, interests, needs, and lifestyles also change. Consequently, flexibility in planning for potential modifications is very important in order to meet changes without major upheaval. Since lifestyles are in a constant state of flux as house-hold demographics change, it is important to be aware of the effect such changes will have.

Web links

• http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/definitions/aesthetics.htm
• https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/architect
• https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/client
• https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/stable
• https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/manufacturer
• https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/rendering

Suggested References

• Ronald B. Kemnitzer; Watson – Guptill Publications, (1983), “Rendering with Makers” : 144
• Ron Kasprisin- Routledge Taylor and Francis Group London and New York (2011)“Urban Design the composition of complexity” Pg. 10