Essential Insights for Interior Design
As an interior designer, you will have a huge variety of projects come your way. They will range from kitchen and bathroom remodels, to restaurants and hotels, and speculative or custom homes. Each one will have a unique set of circumstances that you will have to navigate with care, ultimately ending in a project that’s harmonious and fits your client’s needs. This diversity ensures that your work remains dynamic and engaging, constantly challenging your creativity and problem-solving skills. It's crucial to remain open to new techniques and design styles to meet the demands of each unique project. Building a portfolio that showcases your versatility will attract a broader range of clients and further establish your reputation in the industry.
Building Your Network and Managing Projects
You will be approached by both clients and contractors who are looking to utilize your services. If a client reaches out directly to you, it is best to have two or three contractors that you trust enough to recommend to a client. It will take time for you to build a reliable list of mentors and resources, so always remember to be on the lookout for people who are willing to share their expertise with you. The contractor you recommend needs to have time in their schedule and experience in the project type. Your contractor will also typically hire any of the other trades that are needed for the job.
For professionals, it is important to have the framework of your business in place before agreeing to too many jobs. Talking to a business coach can provide you with valuable insights and guidance for your decisions. Additionally, working at your local incubator offers a supportive environment and access to resources that can help you grow. Both of these steps are excellent starting points for developing a comprehensive business plan. Aside from the necessary contracts, processes, and fees, there are some design basics that need to be considered for any project.
Fundamental Principles of Interior Design
What is design? Through the lens of building design, it is the process of creating spaces that enhance the human experience. Design, specifically interiors, should always be approached with intention and mindfulness. Interior design focuses on how a person feels in and interacts with a space – without the details, we just exist in empty boxes. Humans crave balance and harmony and will seek those feelings anywhere we can. If a space or room is making you uncomfortable, it is likely because the design was not entirely thought through. The scale of the furniture might be wrong, that shade of yellow might be increasing your blood pressure, and the textures may be competing with each other. We live our lives in curated spaces that are expected to morph with our routines as much as they are expected to be beautiful. A solid foundation in form and composition, whether self-taught or formally educated, will be your stepping stone into this field of design. The aesthetic decisions you make will always call back to those basic principles, and it is usually smart to trust your natural instincts as you analyze what a space does or does not do for you. Humans’ hardwired predilection for order will take you far in guiding your decisions, but there are a few basic art principles that you should consider carefully. This is not a comprehensive list, just a place to start.
Mastering Color and Proportion
Why not tackle the hardest topic first? Color can be intimidating, and some have a knack for knowing how to combine colors, while others may need to gain that skill over time. Either way, keeping a color wheel on hand is a great tool for checking your work and maintaining your design intent.
Learn how to recognize different color wheel combinations like complimentary, triads, and clashes. Every color relationship has its place and it will be your job to identify when to use them. Vibrant complimentary colors may be more appropriate in a classroom for stimulation. Subtle triads might work better in a cozy home office to support focus and productivity. Your color story is a major building block of an interior design project, and will often make or break a space.
The psychology of color is also important, especially for commercial or retail environments. Some colors, like reds and yellows, are speculated to increase appetite. Others are used to make people feel stable and trusting. Blacks and whites are also often used as a way to evoke a specific response. Pay attention to how commonly known restaurants and stores use colors and try to find a pattern - this will help teach you to recognize effective use of color.
Proportion is the second half of the color conversation. The amount of each color in your scheme will help determine the overall atmosphere. It may be wise to use a triad in a large great room with two colors being the most dominant, while the final color can be an accent. In a room like this, there are often a lot of elements and using too much of one color in the same tone may begin to feel monotone. However, if that is the aesthetic you are aiming for, lean in and take advantage of your strong point of view. Pushing the norms of design is where a lot of designers thrive. If not, adding a second dominant color will make your design more dynamic. Remember to utilize the different tones (gray + hue) of your scheme for subtle variation. Proportion and scale will also be your guide for prints, furniture type and placement, and cabinetry hardware to name a few.
Emphasis is another critical component in interior design. Having emphasis in your composition, which could be on a canvas or in a dining room, helps establish a focal point to build upon. Creating the balance that we need in order to feel comfortable is much easier to do when you have an anchor in the space. This could be a decorative wall, a statement light fixture, or the architecture itself. Your design intent is set at the beginning of a new project and there are many ways to call back to it. The purpose of an intention is to be a thread that connects all of the elements in your design together. Emphasis acts as the capstone and will give the viewer a place for their eye to land first. Moving beyond the emphasized element, other features will then move the eye around the space to take it all in. This analysis typically happens subconsciously and very quickly, which is why intent and emphasis are so important. Understanding these design principles may be your foundation, but there are other pieces of the puzzle that you need to sort out. These are a handful of topics that I wish I had received advice on before I dove headfirst into the industry:
Practical Advice for Design Projects
Whether you are pursuing a career in architectural or interior design, or if you want to design your own kitchen remodel, not knowing where to begin can stop someone in their tracks. You will probably ask questions like:
Who will my contractor be?
As an independent designer, you’ll be approached by both clients and contractors who are looking to utilize your services. If a client reaches out directly to you, it’s best to have two or three contractors that you trust enough to recommend to a client. The contractor you recommend needs to have time in their schedule and expertise in the project type. Your contractor will typically hire any of the other trades that are needed.
How much should design services cost?
To determine your hourly rate for design services, research your local market to see what other designers are charging. You need to weigh your experience, education, and overhead costs to determine your fees. Additionally, consider the complexity and scale of the projects you typically handle, as more intricate projects may justify higher rates. Regularly reviewing and adjusting your rates ensures that your pricing remains competitive and reflective of your growing expertise.
What finishes do I choose first?
When it comes to choosing the finishes in a room, a jumping-off point can be hard to spot. An efficient way to approach this is to decide which selection has the fewest choices regarding appearance, price, and availability. For interior residential remodels, oftentimes the flooring choice is the one in which you have the fewest options that fit the budget and aesthetic goals. Other choices, like paint color, can be easily adjusted to fit the project as more decisions are made.
Is this going to be aesthetic or more involved?
This question and subsequent answer are incredibly important for any design task. You need to determine early on if you’re going to need a trade partner to complete any of the work. Trusting a tradesperson to do what they are trained to do will ensure your projects are successful and done correctly. This is also important because it will determine whether or not you need a permit. Small, surface-level jobs don’t typically require permits. If you start to get into plumbing, electrical, and HVAC, you should consult with your local building officials before beginning. Finding trade partners to work with can be tricky, especially in smaller markets. If you are interested in learning a trade skill, consider speaking with someone who has experience in that area of expertise.
Interiors v.s. Exteriors
The approach for interior and exterior design have a lot in common when it comes to design principles and aesthetic choices. However, decision-making on exteriors introduces an entirely new set of circumstances in which you need to account for. Windows and doors are just the tip of the iceberg. You must also consider factors like insulation, weather resistance, and the impact of local climate conditions on your material choices. Additionally, exterior design often involves navigating building codes and zoning regulations, which can vary significantly depending on your location. If you don’t have experience in exteriors, do some research before getting too far into the project and seek advice from other professionals. Networking with experienced exterior designers can provide you with valuable insights and help you avoid common mistakes. By combining thorough research with expert advice, you can ensure that your exterior design projects are as successful and well-executed as your interior ones.
Where do I stop?
During renovations, it is easy to keep adding elements to the scope of work if you have not given yourself a stopping point. The easiest way to set your stopping point is to draw an imaginary line on the floor. A bathroom remodel can quickly turn into painting the adjacent rooms, and then redoing all of the baseboards, and that initiates the flooring conversation. Having a clear place to stop will help your project stay on budget and on schedule. This imaginary line is typically determined during the ever-crucial planning phase in which you determine the scope of work, whether trades are required to complete the work, the drawings and finishes needed, and (with experience) determine whether a client’s budgetary goals align with their project goals. Combining these strategic approaches ensures that your project is well-planned, organized, and executed within the set parameters given by the client.
Essential Steps in Project Planning
What are the existing conditions?
All design projects have existing conditions that need to be considered first and foremost. For residential remodels, you need to analyze and carefully document all of the components that will be impacted by the new design. Using a kitchen remodel as an example as they tend to be the most complex, things like plumbing locations; electrical outlets, switches, and light fixtures; HVAC equipment locations, structural components, door and window locations, dimensions of the spaces in question (including ceiling heights), will all need to be well recorded for use during the design process. For a new home that you’re involved in before construction, you have more freedom but there is typically more to tackle as well. You need to consider the site and placement of the home, the Homeowners Association requirements, and everything that the home needs to be functional and livable. It is helpful to start your design process with a list of everything you and your client need to decide on. Having this list will break the process down into bite size chunks so you can have realistic goals to reach.
Do you need drawings?
For a lot of projects, drawings will be needed to effectively complete the plan. If you are designing a kitchen remodel, you need plans to show where walls are being removed or added, where new plumbing locations are, where the windows and doors are, and the cabinet layout. Cabinetry design is an area where it is beneficial to have a bit more technical knowledge. If you are not formally trained, it will take research and a handful of projects before you’re fully comfortable with the skill. There are various levels of detail in cabinetry drawings and the level depends on the type of job it is. You will either be working with standard cabinet lines, semi-custom lines, or custom lines. Either way, the person supplying the cabinets will do the technical “shop” drawings after you supply them with a basic outline of what you need. They will ensure you are designing the cabinets in the most efficient way for the brands that they carry. Other drawings for a remodel could include electrical layouts and door or window schedules, and exterior elevations.
Takeaways
Mastering the art of interior design requires a blend of creativity, technical knowledge, and practical experience. From building a reliable network of professionals to understanding fundamental design principles, every aspect of the process is crucial for success. Whether you are managing color schemes, ensuring proper proportions, or navigating the unique challenges of exterior projects, each decision contributes to the overall harmony and functionality of the space. By staying informed, continuously learning, and seeking guidance from mentors and industry experts, you can create beautiful and functional environments that exceed your clients’ expectations. Embrace each project as a unique opportunity to grow and refine your skills, and your design career will flourish.
