Understanding and Planning Interior Design

Before starting to decorate your room, it is important to consider the function of the space concerned. Does the room or space need to be formal, elegant,casual or playful. Who would be using the room,and primarily what would be its usage. You would also need to assess what you already have, furniture and  fixtures that will need to be incorporated  into your design plans.Think about the personality and the taste of the person using the room.

Interior design is not just about choosing paint, fabrics and curtain styles. You need to understand how the surroundings affect you and also reflect on the deeper meaning of what a home really is to you.

Understanding the functions of this rooms will be very useful in planning the whole look and feel of the room.Certain parts of the house or space like the foyer and hallways which are transient spaces have to be unified in its interior design theme with the rest of the rooms. Some spaces like kitchen are only used for specific functions ( cooking and eating), living room spaces are mainly used in the evenings and bedrooms are used mainly in the mornings and evenings.

Once you have established this, you would then go on to examine the physical aspects of the space – height width and length. This stage would include studying the window shape and size and the entrance door. The existing locations of the windows and the door is very important when planning your lighting and furniture layout. You would also need to take note of  existing locations of air condition blowers, electrical, cable and telephone sockets, to determine your usage and needs.

If you are renovating a architectural heritage building, eg. shop house, you may want to or  have to by law preserve certain features like the windows and pitch roof. The architectural features of this spaces are so pronounced that it gives instant character and charm to your design. You will have to be mindful of all this basic requirements before moving on to more detail aspects of interior design.

One cannot emphasize enough the importance good and careful planning. When planning your design theme and concepts, try and get as much ideas and references from books magazines and the internet. One of the best places you can  get inspirations and ideas is newly launched show flats. By visiting these show flats you can understand colour schemes and themes works in the general design of  living spaces.

A well design house is like your favourite attire which gives a combination of comfort, practicality and great looks. Successful interior design should be reflection of who you are and the people who live there.

All Photos© SGLivingPod by Amir Sultan