By Mathius Cygnus
The interior design of homes is a very important topic. If you’re unhappy with how your home looks from the inside, you’re not going to feel your best. Most of us spend a lot of time in our homes so it’s of great importance to make sure the interior design of our property suits us. So for my first post I am going to discuss interior design and its origins.
According to Wikipedia, interior design is “the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space.” I believe this summarises interior design perfectly. It is indeed both an art and a science. An interior designer uses art to make things look beautiful and science to make everything practical and usable. This combination of art and science is the key to achieving a space that is a joy to be in. That’s the essence of interior design.
“…the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space.”
A Brief History
Before the interior design profession existed, interiors were formed as part of the building process. Not much thought and careful planning went into the interior design of homes during this time.
As society developed and architecture became more complicated, the need for professional interior design was clear. People wanted functionality and to make the most of the space they had. The most effective way of doing that was to hire a professional.
It wasn’t until the second half of the nineteenth century that interior design services grew considerably. As a status symbol, the middle class began to spend their wealth on their homes. They were happy to spend significantly on home improvements. So large furniture businesses began to offer interior design services to capitalise on this trend.
Noticing the success the big furniture stores were having by offering interior design services, independent designers began to provide these services as well. They would go on to eventually dominate the interior design market by 1914. This was the beginning of the interior design profession.
The Difference Between Interior Design of Homes and Interior Decoration
As we saw earlier, interior design is the art and science of using people’s behaviour to make beautiful and practical interior spaces. Decoration is using furniture and accessories to make the room look prettier. The difference between the two is that an interior designer will incorporate decorating into their work but an interior decorator will not design.
An interior designer focuses more on the planning, research and achieving a functional design for the space. They will have some knowledge of door and window placement as well as lighting and acoustics. If an interior designer wishes to make modifications to load-bearing walls, they will first need to get approval from an architect. Interior designers regularly collaborate with architects and engineers to ensure the designs are not only practical, but safe too.
Using Colour
In order to create a room that exudes style, an interior designer will need to choose a good colour scheme. They will need to match complimenting colours and use a consistent colour scheme throughout the space.
A good understanding of colours and their effects on people’s mood is a very important asset in the interior designers skillset. Colours achieve different things depending on the situation and location in which they are used.
Depending on the desired mood of the room that the homeowner wants to achieve, an interior designer will choose certain colour combinations. If a calm mood is required then the colour scheme will usually be neutral, utilising off-whites and blue-greys. For a dramatic mood, an interior designer may opt for dark greens and copper.
Colour is also used to make the room appear larger or smaller than it actually is. Light colour schemes will often be used to make a small room look and feel larger. Whereas darks usually achieve the opposite effect.
How To Become an Interior Designer
To become a professional interior designer you will require some training. You can obtain qualifications from a college or university and supplement that knowledge with experience through work experience. I highly recommend working with an experienced interior designer to pick up real-world techniques, tips and tricks that you may not find in a formal course.
Once you have completed training and you’ve accumulated some experience in the industry, you’re ready to start interior designing for a living. There are a lot of job opportunities within interior design. You could work for a big company, a small business or even freelance. Each one has its pros and cons but one thing is certain; interior design can be a stressful job. You are going to be working with demanding clients who expect the job to be completed on time and within budget. However, if you can manage stress well then a career in interior design will be a magnificently rewarding occupation for you.