Interior Design

Interior Design

 

 Introduction

            Interior design is both an art and science that involves improving the beauty of a certain environment. It also requires understanding the characteristics of people and trying to bring out a better picture. In interior design both the exterior and the interior of a building or space are considered in the enhancement process (ASID (2016). Interior design does not only involve things, but it also involves research and having discussions with stakeholders. Programming, site inspection, execution of conception, and space planning are all vital aspects of interior design as a discipline. The major role of interior designers explains why interior design can be described as a discipline. The premise of this essay is to provide a succinct understanding of interior design as a discipline, along with the roles and responsibilities of an interior designer.

Understanding of Interior Design as a Discipline

Interior design is more than just the visual enhancement of interior space. Mazarella (2016) opines that the interior design “seeks to optimize and harmonize the use to which the built environment will be put” (n.p.). Elsewhere, the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics describes interior design as “practical, aesthetic, and conducive to the intended purpose, such as raising productivity, selling merchandise, or improving life style” (cited by Mazarella 2016, n.p.).

People have practiced interior design as a human activity for centuries now; however, it was only adopted as a career in the early 20th Century (Koomen & Kennon 2005). Interior design incorporates technical and creative techniques with the aim of satisfying customers. This discipline also links the space between enterprise strategies, policies, and goals. The solutions that are provided by interior design as a discipline are functional, and they improve the quality of life and cultural practices of the people being served (Mazarella 2016). Most people have taken into real estate investments, and they require interior designers who can put their houses on the competitive list. Interior design can, therefore, be understood as an important discipline and a career path worth taking. The person who carries out the task of interior designing is known as an interior designer.

The Role and Responsibility of an Interior Designer

According to (Mazarella 2016), interior design is outstanding in the whole building design process. It should, therefore, be incorporated into the process from the initial re-design phase. The major role of an interior designer is to understand the needs of the customer about the business in question, (Mazarella 2016). The interior designer is also responsible for helping the organization or the individual understand their needs. They also assist in the analysis ways in which to connect the “organization’s mission, business, and work process to an intelligent workplace and space strategy,” (Mazarella 2016, n.p.). It is the role of the interior design department to facilitate effective communication between other stakeholders to ensure the success of the whole project.

It is important to note that the interior design is becoming more diverse as a discipline. For one to be competent in this field, the learning facilities must provide the learner with a broad foundation (Furlong & Gentry (2015). The latter ensures that the learner is better exposed to human experience and can be a great designer in the future. Due to the changing technology, social, political, economic, and cultural aspects, the developers in the current market require advanced expertise. Most people are going for complicated designs, and the designers must, therefore, arm themselves with the necessary skills to carry out some of these tasks. The designers must be willing to cross boundaries and learn from other fields such as architecture. The latter puts the designer in a better position of being hired. According to Furlong and Gentry (2015), the most successful designers are open to different ways of solving issues, and they experiment with various solutions. Such designers are willing to earn and thus end up gaining much experience.

Interior design involves the product, service, and interaction design. There is an association by the name British Industrial Design Association (BIDA) which is a non-profit organization, BIDA (2016.). This team ensures that members learn creativity and best-practice. The boards of designers who voluntarily run the team are determined to ensure that the members acquire knowledge and the skills required in the interior design.

Interior designers

For one to understand the discipline of interior design, they must first define the duties of a designer within different industry contexts. Interior designers are involved in conservation, preservation, and restoration of the provided space (Tucker 2016). They are also involved in the intervention that is creating a relationship between the old/existing and the new designs. Interior designers are also talented in inserting one space into another (Learn.org 2016). The interior designers can however not work alone in the process of achieving the desired goals. They must work as a team together with the building manager and a qualified design team. In the past, the designer used to receive a plan from the architect but should not be the case in recent times, (Mazarella 2016).

The interior designer should ensure that the design they wish to create is healthy, one which has ‘good acoustics, lighting, and air quality’ (Mazarella 2016, n.p.) The workplace should also be set up in such a way as to ensure the occupants are safe from any potential human-made or natural hazards. The dream of every designer is to create a design that brings about comfort to the clients. It is, therefore, the designer’s task to evenly distribute services, systems, and components such that the occupants can comfortably access them (Tucker 2016). The design created must be reliable enough to serve its purpose. The designer should, therefore, come up with state-of-the-art designs that facilitate heating, ventilation, air conditioning, equipment that require little maintenance, minimal loss of service, and less energy (Mazarella 2016).

There are other aspects that the interior designer should put into consideration while creating designs. Flexibility is one such vital factor. Under floors should be accessible to all workspaces and the occupants should have maximum control of the work environment, (Mazarella (2016). The client requires free furniture and technology space, and this should be provided in the design. An organization’s image is an important aspect when it comes to marketing its services to the external and internal customers. The interior designer should, therefore, come up with a brand that serves the organization’s purpose, (Mazarella 2016). The workspace should also be designed to provide equity fairness (Mazarella 2016). The plan should provide the occupants and their clients with daylight and privacy. The workspace should also be aesthetically appealing to the residents and the customers. Technology is one of the vital requirements that every workplace must possess. The design should be in such a way that there is full access to data among the workers and various offices. The interior designer should also ensure that the technology installed can be upgraded in the future (Mazarella 2016).

 The study of designing interiors is an ongoing process which is always evolving, (Brooker & Stone (2010). There are new designs that are invented on a daily basis thus the fact that it is an evolving discipline. For one to create a good design or do a perfect designing of the interior, they must have a better understanding of the interiors they are to work on (Coleman 2001).

Other things that an interior designer should consider are the analysis of the existing building and the type of material that has been used for the interior surfaces, of the surface of the interior (Brooker & Stone 2010). The latter is important as it helps the designer in deciding what to use and what not to apply in their work. Certain organizations cater to students who are enrolled in an interior design program. The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) is one such organisation, and it offers students who are its members the necessary resources that are otherwise not found in their respective universities (IIDA 2016). The students can create connections that help them build relationships that are useful even after graduation. For one to be a member of IIDA, they require having the following: copy of the current class schedule, a copy of current school ID, a copy of the transcript, and the professor’s printed name and signature of confirmation of enrollment (IIDA 2016). Such associations confirm that interior design has been embraced by the society as a respectable discipline.

Conclusion

Interior design as illustrated above is a career path that many are willing to take. This discipline has evolved with time, and new designs and innovations are invented on a daily basis. Due to the rate at which the world is developing, the need for the change of the interior designs of houses has risen. Many people want their homes to be renovated into new interior designs without having to bring down the exterior of the building. The designers on their part have to learn how to incorporate new ideas into the existing ones to come up with elegant interior designing. There are various aspects that the designers have to consider while carrying out their tasks such as occupants comfort and the brand/image of the organization. While the designers are taking their courses, they need guidance and provision of the necessary resources thus the creation of associations such as IIDA.

 

 

References

ASID (2016). What is Interior Design? American Society of Interior Design. [Online]. Available

at: http://asidva.org/about-asid/what-is-interior-design/ [Accessed 27 Dec. 2016]

BIDA (2016). Design or Decline? Support Design and Technology in Schools. [Online]. Available at: http://www.britishindustrialdesign.org.uk/news/2015/11/4/design-or-decline-a-seymourpowell-and-dt-collaboration [Accessed 26 Dec. 2016]

Brooker G & Stone S (2010). What is Interior Design? (Essential Design Handbooks). Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishers 

Coleman C (2001). Interior Design Handbook of Professional Practice, New York: McGraw Hill Professional.

Furlong K & Gentry M (2015). A Studio Foundation for an Evolving Discipline. IDEC. [Online]. Available at: http://www.idec.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageID=3782 [Accessed 28 Dec. 2016]

IIDA (2016). Students: The Future of Design. IIDA. [Online]. Available at:

http://www.iida.org/content.cfm/students [Accessed 27 Dec. 2016]

Koomen S & Kennon KE (2005) The Codes Guidebook for Interiors, 3rd edition, London:

Wiley.

Learn.org. (2016). What are Job Duties of an interior Designer? Learn.org. [Online]. Available at: http://learn.org/articles/What_are_the_Job_Duties_of_an_Interior_Designer.html [Accessed 27 Dec. 2016]

Mazarella F (2016). Interior Design. WBDG. [Online]. Available at: https://www.wbdg.org/design-disciplines/interior-design [Accessed 27 Dec. 2016]

Tucker K (2016). What are the Responsibilities of an Interior Desinger? Chron. [Online]. Available at:  http://work.chron.com/responsibilities-interior-designer-13998.html are the Responsibilities of an Interior Desinger?