How to think like an Interior Designer
Are you embarking on a renovation project or redesigning a room in your home? Creating a plan is fundamental to the success and enjoyment of your project.
I share my essential interior design checklist, including the most important elements to consider when starting your project. This will help you think like an interior designer, eliminate mistakes, and remove stress.
Design brief:
Who are you designing the room for?
How do you want to feel in the room?
When will the room be most used?
What do you like or dislike about the room?
What would the best outcome be?
Requirements – What do you want to include in your design scheme?
What is your budget?
Do you need to plan your room layout?
What will you be keeping? Furniture, appliances, fireplaces etc.
Re-purpose – consider what can be reused or recycled
Consider key purchases- what needs to be ordered in advance? For example, the projected delivery of key items - sofas can take around 2 months.
Do you need to consider;
Paint,
Wallpaper
Space planning
Lighting
Flooring
Furniture
Soft furnishings
Window treatments
Storage solutions
Trades – who will you need to bring in to help with the project?
Consider where it needs to be allocated.
Timeframe – When would you like to start and finish?
I have designed an online interior course for your home project to help you start your interior project with creativity and help you consider all the important elements.
Spatial planning
Consider the layout, what the room will be used for, including any furniture you plan to reuse. Start to think about the size of furniture you need to buy and include it in the layout.
*Remember the smaller items of furniture and accessories are just as important to include and make space for.
Colour planning:
Keep in mind COLOUR, PATTERN AND TEXTURE whilst looking at room schemes. Often a colour scheme has 3-4 main colours.
Look at the natural light and lighting and how the colour changes at different times of the day.
Key furniture items in the room, find colours or patterns to enhance them or blend in.
Pick out the colours you like and consider how they sit together. Always keep in mind the room's mood and how the colours make you feel.
Read my blog post on ‘Creating a colour scheme for your home’ for more in-depth advice on choosing your colour palette.
I also run colour workshops from my home in Bath. Come along for a fun half-day learning how to create a colour scheme for a room in your home.
Design stage:
The creative process helps you expand your ideas and open your mind. During your research, you will have discovered what you like and what you don’t like. With a bank of ideas and inspiration, you can start to narrow down your ideas and begin to form your style.
Considering your budget, start to order fabric and wallpaper samples and gather paint charts from different paint brands. Borrow flooring samples and look at what lighting you like.
The next part of the process is to collate all your design ideas and make a mood board. This will be a reference point throughout the project.
Services
The list above is a brief outline to start to get you thinking like an interior designer. If you need any advice or can’t face designing and running the project, get in touch with me, and I will take the stress out and help you design your home.
