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Module: 1

Introduction to Interior Design

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What you’ll learn in this module:

1.1 What is Interior Design?

1.2 Qualities & skills of an Interior Designer

1.3 Brief history of modern Interior Design

1.4 Becoming an Interior Designer

1.5 Descriptive design terms

1.6 Meeting your clients

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1.1 What is Interior Design?

“The space within becomes the reality of the building.” Frank Lloyd Wright, American Architect

and Designer

Any interior environment is an interactive experience of the structures, objects, surfaces, space and

light felt by the people who move through that building. The skill of Interior Design is in:

Understanding the variety and sequence of experiences in use and space that will happen in an interior.

Responding to the user’s needs and expectations, within the determinants of the building.

The interior designer is an artist, a problem solver and a form-maker. Interiors give life to a building

and set the stage for the players, or users, to enter and carry out their performance.

As an Interior Designer or home stylist, you are challenged to solve a number of problems and meet

many requirements at different levels and scales; privacy, connections, enclosures, adjacencies,

functions, sound, view, furnishings, lighting, mood, color and more. The solutions are layered and

intertwined intricately, creating specific effects. Along with achieving the tangible criteria, your design

needs to be engaging and evocative.

1.2 Qualities and skills of an interior designer

Above all, the overriding quality you need as an Interior Designer is a creative spirit; an urge to

look at things differently and to experiment; a desire to create something unique that meets the

functional and aesthetic requirements of your brief and a flair for doing so.

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What makes an Interior Designer?

Commitment and motivation

To be driven to change, improve or restore an interior environment.

To have the vision to see through creative ideas to their end manifestation.

To have belief and confidence in self expression

To have the management skills to supervise all disciplines and aspects involved in a project. Organizational abilities

To be able to handle a large range of materials, products, suppliers and services.

To be resourceful and efficient at finding solutions.

To be disciplined in creating an easily accessed store of information, reference material and resources.

To be able to plan a program of work and meet deadlines.

To be a team player among other service providers and suppliers. Hands-on skills

To be comfortable in working with three dimensional form, color, texture and space.

To have a natural skill for knowing how materials sit in close proximity.

To be skilled at producing hand sketches or CAD drawings. (Computer aided design.)

To have good analytical and problem solving skills.

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Communication and perception

To be perceptive of people’s personalities, needs and aversions and to be sensitive in investigating these.

To foresee possible issues and problems and to ask the right questions to find solutions.

To have good verbal and written communication skills and to be clear in outlining plans and intentions.

1.3 Brief history of modern Interior Design

Throughout the ages, historical events, discoveries, inventions and significant people influenced design

and style, including interior design. The strong classical traditions from Egyptian, Assyrian, Greek and

Roman times influenced designers of interior space right through the Middle Ages.

As we moved into the modern ages, these traditional lines and forms began to be overtaken by a

freedom from cultural history which coincided with a radically changing world. After the industrial

revolution, there were dramatic advances in technology, engineering and in the arts and sciences. People

were living radically different lives and this began to be reflected in how design changed.

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THE ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT (1880 – 1910)

As mass production became standard and developments in communications, travel, transport,

reinforced concrete and steel were shaping a very new way of living, a movement emerged that

showed a respect and desire for traditional methods - the arts and crafts movement. In the midst of

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rapidly moving industrialization, a world focused on machines and what they could produce, it

reinforced a strong link with nature by basing design of buildings, furniture and artefacts around the

skills and workmanship of traditional craftsmen. William Morris was one of the main instigators of this

style.

Wood was a prominent material and was used in tapered architraves, arches, paneling, beams,

windows of various proportions, picture rails and dados (like a picture rail at arm/shoulder level).

Arches were placed over doorways, fireplaces, windows or as a division of space.

ART NOUVEAU (1890 – 1910)

This followed the Arts and Crafts movement and was another reaction to the styles of the previous

centuries. It shared the interest in maintaining a style that reflected natural as opposed to mechanical

influence. However, it also acknowledged the usefulness of mass production. It incorporated many

distinctive characteristics which were inspired by the flowing and curving lines in nature. The natural

forms of flowers, plants, trees and swirling water were lavishly imitated in décor and furnishings,

though the effects were much more fluid and free than the rustic style of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Art Nouveau largely ignored historical design and as well as taking inspiration from organic form, was

greatly influenced by the French use of color and the popular craze at the time for ‘Japonisme’. Tendrils

and floral arabesques often lavishly adorned objects and furnishings to the point of obscuring their

original shape. However, as this movement was based largely on artistry and didn’t lend well to mass

production, it was a relatively short lived era and was overtaken by progression to more modern

influences.

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THE MODERN MOVEMENT

This movement reflects a strong desire to leave behind the eclectic Victorian tradition and the lavish

style of Art Nouveau. It was born from an era that knew the traditional representations in art,

architecture and in everyday life no longer blended with how modern life was developing in such a

new social, economic, political industrialized world.

Ornamentation was rejected in favor of more simplified forms and outlines. It embraced technically

innovative manufacturing methods and new materials. Concrete, steel and glass became standard

functional aspects of design. Modernism accepted and worked with industrialized mass production

techniques.

DE STIJL (1917 – 1931)

Another defining style of the 20th century was the De Stijl movement or neoplasticism, from the

Netherlands, which influenced design and architecture. It was influenced by the cubism style of

painting and by geometric forms. It proposed ultimate simplicity and abstraction in form and color. All

visual components were simplified into vertical and horizontal lines and rectangular forms and only

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the primary colors, red, yellow and blue, along with black and white were used. The iconic red and

blue chair designed in 1917 by Gerrit Rietveld is a typical example of this style.

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ART DECO (1920 – 1940)

This design style first originated in France in the 1920s but became very popular internationally. The

organic forms and lines popular in the Art Nouveau era were replaced with bold geometric shapes and

synthetic materials. Sleek, streamlined finishes looked more futuristic than rustic. Curvilinear lines

became rectilinear. Even though it lost the softness of previous styles, it was quite lavish in finish and

décor.

Colors tended to be vivid and contrasting and its use of symmetry was striking. It was an eclectic style

but had a very different, new feel. At the time it represented glamour and modern advancement. The

Chrysler building in New York and the Fisher Building in Detroit are both examples of the Art Deco style.

The Second World War caused this lavish expression of style to decline but it became popular again in

the 1960s because of its elegance and sleek lines. Modern materials like steel, aluminum and plastic

were used. Glossy, hardwood floors, lacquered furniture, inlays and stained glass added sophistication.

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BAUHAUS

The Bauhaus style has probably had the biggest influence of all styles featured here on modern design. It

was conceptualized in Germany by an architect called Walter Gropius. It was a highly creative movement

throughout the first three decades of the 20th century and influenced art, architecture, interior design,

product design, industrial design and graphic design.

Bauhaus put much emphasis on aesthetic principles and favored pure geometric forms. It integrated

technology with art and craft more than any movement before it. Machinery and mass production was

looked on as a positive and progressive integration in the world of design and Bauhaus furniture design

bore this out. One Bauhaus concept was that design should be new and original, not looking to precedent

for guidance. Streamlined, geometric designs took full advantage of the development of synthetic

materials and the tensile properties of steel.

Bauhaus encouraged design to form the simplest possible structures needed for their function. It was

under this era that built in furniture became a trend. Mass production and design became willing

partners.

Since these influential periods, there has been an endless array of different fashions and trends in

interior design and décor. In Module 7 we will look at some currently popular ones.

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1.4 Becoming an Interior Designer

If you’ve taken the decision to study this course, you probably have a natural flair for design and

décor. In order to grow as a designer, it’s vital to develop practices that keep a flow of inspiration

alive and thriving. Here are some tips which will not only get you thinking like a designer, they will

help you feel like one and also help your own sense of style to emerge.

Keep a sketch pad, pencil and camera with you always. Be observant. Every time you’re in a home or

building that has anything of interest in it, take note of features, styles, color schemes, materials, flow

etc. Take pictures. (Ask permission if needed.)

Create a source library for all your interesting finds. This is really useful to refer to yourself and gives

you a bank of material to use on clients mood boards.

Visit buildings as often as you can, including those under construction. Watch the organization of space,

the flow paths, the layering of functions and styling. Take notes along with sketches and pictures. A

measuring tape can also be useful.

Talk to people who use the spaces you visit and listen to their experience as users.

Regularly read interior books and magazines and pick out what appeals to you. They will provide you

with inspiration, sources and information.

Check your local library for more in depth reading on interiors.

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Film and TV are a great source of design inspiration. Note how film makers capture an era or mood with

the use of interiors.

SKETCHING

Hand drawings are an excellent way to quickly record a space so you can visualize it later. They are

also a wonderfully quick and effective way to illustrate and convey ideas to clients and to record

ideas for your own process. If you’re already good at sketching, that’s a wonderful advantage. If you

think you’re not, don’t panic! Sketching is entirely possible to learn and trust us, it doesn’t take long.

Practice, when no one is looking until you get to a point where you’re more confident. One excellent

way to develop your sketching skills is to attend life drawing classes. No, you won’t be drawing

nudes for your clients but the skills this practice develops will help you to be a much better sketcher

as a designer. And they’re relaxing and enjoyable too.

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1.4.1 Equipment

Luckily, this is one profession where you don’t need to get a bank loan to equip yourself with the

tools you need to get started.

For both planned and impromptu sketching, always make sure you have working pens with you and

your pencils are sharpened and ready to use. Ideally, use a desk or table and good lighting.

List of equipment:

Drawing pads in A3, A4 and A5 sizes

Pencils – the best grades are H, HB, 2H and 4H. (H stands for hardness which gives a fine line. B stands

for blackness.)

Scale ruler. Look for one with three scales – 1:100, 1:50 and 1:20.

Adjustable triangle (set square), as big as you can find.

Drawing compass

Scissors

Eraser

Scalpels with retractable blades for safety

Drawing pens, fine.

Measuring tape

Paper – good quality in A3 and A2 sizes and tracing paper in same sizes.

Tee square

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Paints and colored pencils

Glue sticks

Portfolio case to transport your work securely in.

1.5 Descriptive design terms

It’s important to show clients that you know what you’re talking about and have a good command of

the language of your profession. Here are some commonly used terms:

Adjacency: the relationship of objects or spaces that are near each other.

Angular: when straight lines meet at sharp points.

Balance: the overall sense of evenness in the design.

Contour: This is the outline but has a slightly more nuanced meaning. An outline is typically the

border between a drawn object and its surroundings, contour captures the shapes made by a 3D

surface.

Corners: walls at 90degrees to each other.

Curvilinear: The professional way to describe a flowing or curving line or an outline of a shape

bounded by curved rather than straight lines.

Emphasis: where an element, feature or strategy dominates.

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Flow: the way movement within a space happens.

Flush: when a surface runs at exactly the same protrusion as an adjacent surface.

Gestalt: The direct translation from German is “form” or “shape”. It’s a psychology term which is often

used in design and is particularly suited to interior design. It means to have an overall sense of

something; to view a project as a whole and not just a sum of its parts.

Grayscale: working with black and white and all hues and tones in between.

Harmony: the pleasing and complementing coexistence of all aspects of a design.

Hierarchy: the order in which things happen or feature.

Holistic: taking an eagle’s eye view instead of a microscopic one.

Integral: a necessary part of.

Labyrinth: a complex arrangement of spaces.

Layers: for example, finishes, furnishing, lighting.

Motif: a repeated element like a pattern in textiles, for example a paisley print. This gives rhythm.

Monochrome: contrary to popular belief, this does not refer to black and white. Monochrome means

to work with one color which can include any hue or tone of that color.

Muted: colors that are softened or dimmed; made less bright. One way of achieving this is by adding

complimentary colors.

Negative space: the empty space between objects. More negative space allows what’s in the positive

space to stand out more. Negative Space, referring to the empty space between design objects, is

certainly a prized term among designers. Some designers use negative space to create “secret”

messages, like the right-pointing arrow between the “E” and the “x” in FedEx. Even when it is not

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being put to such clever purposes, though, the amount of negative space allowed importantly

impacts the proportion of a design.

Overlap: when functions, activities or spaces merge.

Perimeter: the outlines or edges of a plan.

Radial: lines radiating from a common center.

Rectilinear: the opposite to curvilinear. This refers to a shape consisting of parallel and

perpendicular straight lines.

Scale: the relationship of elements to each other.

Sequence: The users experiences as he/she moves through a building/space.

Structured: designs that are strongly geometrical; based on straight lines, standard proportions and

symmetry.

Symmetry: Visual and physical balance.

Variegated: the opposite of monochrome – this means there is a variety of colors present.

Wedge: an area or form between two other areas or forms.

Unity: A completed, harmonizing design. Vivid: the opposite of muted – vivid or vibrant refers to very

bright color. The juxtaposition of muted colors provides low contrast; the juxtaposition of vivid colors

provides high contrast.

Translucent: allows light through but not well defined images. (Transparent allows both light and

images through, like a window. Opaque doesn’t allow either light or images through.)

1.6 Meeting your clients

In Module 10, we will give you some advice on getting clients and building your business. Here we

discuss the importance of your relationship with clients.

1.6.1 The first meeting

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First impressions really matter. You don’t get a second chance to make yours. Here are a few tips:

People do business with people they like. Keep your attitude friendly and likeable but professional.

Don’t allow the conversation to focus on you. At the beginning of the meeting, create a relaxed

atmosphere by talking about something neutral, like the weather or a current topic but keep it light and

positive and don’t get side tracked into a long discussion about something irrelevant. Complement

something about the client’s home that you like.

Prepare yourself for anything you might be asked; about your own home, about your experience as a

designer, about other clients. Even if it’s your first client, you’ll have had input into your own home and

possibly family and friends spaces to quote.

Dress in a way that shows you are well groomed, professional and stylish but not in a way that attracts

too much attention to yourself – no loud colors, patterns, eye catching accessories etc.

1.6.2 Taking your brief

Let your client do plenty talking before interrupting or asking questions. Sense where he/she is unsure

or hesitant so you know where creative solutions are needed.

Next, ask the questions you need answers for. Some designers find it useful to send a prepared

questionnaire in advance.

o Who else lives in this space/house? Are there children? Pets?

o Describe occupants lifestyle; how much time spent here, times of day, reasons etc.

o How often are friends/guests/strangers here? For what reasons?

o What about the way things are now doesn’t work well?

o Any other questions you think may be relevant.

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After you’ve determined the functions and uses of the building and highlighted any problems that need

to be solved, move on to style.

Be very observant and make notes about the shape, size, natural light, flow and feeling in each room.

Don’t say too much at this point about solutions. Firstly, you might come up with different ones on

reflection and secondly, you might do yourself out of a job!

Ask plenty questions about preference in styles, color, texture, finishes, lighting, mood and feel. Make

sure you’re clear about what the client wants you to achieve. Repeat back what you’ve picked up to

check you’ve got it right.

Try to get a sense of the personalities you’re creating the interior for and let this inform your choices.

Take any measurements you need to make sketches and plans. Some designers also take photos at this

point, which is really helpful.

Ask your client for any plans or drawings of the building as it is which would be a help.

To finish the meeting, explain how you work including an idea of timescales, fees and payment structure.

When you’re back at your own working space, put together your notes, impressions, measurements and

pictures while everything is fresh in your mind. Also jot down any ideas that have come to you so far.

To protect yourself and your client, make the agreement formal as soon as possible. Contracts are very

clear but some clients are intimidated by them. A letter of agreement may work better. Send a letter or

email acknowledging what you’ve agreed and including your letter of agreement for signing.