What Goes into an Interior Design Layout?
Interior design feels like that glorious meeting point of what everyone can see about their living space—the furniture, the finishes, the storage, the wall décor—and what digs into the foundation and behind the walls…
What goes into a full interior design plan, though? An interior design layout is, perhaps, the first thing that comes to mind.
One of the reasons why interior design is so much fun is because it doesn’t get into every type of construction documentation. It’s not a project that guts your space. Instead, interior design transforms your desire for a space’s look and function into something you can see. You choose the selections, and suddenly you’ve infused your personality and lifestyle into the very walls you live and breathe in…
How ARE those selections made, though? The interior design layout is where it all starts.
Here’s what goes into an interior design layout as you watch your design unfold…
Step 1: Start with the Space…Spatially!
It should be unsurprising that step one is to take measurements of your space.
Measurements are then turned into a floor layout that will unite all the technical details of your physical space. A professional interior designer puts these measurements into programs like Chief Architect or AutoCAD for supreme precision.
Accurate layouts will include not just the square footage, but details of the room like trim. They will also make special note of inconsistencies. (Did you know, for example, that virtually every room as SOME flaw like an uneven floor or ceiling?)
Step 2: Space Planning
After you have your space measured, the next step is not as simple as thinking, “oh, I LOVE that couch, and it fits on that wall…”
Space planning is the step when a designer talks to you about the intended purpose of a room. Functional requirements include the day-to-day needs and those for special occasions.
For example, your living room might generally be a place that functions to accommodate you and your family members, each in their typical “pose” on their furniture of choice around the room. On other occasions, however, you’ll be hosting and will need that space to serve more people and movement.
The overarching “uses” of any space ultimately come down to a balancing act. How much of the time will the living room be for family use, and how much of the time will it be for events? Households who entertain often will have their space designed differently than a family who rarely hosts.
Each and EVERY space will have its balance of storage needs, too.
So, really…these four standard “design categories” of space use are about determining how much of each is needed for every space…
- Social (family and bigger occasions)
- Private (like a bedroom)
- Work (like a home office or a home gym)
- Storage (closets, cabinets, shelving, etc.)
The unique balance of every space’s requirements will have HUGE implications on the design of the interior. And that’s not all…
Step 3: Think About Foot Traffic
Foot traffic considerations are often overlooked. Understanding and mapping exactly where foot traffic will flow will affect interior design details in ways that might surprise you…
For example, wouldn’t you want your wall art to reflect where people will look most often?
Furniture choices, too, coupled with door position will influence foot traffic in critical ways.
There are also HUGE safety considerations about access as you plan an interior space. This kind of insight is needed for any household where many age groups (very young or very old) are often present.
What’s next? Types of Interiors Drawings You Might See…
Over the course of your interior design project, you’ll make many exciting selections. Those decisions are all informed by the preliminary work depicted above. Once you know what’s needed in the space, you start filling in the blanks! That’s what selections are all about…
What wall color are you just in LOVE with?
What new furniture is going in?
What will happen to the shelving?
What will you do to update your window coverings?
As you work with a professional interior designer on your particular project, the changes you imagine for your space might require different kinds of supporting drawings. Every project will be different. The interiors drawings you might need are:
- Wall layouts
- Door and window layouts
- Plumbing elevations
- Electrical elevations
- Furniture layouts
Once your desires are turned into final selections and the drawings to support them, you are a breath away from your project coming to life!
3D Renderings to Put It All Together
ALL your work and every selection finally come together in the 3D renderings drawn by your designer.
Stunning. Gorgeous!
…Most of all, satisfying.
Seeing your desires and dreams rendered into spatially accurate and painstakingly planned interior 3D renderings is an experience everyone should have at least once…
See this project’s before, during and after on Facebook: #HighCeilingSteamLuxe
See this project’s before, during and after on Facebook: #HerringboneKitchenRenovation
See this project’s before, during and after on Facebook: #FromTubToWalkInShower
All the planning described above is usually considered the “fun part” of interior design projects. After that, of course, comes the ordering…scheduling deliveries…scheduling installation (and fitting different tradespeople together). It can become a bit much! That’s why our interior design services take care of it for you.
Revel in the “fun part” and let our favorite Keller interior designer, our very own CEO Robin Burrill, guide the rest.
Join our private design inspiration community to get started right away.
