Beyond the Colour Palette: How Interior Designers Impact Our Spaces
A Behind the Scenes Look into the Design Process
Interior designers can be compared to janitors, parents, or a washing machine. When they stop working or aren’t involved, it becomes very noticeable. You learn to appreciate what goes into the job and what happens behind the scenes that allow things in your world to be so fluid. When these people or items are not working as you have come to expect, things pile up and can get messy and stressful quite quickly.
Similarly, you tend to notice a space when it is empty, hollow, dull and uninviting. It is not a place you want to spend your time. In some cases, being in a place like this could be considered a punishment. We associate these types of spaces with jails, abandoned homes, factories or sad health care facilities. Just being in a blank empty space makes us feel colder, sad or uncertain. You may not even realize how your emotions can be triggered by how well or poorly a space is designed.
If we look at a space that is full of clutter and has no order or clear path of direction we may feel completely overwhelmed, not in control and want to leave as soon as we came. If we enter a space that is laid out in such a way that to get from one end to the other takes you in circles, you may be filled with frustration. If you came across a space that had no windows, was dimly lit and full of loud noises you would feel scared, unsure and certainly not want to stay any longer than possible.
The design of a space or lack there of is so powerful you can feel the emotion even if you are not physically there. Look at the sets of movies and tv shows, you can be transported from your living room to another city or country, another time period or a mode of transportation all by the way the space is laid out and brought together. Have you ever watched a film set in a city that you have visited on vacation and so many of the details on the set trigger a memory of when you were physically there? That is an incredible power to have, to create such a feeling in another person without ever even meeting them.
When you walked into a well-designed space you will notice that it is fluid, as you move within it, you start to notice new things and how they come together to create a mood or theme. You will feel warm, safe and comfortable in this space and you may not even realize why. You might think it is because you like the paint and tile and they match nicely, so that must be it. It may seem pretty simple, choose a couple finishes, tell the contractor where to complete the work and the space is done. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to create a great space. It is all about research, imagination, listening and attention to details.
The goal of a designer is to create a space that sparks emotion whether it is a restaurant, office, theatre, or hospital there is always a goal in how we want people to perceive the space. This is a carefully crafted recipe of colour, texture, lighting, materials, furniture and more. It all must fit together while still upholding building and construction standards, being within a timeline and budget and excellent communication with all stakeholders, for complete cohesion.
Design is about innovation, creativity and well being. Encompassing an interior place that makes one feel different when entering it than the moments before when in the outside world. A well-designed space can increase:
• your mood
• your well being
• the efficiency of how it is utilized
• your own creativity and inspiration.
It is why before an after photos are so powerful and why people who are visual thrive in this industry. We can see a space transformed before we ever put pen to sketch paper. It can be difficult to understand the value of the work that a designer does because the impact of a finished design is hard to put a price on. But know this, if you are looking for someone to take an empty box and mold it into a masterpiece, a designer is the person that can get you there.
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