Interiors To Fit Your Lifestyle
Flower Arrangements Under Glass
Interior design can make a home inviting and functional. A well-designed interior should reflect your lifestyle, and it should satisfy your personal ideas of comfort, beauty, and maintenance. By following a simple but researched outline, you can plan and create a unique interior environment of your own.
Like people, every house has a personality. Good interior design matches the personality of the home to the personality, activities, and needs of those who live there in an attractive, comfortable way.
Designing an interior isn't quite as simple as it might seem. You might already have begun looking through magazines for design ideas. Or maybe a visit to a friend's house has inspired you to redecorate. But to make sure the interior of your home reflects your family's tastes, you should look systematically at all the things that will eventually affect the room's appearance.
To show you how interior design works, we're going to take you through each step in the design process. The first step is to take a look at the rooms you'll be designing.
Existing Buildings
In existing buildings, room size and shape, ceiling height, window and door size and location, and fireplaces all limit what you can do. These things can be changed, of course, but not without the services of an architect and contractor. However, good planning can turn liabilities into assets. The secret is to assess each room's strengths and weaknesses. By accenting strengths and down-playing the weaknesses, you can make the most of available space.
New Construction
Individuals planning a new home are free from space limitations - until the first brick is laid. If you're planning to build a new home, don't leave your plans for the interior until last. Make sure you have enough money left in the budget to buy furniture, wallpaper, lighting, drapes, and carpet.
Keep in mind, though, that activities and individual needs may change. It is far easier and far less expensive to anticipate changes than to change the building later.
Published by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
Reprinted with permission, HouseNet, Inc.