Beloved home
Adding new meaning to 'your own home'
By ASST PROF RUENGSAK PALIKUPT
First step to interiors
When I was studying at architecture school in Bangkok, I heard about the reputation of the Oriental for its grandeur, beauty and charm. At that time, I always wondered how the simple looks of the exterior design of a hotel could appear so stunning to everybody.
Years later, I was invited to a wedding ceremony there, and it was then that I found the answer.
Its beauty is not on the outside, but inside! I told myself that that was the most beautiful interior decoration I'd ever seen. That was the first time that I was strike by the powerful impact of interior design.
"Why is interior design so important to human beings?" I asked myself once again. The answer came to me. It's because we spend the main part of our lives indoors. That is why we should pay close attention to interior design.
Most people may wonder how to begin to decorate their own premises. There are lots of elements we should concern ourselves with, but fundamentally, we have to focus on conceptual design, space, usage or function, proportion, shape or form, colour, materials, and lighting.
Does this sound too academic for you? If so, let me simplify interior design and make it more reachable. I personally think that everyone can decorate their own space even though they are not graduates of an interior design school. The important thing is, they have to know the following:
- The purpose of the room: What will it be used for?
- The size of the room: Is it big enough for that purpose?
- What furniture will be present, and how many pieces?
- What are the dimensions of the furniture?
- What is the style? (We can call this "mood and tone".)
- What are the preferred colours and textures?
- What types of lighting and lamp fixtures will be used?
We should then consider the materials and patterns for the floor, the walls, the ceiling, the curtain or shades, and the accessories.
One big factor we must respect is the building's structure. We have to understand the construction system and the strength of the building.
Interior design goes beyond structural engineering and the architectural definition of space. Anyone who would like to design interiors should be acutely aware of the architectural components embedded in interior design concepts as well as the potential they offer for making modifications and enhancements to an existing situation.
Do we need to have drawing skills?
The answer is "not really", but it is an advantage if we can draw the correct diagrams and perspectives to generate three-dimensional ideas and images in our minds.
I know many great interior designers who don't draw well but design great interiors.
So, how do we start to design an interior? We should first have the layout plan. Many designers start with the layout plan because they can then see the size of the room, the relationship between the various rooms in the building, and the flow of the entire building, which enables them to understand the functions of the different components of the building.
After obtaining the layout plan (which is always drawn to scale), we usually list the furniture that we would like to have. Remember that the furniture should be appropriate for the size of the room and are proportional to the dimensions of the room. Here, the layout plan's scale will prove invaluable for making the correct choices.
Some people take years to plan their ideal homes, and they think they know exactly how they would like their dream residences to look and to be appreciated. However, other than having particular likes and dislikes, they are usually unprepared for the complete process and so they tend to learn along the way by trial and error. From the standpoint of interior design, this approach is neither desirable nor efficient.
For this reason, we should plan our home the way we would a "must do" activity campaign. This means writing down all the costs beforehand, making list upon list of the required items, and sketching or drawing plan after plan - this part of the task may look boring and tedious to people who are impatient to get on with the actual work of making the physical changes to the room.
Believe me, the time and effort spent is really worthwhile in the long term, for you will gain from having control over the entire project.
In fact, planning can be both creatively satisfying and exciting. Moreover, doing it this way is assurance that we will not be sorry with the end results of our own toil. So, let's get started with the layout plan right away.
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