5 steps to creating a beautiful interior space

Ade Obasa, an architect, interior designer, real estate consultant and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Replika Homes, has an all-round experience in planning, design and construction of buildings. He shares tips on how to create a beautiful interior space in homes.

Creating an interior space largely depends on four major factors; occupant’s philosophy, occupant’s needs (individual/family/corporate needs), function and budget. Therefore, for anyone who wants to create a beautiful interior space, these issues must be considered critically.

Here are the five key/major guidelines to consider in order to create an amazing interior space:

Determine the function of the space:

The function of a space is the first thing to consider in creating any interior space. For instance, the arrangement of a doctor’s office is different from that of an architect or engineer. Likewise, the arrangement of a bedroom is definitely different from that of a kitchen. The reason is simply because the use of those spaces differ from each other. Incase you’re renting or building a space, function of the space will also inform what kind of space you can rent or build.

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Consult a certified Interior designer or an architect:

Any of these two professionals are trained to design spaces according to the standard building requirements and user’s specifications. A lot of people usually have the perception that professionals are expensive. But the truth is, when hiring a design professional, you’re not only paying for just the design, you’re paying for the solution to a lifetime problem. You can have a space with all the benefits or problems for as long as a lifetime. When you hire a quack to design your interior space, you might end up paying hugely to correct it. This might also result in the waste of money, time and resources. In order to choose an affordable professional, you might speak with two or three of them and find out which of them you can work with. Whatever you do, don’t hire a quack.

 

Make Decisions:

The design created by your interior designer or architect will help you to decide on the following:

Colour scheme: The function of your space and the kind of design provided by the designer will determine the colour choices for your space. Colour scheme allows you to create a space that has a unifying theme for your space. It also keeps you on track to make sure every interior item matches together, so you don’t end up with a design that doesn’t fit. Colours also have different psychological effects on the human mind. Therefore, the right colour selections must be done in designing your space.

 

Types of furniture (big or small):

Your design will inform the kind of furniture you can have in your space. For instance, you cannot buy or use a big furniture in a small space. The size of the furniture has to be proportional to the size of the room. Also, you must consider other details like the size of the door to your interior space when purchasing a furniture, especially if the furniture is not one that can be easily dismantled. You don’t want to buy a furniture that will require you to break down your door before moving it in or out.

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Window treatment:

Some spaces would not require the use of curtains as a result of their function, while some spaces would require the use of some special kind of curtains in order to complement the use of such spaces. Window treatment do not just add to the beauty of your space, it also adds colour and definition to it. Most offices would be better off with Venetian or Roman blinds while residential spaces will be better off with curtains.

 

Lighting:

This is a very important part of your interior space. It is one of the things that catch attention in any interior space. It is so sad that most people don’t have an idea of the type of light to be used in their interior space, so they end up buying what they are told, especially when they don’t engage a professional.

 

From your agreed design, ask for or create a budget:

It is important for you to have a knowledge of what it will cost you to create your space. When handling design process for clients, I usually emphasise the need to have a budget for the project. This will give an idea of the overall cost of the interior design project. Many people like to skip this stage and quickly want to get to work, but they end up realising that their design will cost them more than they thought at the initial stage. Such people end up running around to borrow money to complete the job or leave it till they can further raise more money. In most cases, your interior designer or architect might be able to help prepare a bill for the project depending on their experience in the field or they may contact a cost expert or quantity surveyor to get the estimated cost of the interior design project.

 

Break the cost into small budgets and decide on how best you can take it from inception to completion:

In most cases, you may not be able to afford the cost of transforming your interior spaces or creating a new interior space at once. It is best for you to know the cost at the initial stage, then you can break the total cost into affordable budgets or stages which you can take one after the other till you are able to finally complete it. This is one of the benefits you will get from hiring or consulting a certified interior designer or architect.

 

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