Residential Space Planning
Architect or interior designer: who should you call?
I often get calls from clients who tell me that they want to change the layout of their homes to better reflect the way they live today, but they aren’t sure whether they should call an interior designer or an architect. I also get calls from home buyers who need help in understanding the potential of a given home before committing to the purchase. The answer, I tell them, may be a Residential Space Planner.
Space Planning is extensively used in office design to achieve the optimum use of interior spaces in order to meet the needs of the owner or occupant. In residential design it is confused with Interior Design and thus both terms are often used interchangeably. There are differences though.
Space constraints create interesting design challenges. Circulation problems, lack of storage spaces, outdated baths and kitchens can be resolved by simply moving a wall, adding details, using colors, updating wall and floor finishes, introducing ambiance lighting, etc. Small changes combine to provide spatial balance, alter the mood, change the visual scale of a room and provide warmth and the atmosphere for relaxation.
When considering a major remodeling or renovation of your home, it is beneficial to start from the inside and work your way out. A Space Planner can determine exactly how you envision your new space and how you want it to reflect the realities of your everyday living.
Before a Space Planner ever put a pencil to paper to develop a sketch or rough interior space plan, he conducts detailed interviews with clients to collect important information that not only maps out the existing square footage and layout of their homes, but also determines how they live based on their responses to questions such as:
Who are the members of your family? What will your family look like in 5 years?
Where do family members spend their time? Are they together in those spaces or alone?
How long are you planning to live in this house?
How do you manage your time while in the house?
How do you use the space? How do you cook, sleep, and play?
Does the way you live today reflect restrictions that were made for children that are no longer living in the home?
Which are the areas in your house that you feel don’t work with the overall floor plan?
A Space Planner also asks specific questions about the budget they have in mind for the project – not only with regards to short-term design and construction costs, but also how the changes they have in mind might impact long-term costs such as taxable square footage and the assessed value of their interior renovations.
Based on the answer to these questions, a Space Planner can determine whether the solution to the client’s needs is an expansion or bump out that would require the expertise and technical skills of an architect and/or engineer, or whether the client’s needs can be suited by simply re-arranging the existing spaces to better reflect the way you live today and anticipate living in years to come.
Whether a project ultimately requires the services of architects or whether it is something that can be achieved by thoughtful interior space planning and design. A consultation service is the first step to improving a given environment. Clients get the best value and outcome when a Space Planner gets involved in a project in the early planning stages. Understanding exactly what clients envision for their homes ensures that every dollar that is spent will contribute to the outcome they really want and need.
Bottom line: There’s no substitute for a well planned and professionally executed design.
