Interior Design
WHAT IS AN INTERIOR ARCHITECT?
And why might you need one?
Studio Dean is a team of Architectural Interior Designers, or Interior Architects. We want the world to understand our lesser-known new breed of Interior Architects and also the difference between Interior Decorators, Interior Designers, Architects.
Cathy Dean, Founder of Studio Dean
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
“Interior Decorators, Interior Designers, Architects and Interior Architects are all fantastic, talented professionals, who are (mostly) dedicating their careers to making the world a more beautiful and functional place, one space at a time.
“The difference between them is whether they see the interior space as it currently exists or whether they see the needs of the clients and how they can change the space to work perfectly for them. This can be measured in how much their work impacts the client’s day-to-day life.”
INTERIOR ARCHITECT
“We love the explanation of architectural interior design as ‘if you were to take the space, turn it upside down and shake it, the interior architecture is everything that doesn’t fall out’.”
“Of course, we also manage all the things that do fall out – the furniture, soft furnishings, colour schemes etc. - but we just get to it after we have transformed your everyday life through functional spatial planning. Interior Architects are also called Architectural Interior Designers, and don’t necessarily have architectural qualifications or belong to RIBA.”
“An Interior Architect’s plans will show walls, doors, windows, beds in the optimum spatial position, and go a step further to show the best places for headboards, consols, coffee nooks, where the light is during morning and afternoon, pot plants... We show everything to paint a picture of how your life will be made easier through this design.”
“An Interior Architect will always think first about how you flow within a space. Not about how it looks, but what it is used for. What problem is it solving? To do this we get to know the people living in the space and their daily habits. Do they spend all of their time in the kitchen and never use the dining room? How can we change the flow to ensure all of your real estate is being used effectively.”
“We often ask a family to keep a tally for a week of how many times they use each room in their house. They are often amazed at how many spaces are unused. We also create spaces to help you. If you use a Peloton in your bedroom every day but have an unused ensuite in a guestroom, why not create a mini gym? If your husband has to walk around your side of the bed to get dressed for his early shifts and disturbs you, why not move things around or create a dressing room space.”
“Often Architects are brought in to design extensions. They will never ask the client to think about all the different ways the extension will be used throughout the day, or if it is actually really needed. They will just design an externally beautiful extension. An Interior Architect will then come in and work with the family to see if they really need to extend, or if that money would be better spent on making their existing space more efficient. An Interior Architect’s job is to truly understand the clients’ lives, needs and daily actions and fix any problems that their current space causes. Of course, if an extension will help, then go for it. We will simply ensure that it works beautifully for you every day with maximum functionality.”
“Once we have the layout and functionality planned and signed off by the client, we move on to making it all breathtakingly beautiful and selecting the best colours, papers, hard and soft furnishings, and accessories. We can work with you until the last cushion is plumped and you are skipping around your new home with joy.”
WHEN TO CALL AN INTERIOR ARCHITECT
“We believe that it is the interior architecture of a space that will truly elevate your life every day, so you should get this planned out first, and then let the Architect make the exterior look wonderful. You should call us first, before you look for builders, architects or even think about extending.”
“Interior Architects are especially handy when you are renovating a kitchen. We will think about how you move through the space, whether that range cooker is really the best option, if you need bi-folds or simply a large window to connect to the outdoors - fully glazed walls look fab, but create a whole surface that you can’t use for anything else. We will look at how you like to cook and plan in room for pantries, breakfast nooks and anything that makes your life better.”
“It takes us a lot of work to perfectly landscape your interior. We use CAD and will work through 30 or 40 iterations of a design, looking at how you will move within the space, and what is most effective for function, cost and finally aesthetically. We will always look for the most cost-effective options and present you with a range of designs – after all the final decisions are yours.”
INTERIOR DECORATOR
“Interior Decorators are great if you want help updating a room or home, picking colours and changing the look of your space. They will get the perfect wallpaper up on your walls and make your home look beautiful but they won’t change your floorplan, or your life.”
WHEN TO CALL AN INTERIOR DECORATOR
“If your room needs a refresh and you don’t know where to start. You simply want to change the wall colours or paper, get a new colour scheme and maybe switch out some furniture and floor coverings. There won’t be any need to knock anything down or build anything.”
INTERIOR DESIGNER
“Interior Designers go a step further, and will suggest bespoke alterations such as custom furniture and may move a doorway, window or even a stud wall to create new spaces, but generally work with the space they have without changing the fabric of the building. They will design and curate the interiors and create a look and feel for your home and often arrange for the work to be done for you.”
WHEN TO CALL AN INTERIOR DESIGNER
“You want to pull together a look and feel for your whole home and need help curating and designing the right look, materials and fittings.”
ARCHITECT
“Architects are mainly concerned with how a building looks from the outside, without thinking much about the lives which will take place inside. This is why they create stunning exteriors but sometimes their interior floorplans need a bit of tweaking to make them work perfectly every day for the inhabitants.”
“Architects often work closely with Interior Designers and Interior Architects. We often get projects in which a home has been designed by architects and we are asked to redo the interior architecture as the plans simply don’t work.
An architect’s plan will show rooms, windows and doors and maybe place a rectangle in some to show that they are bedrooms or bathrooms.”
WHEN TO CALL AN ARCHITECT
“When you want to build a whole (or part of a) new home. We always suggest getting your interior architecture plans in place first, before speaking with an architect, then you won’t have to work around structural pillars and plumbing to achieve your dream lifestyle. And if you get in there before the architect, you can achieve the ultimate dream of having a laundry room upstairs! Architects NEVER think of this because it takes a bit of extra plumbing, but it is life changing.”
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
“Like any project, it is important to get the right person in to do the right job for you to save cost, stress and time. Knowledge is power when it comes to home renovation.”
