How Ideas and Inspiration Lead to an Interior Design Concept
Interior design is a creative process with endless styling possibilities. Planning a home renovation or new interiors means offering a customized design solution to bring a project to life. It all starts with an idea and inspiration. While an idea is a thought or suggestion on a possible course of action using the logical portion of the mind, inspiration is an abstract thought and the process of being mentally stimulated and compelled to do something creative and artistic. Here is how ideas and inspiration lead to an interior design concept.
From the design idea to finding inspiration
The world’s best interior designers source ideas from Instagram, YouTube, Etsy, competitor websites, vlogs, travel, nature, and vintage markets. They often maintain a folder on their phone to save new ideas. Later when they need some inspiration, they revisit the folder to find design inspiration. Based on the idea, inspiration, and client requirements, top interior designers create a design concept using presentations, visuals, rendered floor plans, material mood boards, mock-ups, and prototypes.
What Is a Design Concept in Interior Design?
An interior design concept is the first step in bringing an idea and inspiration to reality. An ideal interior design concept conveys the inspiration for the space articulating the room’s overall ambiance. It is a compilation of sketches and photographs explaining the primary idea behind the design. The design concept also has a central theme on which all the design elements focus. It is a powerful visual that strategically combines colour, space, and material selection to achieve a style and goal.
Interior design concepts are ever-evolving. Today, with the changing expectations in the aesthetics and functionality of a beautiful home, the design concept is the roadmap of client choices. It can be activity-based, nature-centred, wellbeing-based, or even tech-integrated.
How to develop an Interior Design Concept?
The design concept begins after the client and interior designer discuss the intentions and desired outcome for the space to be designed. While there is no specific formula for the design concept process, there are certain Do’s and Don’ts and steps to follow that lay the groundwork for any interior project.
Here are five steps to develop an effective design concept. They are:-
- Understand the client’s requirement
The client is God. Talk to the client to understand the design idea, expectations, likes, dislikes, style, etc. It will form the basis of a theme or concept and significantly influence the design. Getting to know the client ensures you align the client’s preferences and choices, thus avoiding too many changes later. - Research the client’s vision
While most top interior designers know what is trending, they also need an in-depth understanding of the vision of the homeowner. Whether the design will be contemporary or mid-century, bohemian or Scandinavian, the concept development will take into account everything from the square footage to the furniture placement, aesthetics, functionality, lighting, etc., to create the right interior design style. - Work backwards
Once interior designers know the objective, they will provide the appropriate solution for the space highlighting its strengths and underplaying its limitations. While each room will have its own vibe, it must blend with the whole. Working backwards can help get the fastest desired outcome based on innovative ideas and several other factors. - Work on the Visual
The next step is to draw the visual design concept based on the interior designer’s expertise and client feedback. The design concept consists of sketches, diagrams, layouts, etc., demonstrating how the home will look and feel. - Keep It Simple
The design idea must reflect the client’s needs and the actualization of their space. The design concept must clearly communicate the objective, focus areas, problems, and solutions to achieve the goal without wasting time and effort.
Why is Design Concept important in Interior Design?
A concept in interior design is a compilation of sketches with a written explanation backing the design idea. It is important as it,
– Lays down the overall vision of the space,
– Evokes a specific mood for each room,
– Sets a guideline from the conceptual design process through the implementation,
– Provides a direction or approach to the design to create a cohesive story,
– Keeps track of the creative process,
– Understands the aesthetic style and client needs,
– Ensures the layout matches the purpose of the space,
– Summarizes the direction of work for the contractors, vendors, designers, etc.,
– Helps to plan a schedule and the budget, and
– Potentially adds value to the final home design.
Popular interior design styles like Contemporary, Mid-Century Modern, Traditional, and Urban Modern make up most of the interior design concepts created by leading interior designers in Mumbai. Besides, they also pay attention to the basic principles of interior design – Balance, Harmony, Rhythm, Proportion and Scale, and Focal Point to develop a design concept that turns your apartment into a dream home.
