Commercial interior design has changed significantly from the 18th century, when interior design was first carried out by means of an upholsterer or craftsman who will influence the style of the interior space and where architects would employ artisans to complete the interior designs of their buildings. It was only towards the end of the 19th century when interior decorating became a profession in the Western world.
The interior design profession only has Elsie de Wolfe to thank for creating the interior decorating profession since she started offering her services to other people within her social circle after successfully re-designing her home which has caused this profession to spread and gain momentum and be what it is today.
Indeed commercial interior design has come a long way from the time when it simply involved decorating homes to make them more pleasant to live in to the industry that it is today which employs close to thousands.
interior designer
The typical commercial interior designer today draws upon many disciplines to enhance the function, safety, and aesthetics of interior spaces. Their main concerns are with how different colors, textures, furniture, lighting, and space work together to meet the needs of a building’s occupants. Good designs boost office productivity, increase sales, attract a more affluent clientele, provide a more relaxing hospital stay, or increase a building’s market value.
Traditionally, interior designers are focused on decorating, choosing styles and color palettes and then selecting furniture, floor and window coverings, artwork and lighting that goes with a client’s preferred theme. Modern interior designer today work around a theme, which spring from a client’s personal tastes and preferences or simply the dictates of various trends in society.
In addition, interior designers must also be able to read blueprints, understand building and fire codes, and make concessions for the physically-challenged like installing ramps at entrances, etc. Interior designers frequently collaborate with architects, electricians, and building contractors to ensure that designs are safe and meet construction requirements.
The core clientele of the commercial interior design industry is mostly from the residential sector from which the industry itself was born. The more the number of homeowners increased, the more they wanted to customize their living space so they opted to either create their own designs or themes or avail of the services of professional interior designers which may be a more expensive alternative but get the job done quickly and save time with better results.
Businesses also benefit from availing of interior design services because they realize that improvements can be made to worker and customer satisfaction through good design. Therefore, they seek to have their offices or stores redesigned granted of course that they don’t cater to specialized tastes which require out of the ordinary designs more than functional designs.
Demand for interior design services from the healthcare industry is also expected to be high because of an anticipated increase in demand for facilities that will accommodate the elderly population where designers will be needed to make these facilities as comfortable and homelike as possible for patients. There will also be demand from businesses in the hospitality industry which is composed of hotels, resorts, and restaurants where good interior design can help attract more business.
The biggest change in the way commercial interior design is the invention and advent of computer-aided design software that has accelerated and further improved the way the business of interior design is run. Home design software allows the interior designer to view their projects in 3D and make any corrections or adjustments in real time.
Home design software eliminates guesswork, prevents miscalculation of costs and expensive mistakes and at the same time heightens creativity and awareness of possibilities. As long as a designer is adept at formulating designs using this software, they will be able to provide more detailed and graphic presentation that will allow clients to see what the final look of their home or office would be and will also be able to make revisions on the spot.
The world of interior design has improved by leaps and bounds and the industry is expected to grow exponentially as more businesses and homeowners depend on the services of professional interior designers.