ForLook Interior Design

When we talk about space, we don’t mean abstract arty concepts nor just rooms in the tradition sense. We mean an area framed by walls & openings - thereby creating a canvas to be layered with materials, textures, colours & your personality.

Did you get a notebook as I suggested in the previous article? If no, get one. If yes, get it out and start taking notes.

Before you start thinking about design, you have to analyse the space - its setting, its aspects, its age, its climate, its culture and so on..

The building

First look at the building and try to find out the answers to the following questions:

• When was it built?
• How was it built?
• Why was it built?

Then look at the climate and the building’s aspect:

• Is it a sunny, windy or cold?
• How much light enters through the openings?
• Which way do the windows, doors face?

Then look at the location:

• Is it quiet or noisy?
• Is it private or overlooked?
• Is the building shared or adjoined to others?
• Is the view from the openings pleasant?

These factors might seem to be obvious or unimportant to you - but actually they are the foundation of good design. A successful interior is sensitive to its building and its surrounding. New and old only mix well when they create the right balance. You just cannot put any style into any building - glamorous or shiny finishes don’t work in a rustic cottage; urban design & rustic surroundings only mix if they have a proper visual or physical relationship. As to the climate, spaces in northern countries don’t feel the same as in southern countries even if they’re decorated similarly; whilst the same colours & textures look and feel different in north & south facing rooms. If your building is shared with others or joined to other buildings - you should take this into consideration when choosing a style and materials - for example, minimalist interiors and shiny surfaces tend to accentuate noises. Unpleasant views & overlooked spaces have to be dealt with in your design process - by using shutters, panels, films or other means.

Having collected all this necessary information about the building, you’re ready to analyse the specific space you want to remodel in the building:

• What was it previous function?
• What is its new function and why?
• Where is the space located within the building?
• Where is the space located within the overall interior space?
• Which way do the windows & doors face and open?
• How much light enters the space -when is it at its brightest?
• Is it overlooked?
• Is the view from the window nice?
• Is there any occupied space below, above or to the sides?
• Is the space big, small, tall, narrow, wide or strange shaped?
• Does the space feel cold or warm?

If you’re into feng shui, you should also analyse the aspects of the entrance doors; the location of the space in relation to the rest of the interior; the age of the building and your own kua number. However, this is another subject I will perhaps cover in later articles.

Having written down these details, just forget about them for now.  Instead, start collecting samples & images of things you always wanted to have. Anything that makes you smile & feel nice when you look at it or touch it. It doesn’t have to be a picture of furniture or decorating, it could be just a detail in a photo, a colour of a magazine ad; a shape you fancy; a texture that gives you buzz;  a piece of material that feels good…. and so on. This is not a rational exercise. This is to let your creative energy get flowing.

Then spend some time alone in your space - only have your notebook & scrapbook with you (and perhaps a bottle of wine! ). It would be preferable for the space to be empty (or at least uncluttered) and painted white (or neutral) so that the existing factors do not influence your imagination.

Then relax and let go - imagine what your perfect space would be. Where is it -in a city, in rular settings or on a beach perhaps? Is it part of a bigger space? Look around inside. What colours do you see? What about materials & textures? Can you visually move these details to the real space you’re in - at least some elements of it? Open your scrapbook. Do you see any parallels between your dream space and the images you have collected??? Do you see an interesting pattern taking shape?

This leads us to the second aspect of designing an interior - the self. Then we’ll put everything together to style your space sucessfully.