interior space planning

Successful interior space planning will have a large impact on how functional and pleasing your living space will ultimately be.

Carefully consider some basic questions:

• How will your room be used?

• How do you want your room to look and feel?

Having a firm idea of what your goal is for the space will help you set the stage for orchestrating the individual parts that will make your vision reality.

Interior Space Planning Elements

There are some basic elements of good interior space design you should consider. All play a critical role in how a space is perceived and used.

Color - this element has enormous influence on your room's look and feel. Restful, exciting, cozy, or airy? Use this powerful tool to help you reach your interior space design goals.

Lighting - effective use of this factor can make your room function better and look better at the same time. Learn how incorporating the three layers of lighting can do the trick.

Furniture Arrangement - another important interior planning consideration is the placement of furniture. A key here is to create focused social groupings that allow for movement.

Interior Space Challenges

Sometimes even after your idea of how a room should look, feel and function has been established, challenges arise from the size or shape of the room. Often these problem rooms tend to be odd shaped or particularly large or small.

I have developed a list of top tips that I believe can help in these challenging, interior space planning situations.

Tips for small spaces - when your room is small there are things you can do to make it work better. Check out these tips and tricks...

Tips for large spaces - feeling lost in your attempts to tackle a large space? These techniques can help you make the situation an asset...

Beyond Interior Space

If it often the case in interior space planning that the designer takes advantage of the placement of architectural details like windows, doors and skylights and glass walls to “bring the outside in”. This merging of interior and exterior to create a stronger sense of shared space is a good approach. I think this concept can also work the other direction. There are times in interior space planning when it’s beneficial to "bring the inside out".

You can take advantage of attached outdoor spaces like patios, porches and decks to effectively increase the living area of your home. A partially screened patio is, in my opinion, a great way to do this. It’s not that difficult or extremely expensive to do. I consider it an extension of interior planning techniques.

I designed a simple patio for my small home that added about 240 square feet of living space during the summer months. The exterior room integrates with the interior through a connection to my kitchen. It’s a great place to host summer parties in a way that my main interior space could not support.

First, the area next to the house was leveled. Then basic concrete tiles were installed to create the floor.

I painted the standard gray, concrete tiles a warm beige hue using concrete floor paint to keep the color scheme inviting, yet light and natural.

The unsightly embankment was screened off with easy care, vinyl fence panels that act as the walls of the space.

I completed the scheme with natural, teak-toned, wooden furniture and accessorized with faux bamboo planters. The surrounding natural green of the plants and foliage complement the terra cotta and teak reds. It's quite an enjoyable little "room".

For some additional ideas on how to make your outdoor living spaces more exciting and inviting I recommend checking out the landscape ideas page at home-and-landscape-design-ideas.com. (Note: Link opens a new window)

In your interior space planning efforts, don’t forget to consider ways of expanding your interior design approach to the outside.