The Planning Process:
Discovering Your Perfect Room

All professionally trained designers like me go through a process of discovery, scoping, design and evaluation that should be somewhat familiar to those who work in science and technology, as well as to those who work in other areas of visual design.

The terms that are used to describe these stages of work differ, but the process is similar. It begins with interviewing the client (or clients) to determine what needs they are trying to solve and what constraints will come into play due to budget, location, timing, or other factors.

Surveying Your Needs and Wishes

I often ask my clients to fill out a survey for each room they want to remodel. This helps me determine whether the goals of a couple or family members are unified or are in conflict, and whether my clients’ ideas have crystallized or are still amorphous.

I use this assessment of needs to create what professionals in my trade call a “design program.” (I am trained as an interior designer, but I seldom use that term; people think that it means that I just select curtains and wall colors. While I can and will do those things, my emphasis is far more on the layout and use of the home.) I have heard certified project managers call similar documents “goals and workscope,” and in the ad agency business, account managers used to write up a “communications platform” that served similar purposes in for TV commercials.)

FInding Inspiration in Your Life

Once the program is complete and has been approved by the client, the designer goes off seeking inspiration. Where do they find it? In the best cases, inspiration is rooted in the personality, cultural background or goals of the client. Alternatively, a theme and inspiration might come from the building or the location. It also might come from a recent interior design trade show that was put on to promote what’s new and trendy at the moment.

After writing up a program (but before putting together an actual space and furnishing plan), designers often make up an “inspiration board” for their clients. These compositions usually include photos of some furnishings, finishes, and materials, and they often include pictures of places and artifacts that evoke an ambience. (Often, the items on these boards have nothing whatever to do with the final design of the room!)

I try to find inspiration close to home. I find it works best for my clients when I can find it in visual elements that they feel drawn to, in artwork they have collected or created, or in cultures they feel rooted in or drawn toward. For example, the photo at right shows the entry of Claire's condominium. Claire and her partner have traveled widely and collected hats, pottery, rugs and other art and crafts items from around the world.

I found the perfect unifying element in their Oriental and primitive rugs. The rugs all contained handsome, saturated shades of red that I drew upon to create the color scheme for their condo. The reds were also nicely reprised in the hats, which were hung on the valances up above the windows that wrap around two sides of the room.