Interior Design: From Measurements to Concept
We’re often asked, “How in the world do you go from measurements to a design plan?” so we’re going to pull back the curtain a little and show you a bit of what we do behind the scenes to make your design come to life.
S T E P 1 : M E A S U R E M E N T S
One of the things we decide before going into a new project to take measurements is who will be drawing the project. While we both work on all projects, we each lead half of them, switching off as new projects are added to our roster. While we’re both very detailed with our measurements we do things differently. Whoever will be drawing the project also draws during the site measure as they will be the one interpreting and transferring sketches to the computer. Corina likes drawing her site measurements with various colours of pens, each colour representing something different. While I (Rachel) prefer to use pencil as I like to be able to make changes in the moment as well as separate different elements onto different plans. Both ways work well for us!
The photos below show the site measure for one of our current kitchen projects. Can you tell who drew this one?
S T E P 2 : T R A N S F E R R I N G T O T H E C O M P U T E R
We use a couple of different programs in our design work. Corina works with a program she’s comfortable with and I work with another. Regardless of the program we transfer our sketches to the computer as soon as possible after we do the site measure. You wouldn’t believe how quickly sketches can become indecipherable when they’re no longer fresh in your mind!
This is an example of what it looks like when we input the site measurements into our computer programs. This is a scale drawing of the space we measured. We’re able to turn the measurements on when we need them but often we start with a drawing like this, with our notes separately, and start sketching out ideas. Before we even do the site measure we begin gathering ideas and inspiration so that once we reach the stage of transferring to the computer we’re ready to jump in with two feet!
S T E P 3 : P U T T I N G I D E A S T O P A P E R
Once we have an asbuilt drawing (a drawing of the space as it currently stands), we’re able to alter it to meet the client’s needs and wants. In the case of this project the client wanted to take down some walls, including a load bearing wall, and open the space up to the living and dining rooms. It was important that we created an open concept space that was better for entertaining but that we also celebrated the mid-century charm of the home by refinishing the wood floors and incorporating wood tones into the new kitchen space.
The drawings below are a few of the concepts we originally came up with. From left to right:
Concept one took out one kitchen window, extended the storage into the dining room, introduced a wrap-around peninsula, extended the wood flooring into the kitchen, and changed the stair walls to wood slats.
Concept two had all of the same things as concept one, however we switched out the flooring in the kitchen to a tile that “bled” into the wood flooring.
Concept three took out a different kitchen window, kept the cabinetry in the original kitchen space, moved the fridge to the stair wall, extended the wood flooring into the kitchen, and kept the stair walls solid.
S T E P 4 : M A K E I T 3 D
Once we came up with a couple of concepts we created them in 3D. We find that building the space in 3D helps our clients visualize understand how they would use the space. It also gives us a chance to communicate materials, lighting, and design details.
The renderings below show the above concepts in the same order, from left to right, concepts one, two, and three.
S T E P 5 : R E V I S I O N S
The great thing about design is that it’s a collaborative process so while we may lead the way at the beginning when it comes to ideas, we love working with the client to change and elevate the design. Once we’ve moved into the quoting phase the design often changes to meet the budget. In the case of this project we decided to forego a completely open concept by installing a post instead of a larger flush beam. However, we didn’t want to just put a post in and call it a day, we wanted to thoughtfully incorporate it and make it intentional instead of an afterthought. After much deliberation and brainstorming we decided on a floor to ceiling built-in shelf that wraps around the post while providing extra storage and display space and adds to the overall mid-century modern appeal.
S T E P 6 : F I N A L D E S I G N
The final design plan included taking out two walls, installing a flush beam and new post, refinishing the hardwood floors after filling in under the new peninsula, taking out one kitchen window, moving the fridge to the exterior wall, creating a sightline to the hood fan from the front door, retaining the stair walls, and incorporating concrete floor tile and triangular ceramic backsplash.
In the end both us and the clients love the final result and couldn’t be happier!
FURTHER READING
