I do. Always have. Perhaps it is an occupational hazard of being an interior designer.
For example, as soon as you walk into a space do you look around and think about how things could have been better laid out? Do you move the furniture around in your head? What about where the electrical fittings are?
Well, this all came to a head at the end of last year when I sold my house. I spent weeks and weeks looking for a place to rent, which sent my brain into problem solving mode! I walked around each flat or house and questioned- where would the refrigerator go or how would you fit the bedroom furniture in? There were recently renovated places where instead of creating a lovely ensuite large master bedroom they put the second bathroom downstairs next to the other one. So you were left with two rooms upstairs, two bathrooms downstairs and a very confused layout overall. Then again, there were places that had an enormous amount of wasted space that was impossible to use and yet there were no closets or storage space.
During this period I started to really think about the state of our interiors; the level of quality and thought put into the fixtures, fittings, layouts, etc. It did not seem to matter if the place was new build or several decades old. This debate is not about the cost implications per se, as I am sure it forms part of the argument. It is more about the actual design and problem solving process.
I have always felt like I have had to speak up for the significance of interior spaces. During the twelve years spent as an interior designer/architect in the US, it was critical to ensure that the interiors worked just as well as the exterior. However, some architects focused solely on the building itself as seen from the outside and paid less attention to how it would function. In fact, think about any oddly shaped buildings- be it round, angular, etc and then question how you would fit an office or bedroom out against that shape. Residential or commercial- functionality and practicality are significant components to a successful job.
When I moved to the UK in 2003 and attended the University of York’s Historic Building Conservation Master’s course, one of my papers was about this very issue. We were investigating the Merchant Adventurers Hall to understand its evolution and progression. My point was how the interior of a building is crucial to the understanding of the building’s history and evolution. I stated that without understanding the interior one would never fully understand the building as a whole. Oddly, this concept seemed slightly foreign to my cohorts as many spent more time outside rather than in.
You may ask, so what? So what if the only electrical outlets are on the opposite wall from where the bed and nightstands go and you have to use extension cords. So what if the only place for the fridge is outside of the kitchen itself because its inclusion was not considered. In my view, these are failings in the system. Even during my time as a conservation officer I would review the floor plans and offer suggestions on how to not only improve the layout, but also how to resolve their problems with the least impact on the historic fabric.
Now I realise there are many different kinds of build outs- design build, architect led, developer designed, etc. However, shouldn’t there be some basic fundamentals agreed about how to plan a space, right? In my undergraduate studies, there seemed to be some rules of thumb over common layouts for typical types of rooms- not that the rules could not be broken, but guidelines on the most appropriate and comfortable way to space plan. But I digress.
I should step down from my little soap box here perhaps. But does anyone else agree? I have spent the last sixteen years working with, in and around England’s planning system (which is another soap box dissertation altogether) and that too has significant flaws.
Despite this, we should still be able to address these issues. For example, I was surprised to learn that the historic built environment was not included in planning officers training- an obvious omission in my opinion!
How can we, as professionals, raise the standards of interiors around the country? What are the hurdles that prevent better space planning? From my experience, it is not just a matter of costs, it is the level of quality and finish that tends to influence this.
One last example of how my mind works- do you ever go into a hotel room and rearrange the furniture because it is just did not feel right? Well, perhaps it is just me!
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