History has proven over the years that humans fulfill their needs by creating a comfortable space/environment by everything possible available in its vicinity. Space is the most versatile extent that can be transformed into a multi-functional area by designers. Human centered designs applied to physical spaces improves the utility and purpose of the work-place and living areas. Interior design combines human needs and requirements, ties it together with logic and emotions to achieve spaces worth re-visiting. Now we dive into an overview of interior design and discuss aspects of good interiors.
The basic character of the space depends on its functionality; it can be either public or a private space. Public spaces cater to different groups every day; it has an undefined number and types of individuals visiting the premise. It is a space where people may or may not engage with each other, the design of such spaces should be more need based. Private spaces are more customized and these spaces are designed to meet individual needs and accommodate specific user/s with particular requirements.
With time we have seen different eras of design, each being relevant to time and conditions prevailing then. Today is a different world, with science, inventions and technology having a lot of influence on human lifestyle, designing spaces and treating them for functionality and aesthetics has changed and evolved. But we see some past structures and buildings coexist with present infrastructure and still work efficiently, this speaks a lot about sustainability and building shelf life. Sustainability is a facet of design which encourages co-existence between humans and nature. This balancing act of source and need i.e. utilizing correct resources and putting them through efficient techniques of execution is a step toward sustainability. With changing geography this co-existence depends a lot on weather conditions and locally available materials.
Co-existence brings in the aspect of interaction of space with weather. Natural light and ventilation plays an important role while designing an enclosed area depending upon the climate of its respective region. Considering India, we have sunlight in abundance throughout the year and varied rainfall across different regions. Practices like rainwater harvesting and electricity recuperation through sunlight have been adapted efficiently in recent times, making a building more self-sufficient.
Spatial interaction occurs everyday. Coming to the cohesiveness of all above aspects of designing spaces, the most tangible and visually appealing part of this interaction is how these spaces are treated. This again is not only inclusive of need and functionality but also brings into picture the facet of interior designing. Speaking of which, a designer garners the spaces in such a way that spaces get personalized. This personalization can come by utilizing different materials, textures and prevailing techniques of execution. Utilizing locally available materials, resources and task force make such spaces more sustainable and give impetus to growth of local demography.
A Space is continuous expanse and is beyond human calculations. Design cannot be measured, but the proportions and scale of the human centric spaces can be executed by implementing the standards. Getting the standards right organizes the space more precisely and leads to a functional design and so anthropometry and ergonomics are the major aspects to be taken into consideration before designing any and every space. To sum up designing a space is a balancing act of art, engineering and logic.