What does an interior designer actually do

 hi guys welcome back to my blog the #1 place for people who love design art and  all things creative  i'm umair and i'm an interior architect and designer and in today's blog i'll be diving into the question what is an interior architect   and i'll also be discussing the differences between interior design and interior decoration and interior architecture i hope that this video helps people who are   deciding which profession to go into or for anyone who's just interested in finding out   the difference between the three areas that being said let's jump into the video first off i want to talk about the common misconceptions surrounding the job title   interior designer i cannot tell you how many times family friends and other people have asked me what   exactly it is i do in my job i tell them i'm an interior architect and they say oh okay so like   picking out furniture and choosing paint colors or they just nod along but secretly have no idea.

What the difference is between interior design and interior architecture and i think that the   interior design profession has been given such a bad rap because of certain tv shows you know   you'll often see an interior designer picking out furniture paint samples and also doing   the renovation themselves strangely it's also not helpful because on these shows the judges and the   contestants call themselves interior designers when in reality they're interior decorators   it's really confusing i know so just to be clear these types of projects on these shows   are interior decoration projects not interior design or interior architecture so let me clear   up the differences between them now okay so the main thing that all these professions do is of   course to provide a design for an indoor space for a particular client interior design itself   covers all types of sectors such as healthcare hospitality workplace retail residential   exhibition spaces and many others all of which have different requirements and design approaches   to their spaces the main objective of course is to provide a design solution for a client's problem   so interior decorators are what you'd probably associate with that stereotype of an interior   designer interior decorators are responsible for liaising with the clients producing a pack which is furniture fixtures and equipment creating mood boards choosing color palettes   selecting artwork and producing basic furniture arrangements usually these types of people would   be hired for a residential project because their main skills are focused around soft furnishings   it's also worth noting that technically anyone can call themselves an interior decorator   you don't need an accreditation or qualification necessarily to become one at the most you could   do a one to two year course or certification whereas with interior design you need a degree to   call yourself an interior designer this is because within that qualification you'll be learning more   so that you can produce larger scale projects that require a higher skill level.

Interior design is actually the art and science of understanding people's behavior in order to create   a functional space within a building interior designers apply creative and technical solutions   within a structure that are functional beautiful and also beneficial to a user's quality of life   and culture the best way to explain the difference is that interior designers   will do all of what entails interior decorating plus more complex things such as   doing general arrangements construction drawings sections and elevations reflected ceiling plans   electrical plans material finishing plans 3d visualizations and bespoke designs as well within   interior design there's also lots of emphasis on designing and complying with building regulations   and code also fire safety heating ventilation and air conditioning disabled access noise pollution   emergency exit plans all the stuff that you don't necessarily see we have to sort out as well this   is of course to make sure that we're designing spaces that are not only functional but also safe   for people to use and inhabit and of course with offices restaurants hospitals hotels shops and so   on they all have their own specific regulations that we need to adhere to just as an example   a restaurant bathroom's door swing needs to be able to leave a space to maneuver in that's 450   millimeters in diameter now of course that's just one example out of thousands but you get the idea   have you ever seen a bathroom where the cubicle door hits the toilet because i have unfortunately   these types of things have not followed building regulations or building standards   and are actually therefore illegal and you could be liable for the errors or the restaurant may   have to close down as it's deemed as being unsafe in industry interior designers are usually chosen   for anything commercial such as food and beverage projects office spaces hospitality marine projects   refurbs residential projects exhibitions you know those kinds of things with the construction   industry accounting for 40 of climate change as designers we also need to take into consideration.

The sustainable aspects of a project in our own design studio for example we implement a 40 usage   of sustainable materials on all projects and hopefully you know as time goes on that will be   a hundred percent it's really important that all of the designs we create are not only sustainable   but provide solutions for the future now interior architecture is that profession where no one's   really quite clear on what it is and just like i said before interior architects carry out all the   tasks that an interior decorator and an interior designer would do plus some more additional things   such as programming and zoning circulation diagrams in-depth project and construction   management structural and technical aspects site meetings and putting through planning applications   they also take into consideration things that an architect would take into consideration when   designing a project like the use of light site and location influences architectural philosophies   how the design will be built urban design geography styles and cultural aspects as well   usually you'll find that interior architects work in bigger architectural firms those like oma   or bjark ingles group because they needed to work alongside architects on large-scale projects in   order to produce an all-round beautiful build could you imagine a gorgeously sculpted building   shell with a horrible plain interior it just wouldn't work and that's why interior design   and architecture work symbiotically you just can't have one without the other i also think   that what sets interior decoration interior design and interior architecture apart is the level of   software knowledge it all depends on your type of training of course but usually you'll find that   decorators use simpler programs or even just hand sketches whereas interior architects are   on the other side of the spectrum and use more advanced programs like bim for example and just   like interior design you need a qualification in order to call yourself an interior architect   although you don't need to study four years like an architecture student would do it's important   to state though that although we can do structural work we cannot change anything that's load-bearing   but which is fine because in that case we would then be assisted by an architect or a structural   engineer to complete that specific part of a project so you might be thinking well why not just   become an architect instead and although i love architecture and the process of creating buildings   i do love interior design more i like the fact that how we design a space ultimately influences   how others use the space and how an atmosphere can impact the way we feel within a space   and how it can also impact our experience within that space i think that a lot of the time as   consumers and users of the space you don't often see the thinking and analysis that's gone into the   spatial planning and design of that room and yet that's what's influencing our spending habits and   the experiences we have there and personally the reason why i wanted to become an interior   architect and not just an architect is one because architectural projects tend to last a couple years   if not you know 10 years or even more whereas interior projects are a lot shorter time periods   so it gives me that chance to be creative on more projects more frequently and two because   i genuinely like the soft furnishing side as well and you know drawing cad plans and creating   visualizations and mood boards i like a mixture of all those types of things so yeah interior   architecture allows me to be creative in all these different parts which is why i think it's such a   great career path to follow if you are interested in interior design if you're new then welcome this   channel is all about interior design architecture illustration content creation and graphics so if   any of that interests you make sure to subscribe to see videos just like this one and if you like   this video then please give it a big thumbs up because by doing that you really do support our   channel i hope that i answered the question what is an interior architect and also cleared up the   differences between the different professions or if you learn something new then comment below what   intrigued you the most okay guys thanks for watching and i'll see in the next blog byeee