This document outlines the first 5 steps of the design process for interior design: 1) Identify the project goals, space usage, budget, and timeline. 2) Assess client characteristics through surveys to understand lifestyle, activities, and preferences. 3) Analyze the environment by assessing the existing space, furniture, condition, and priorities. 4) Develop a preliminary budget by estimating costs of materials, furnishings, and design work. 5) Compile a design resource file with ideas from magazines, catalogs, and other sources to inform the design plan. Planning is important for good, efficient interior design.

1. Housing Chapter 18
Developing A Design Plan
Learning Objective: Students will analyze the first 5
steps of the design process and identify why
planning is important in interior design.
FCS Standard: Housing and Interior Design
Standard 2

2. Good and Efficient Design
Requires Planning
 What happens when someone just jumps into
decorating the interior of a room without
adequate planning?
 This chapter will cover the first 5 Steps of the
Design Process.
 And, you will think about what you have learned
so far when developing a plan for interior design.

3. Step 1-Identify the Project
 What is the design goal?-changing a
bedroom into an office, un-clutter a living
area, make a kitchen more user-friendly.
 What is the space used for?
 Who will use it?
 What is the budget?
 How long do they plan on living there?
 What is the time frame?

4. Step 2-Assess Client
Characteristics
 Designers use one or more inventories:
surveys that identify characteristics that will
affect the design plan.
 Can be a written questionnaire or an interview.
 The person using the room most and the
entire family need to be considered.

5. What’s included in a design inventory?
 Lifestyle
 Activities-will the room be a multipurpose
room: (a room used for many things) or will it
have one basic function?
 Entertaining Preferences-Will there be
entertaining-formal or informal? How many
guests? What entertainment equipment will be
in the room?
 Hobbies-Do these require special storage
needs? Do they have a collection?
 Study and Work-Is there space to work?

6. Other considerations for a design
inventory.
 Preferred Atmosphere-Color preferences,
modern or antique, rustic, traditional, formal,
informal are all considerations. The room
should also fit with the rest of the house.
 Future Considerations-What future changes
need to be considered? Will someone be
moving, someone else moving in? A new
addition to the family?
 Inventories are also done for nonresidential
projects-restaurants, medical offices, etc.

7. Step 3-Analyze the Environment
 The Environment Inventory-this starts by
assessing the outside of the house-it’s style
might be used in the interior decorating.
 Number and placement of rooms-could some
spaces be converted?
 Activity Zones-are they private, social, or service
zones?
 Storage Areas-pay attention to the number and
sizes of closets. What needs to be stored?
 Furniture and Accessories-what do they already
have and want to use? Can it be reupholstered?
What accessories are already there? Can they
be relocated?

8. More on Environmental Inventories
 Condition of backgrounds-what is the condition and
appeal of the current flooring, walls, and window
treatments?
 Energy considerations-Are existing doors and windows
tight? Does air circulate well?
 Electrical and lighting-If in doubt, consult an electrician.
Is the lighting adequate for the room? Upgrades may
need to happen if adding lighting or appliances.
 Safety-Is childproofing needed? Are there individuals
with special needs that will use the home?
 Traffic flow-does the furniture have enough clearance
space (additional space furniture takes up when it’s in
use)? Does the arrangement of the furniture create
good traffic flow?

9. More on Step 3-Analyzing the
Environment.
 Develop Priorities-rating wants and needs in order of preference.
 Measure Space and Furniture-
 Make a scale drawing-with each square representing a given
number of inches or centimeters. A common scale is ¼ in.= 1
foot.
 Include permanent features, such as doorways, windows, built-in
cabinets, fireplaces in the drawing.
 Use the architectural symbols (pg 257).
 Also mark the location of heating or cooling registers.
 Measure furniture that will be used in design plan-draw the pieces
on graph paper using the same scale and cut each out creating a
silhouette that is labeled.
 You can also use templates: cutout patterns of furniture and
appliances that can be traced.
 All of these measurements can be transferred to a computer
software program to make the task more efficient and accurate.

10. The Last of Step 3-Analyzing the
Environment.
 Consider furniture needs-What furniture will
be incorporated into the design plan? What is
the best use of space? This doesn’t have to
be a definite at this point.

11. Step 4-Develop a Preliminary Budget
 A preliminary budget is an estimation of the total cost
of the design project.
 The budget for interior design can include many
expenses-wall coverings, floor coverings, window
treatments, upholstery fabric, furniture, lighting, etc.
Additional money may be needed for plumbers,
electricians, carpenters.
 If a designer is used, their expense can be as high as
$300 an hour.
 When figuring a preliminary budget, a designer may
include a contingency fee: an additional percentage of
the total cost of a project. 20% is often used.
 Estimating cost of some materials is a little tricky.
Look to pgs. 402-403 for assistance.

12. Step 5: Compile a Design Resource
File
 Find resources from magazines, the internet,
furniture and accessory catalogs, how-to
books, even TV shows to get an idea of what
you want.
 Organize these clippings and photos into a
design file-preferably room by room.
 Take before and after pictures for
comparisons.