Effective interior planning

Some of the items used to create an effect when designing a house is the furniture, wall paints, wall hanging, the lighting and the colour choice of items in a specific room. PHOTO BY ABUBAKER LUBOWA

Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a church, what do you see/feel? The high ceiling, dark heavy furniture, the stained glass windows and carefully placed art pieces are all meant to communicate to the senses that a person is in a place where piety reigns and they are compelled to react accordingly.

Now imagine the same structure without all those effects. Somehow the holiness evaporates instantly. What does all this mean? It simply means that without architectural décor, built spaces are nothing but structures.

Dolores Mukisa Makholo is an architecture design graduate from the prestigious Florence Design Academy Italy, she explains how professionals use décor to create successful workspaces.

She observes that while most Ugandans are finally warming up to letting professionals do their home décor, very few are yet to wake up to the fact that a person’s environment can have a huge impact on their mood, which can in turn affect their work performance.

“Architectural designers are taught the dynamics of space in relation to human behaviour, therefore, a professionally done workspace will have the two important element of any décor; aesthetics and functionality,” Makholo explains.

Factors are considered
“The biggest consideration of course is people. The aim is to tailor the design that matches with the people it is being designed for. Considering age, class and lifestyle will help the designer to create a place that will encourage the behaviours and attitude the home owner wants in their house,” says Makholo.

For instance, to display prestige and a high level of intellectualism, the designer will incorporate dark hues, big and heavy furniture, an illusion of high ceilings and an expanse of space that create a mood of deep deliberation or introspection.

Another important factor is how the home owner wants to be perceived by the public which it communicates through the way it brands itself. A company that deals with the arts, for instance, will opt for a space that encourages movement allowing people to be extroverted in order to nurture creativity and collaboration.

In this case workstations are designed not to be permanent, allowing the employee to select the right places to do their best work. In this case, the furniture will be brightly coloured, light, and easy to move. The appropriate hues for paint are reds, oranges and yellows; colours that are associated with energy, passion, cheerfulness and creativity.

Targeted person
This is something that must be got right. It would be a waste of money to design a children’s play room for adult taste. It would also be unfortunate to design a place and the target person does not like it. Therefore, the purpose for which the room is established is an important factor while choosing décor.

“To create a beautiful environment, designers unify different beautiful and luxurious elements. They make use of soothing colours like nudes and neutrals, rich textures like silk and velvet, and carefully placed sumptuous rich furniture. They incorporate wooden floors, plush carpets, tiled walls, metallic accents and mirrors which give a timeless quality,” Makholo explains.

OTHER TIPS

Introduce plants The benefits house plants have on our health and happiness is becoming increasingly clear as more research is conducted into the subject. In short, introducing a bit of the outdoors into your indoors can have a surprisingly large impact on productivity. However, not all house plants are created equal, and you should choose yours wisely to get the maximum benefit.