Theatre design is all about research and “getting it right”; if you do your job properly, an audience knows who belongs in the environment you’ve created even before the first actor has set foot in your set. Research is particularly important given the range of worlds you’ll be called upon to create—one show might see you designing a 1930s prairie farmhouse while another demands a chic Manhattan apartment circa 1992.
Interior design is no different, for in order to create a space that accurately reflects your clients (the characters) you must first know their backstory and the details of the script that informs their lives and lifestyles. To proceed otherwise is like designing a set without knowing which play it is for.
That is why I always start with a creative brief—a document based on in-depth interviews with clients, which essentially provides us with a script. It isn’t necessarily a Pulitzer Prize-winning material every time but it is a script nonetheless and literally puts us all on the same page.
If you’re reading this and you know you’re never going to hire me, try the following in order to create a brief of your own.
Who will be using the room? (Don’t forget to include pets in
this equation; they’re home more than you are.)
What kinds of activities will take place in the space?(Is it
a ‘vertical’ space like a kitchen or a ‘horizontal’ space like a family room?)
When is the room generally being used—in the day, the
evening or both? (This is crucial for colour and lighting choices.)What are your likes? (Be honest.)
What are your dislikes? (Be even more honest.)
What is your budget? (Everyone has a budget—even “unlimited”
is still technically a budget.)
Are there any specific challenges that need to be addressed?
(Do some blue-sky thinking on this then bring it down to Earth.)
Why changes are being made to the space? (Structural? Layout
only? Cosmetic? All of these?)
How do you hope the room will be different once it’s done?
(Remember: change should always be purposeful and for the better.)
I hope this helps focus you in the right direction so you
can avoid things like project scope-creep, budget overruns, uneven results and
other vexing factors that are part and parcel of interior projects. Oh—and
don’t worry: I won’t hold it against you as I eat Ramen noodles and draw a
threadbare pashmina around my shoulders to stave off the cold…
