The DBP Building as a Landmark of the International Style At the corner of Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue and Makati Avenue stands a landmark of the Makati Central Business District. It is one of the last still standing that were built in the first wave of construction in district fifty years ago. The Development Bank […]
What Interior Designers Consider Before Planning a Space
People often misconstrue interior designers as decorators. However, the interior designer’s job extends beyond the aesthetics of a space. They are also responsible for functionality, lighting, materiality, and ventilation, including technical and structural constraints.
Interior designers take into consideration various factors before planning a space, including understanding their clients and the functionality of the space.
Conversation with Clients
IDr. Paolo Castro begins his design process with a conversation about feelings. This involves employing an almost synesthetic approach with his clients. Castro asks them questions about their interests in music and scents. Grounded in the philosophy that a memorable space transcends the visual, he creates sensory-driven spaces that combine the five senses.
For IDr. Tina Periquet, she prioritizes her client’s experiences, from their heritage and profession to their principles. Understanding the narrative of their experiences allows her to translate their character into a cohesive, immersive spatial experience. This makes it easier to select design choices that resonate with users.
Related Reading: Paolo Castro: Ushering a New Era for Interior Design
Spatial Analysis: Space and Form
In an interview with BluPrint, IDr. Periquet expresses: “Space and form need to be seen more as things that can be sculpted, molded, carved, and contoured. You can’t do that if you’re seeing it in two dimensions.”
IDr. Periquet advises young designers to first attune themselves with the space’s innate geometry: look for unique characteristics, opportunities, and potentials. By establishing a clear understanding of the layout, she is able to cultivate expansive spatial concepts despite constraints.
Jonathan Matti, founder and Design Director of Jonathan G. Matti Design Consultants, believes that spaces act as sanctuaries for the self. A space must then serve the inhabitants’ daily lives before it can pursue beauty, creating a dialogue between functionality and aesthetics.
Article Header Photographed by Ed Simon.
Read More: Spanish Revival Style: The Comeback of Its Enduring Appeal
Frequently Asked Questions
Interior designers are responsible for a space’s functionality, lighting, materiality, and ventilation, whereas decorators focus primarily on surface-level aesthetics. Designers must navigate technical and structural constraints to ensure a space is not only beautiful but also safe and efficient for its occupants.
A sensory-driven approach involves asking clients about their interests in music, scents, and textures to create a space that engages all five senses. By looking beyond visual preferences, designers like Paolo Castro can craft immersive environments that evoke specific feelings and resonant memories for the user.
Understanding a client’s heritage, profession, and principles allows a designer to translate their unique character into a cohesive spatial experience. This narrative-driven process ensures that every design choice—from furniture to color—resonates personally with the inhabitant, turning a house into a true home.
Sculpting space and form means viewing a room as a 3D volume that can be carved, contoured, and molded rather than just a 2D floor plan. By attuning themselves to a space’s innate geometry and unique characteristics, designers can discover hidden potentials and create expansive concepts despite physical constraints.
Designers balance these elements by prioritizing the inhabitants’ daily needs and routines before pursuing purely decorative beauty. A successful sanctuary creates a dialogue between functionality and aesthetics, ensuring the space serves its purpose as a restorative environment while maintaining high visual standards.
“Buildings only become architectureArchitectureThe art and science of designing and constructing buildings, structures, and spaces that are functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing. It encompasses the planning, design, materials, and techniques used to createGo to Architecture Glossary when they are shared,” said William Ti Jr., founder of the Anthology Festival and WTA Architecture and Design Studio, […]
A Filipino Interpretation of Modernist Architecture Unlike the rest of Makati today, the northern end of Paseo de Roxas in Makati is anchored by a low complex rather than a tall skyscraper. This is the elegant Asian Institute of Management, designed by architect Gabriel Formoso and completed in 1971. In my opinion, the building is […]
“Thailand has claimed urban creativity and livability. Singapore has institutional design leadership. Indonesia is emerging as a design hub. Vietnam is moving into design innovation. And the Philippines? Its position is not weak. It is simply unclaimed.” For IDr. Cecil Ravelas, National President of the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers (PIID), the challenge is not […]
The Ramon Magsaysay Center as a Modernist Landmark Driving down Roxas boulevard from Rizal Park, what will catch your eye is the most elegant modernist structure in the country, the Ramon Magsaysay Center. Most established Filipino architects put it in their top ten lists of favorite buildings. It was designed by Alfredo J. Luz, who […]
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