Elements in Creating a Design Scheme

When designing a building, many pieces must come together for a project to come to life; Everything from choosing a variety of building materials to the final placement of furniture before a client moves into their space. One of the most important elements of this process is choosing an overall design scheme for your building or project. This brings all design elements together and creates a guide as the design and building process plays out.

Just as the overall building takes many moving parts to come together, so does an overall design scheme.

One of the first pieces that need to come together in creating a design scheme is space planning. Space planning involves a variety of exercises to jump-start the design process. This process includes blocking out spatial areas, defining circulation patterns, and developing plans for furniture layout and equipment placement. This involves asking and investigating how a client will use their space. Asking these questions at the beginning of a project allows the project to come together to look aesthetically pleasing and the most efficient space for the client’s needs. While aesthetics is very important in design, having space function properly can improve the overall design.

Once a designer understands how the spaces should function, the next step is to mesh those requirements with the client’s desired aesthetic and atmosphere to create the perfect look. For most clients, this is the fun part. It entails choosing a paint palette and coordinating flooring and wall finishes that bring the overall vision together. Picking the correct paint scheme or the right carpet can seem like a small part of a project, but it contributes to the overall vision and scheme and creates a more finished product. When combining different materials within a building project, there are hundreds of selections and different colors to choose from. Having a design scheme can create a guide to move the project along. The end goal in choosing a design scheme in any aspect of a project is to make a project timeless and increase the longevity of the vision and space.

Of course, the many aspects of a design are nothing without the supporting details, whether it be the scale of the furniture or the style of cabinetry. All these details bring a design together and support the overall vision of the space or user. Although it is easy to love everything as the options are limitless, it is important to consider all elements carefully. A design scheme gives you a guide on which to base all your big and small decisions from. Every project is personalized for each client, beyond just catering to a certain aesthetic taste and preference.

Completing all of these steps creates a design scheme to achieve an excellent aesthetic for a building that not only looks amazing but functions well for clients.

Author: Mandy Campbell