When we think about interior design, we often default to visible elements such as color palettes, upholstery swatches and carefully chosen furniture. But one of the most important parts of interior design is actually much less tangible…and arguably, far more essential. It’s known as space planning.
Space planning is the analysis of a space — encompassing anything from a residential home to an office to an aged care facility — and includes:
- identifying its environmental factors, such as location, climate and orientation
- considering who inhabits the space at any given time and what activities regularly take place within it
- making a variety of interior design choices (such as lighting, furniture and hardware)
Space planning is about maximizing the functionality and flexibility of an area so it is as useful as possible to everyone who occupies it. For architects and interior designers, it’s like a science, with clear considerations to address and a process to follow.
It’s an important step because most people can feel the effects of good or poor space planning. For example, quality space planning in an office is when you can easily see and talk with a colleague about an upcoming project across your open-plan desks. However, if you’re getting tripped up by inadequate space planning or feel like an area is cramped, then the layout may not have been thought through. Space planning is one of those elements of interior design that is almost invisible.
The Practical Benefits of Space Planning
- It ensures that you are maximizing the space that is available to ultimately save money, time and hassle in the process.
- It helps to analyze the current features of a home or office and how it can be better utilized or reconfigured, before making any significant decisions around adding more.
- It’s focused on creating efficiency, based on what’s already there.
- It can accurately assess the functional deficiencies of various rooms and manipulate elements of the design to reduce or eliminate them.
- It enables you to clarify your renovation priorities and identify what changes will make the biggest and most immediate impact.
How it Affects Accessibility
For many people, accessibility means that their home or workplace is easy to navigate, with plenty of space available in the most important or high-traffic areas of the house. For other people, it means that their home or workplace is designed to be accessible for those with disabilities or restricted range of movement. Things like sinks, cooktops, desks and drawers at an appropriate height or distance from each other are important. It might mean that they can age-in-place, with their home remaining highly functional and flexible to their needs, even as these evolve later in life. Regardless of exactly how it manifests, increased accessibility is a key benefit of well-planned spaces.
Personal Benefits of Space Planning
While there are countless practical implications that come from thoughtful space planning, there are also many ‘hidden’ benefits that influence our quality of life in ways we may not notice. The spaces we inhabit on a regular basis influence our behavior and moods. We will feel, act and relate to other people differently in different spaces. We will move through our well-worn daily routines, helped (or sometimes hindered) by what’s around us.
When there is good spatial flow and circulation between a room and our sight lines, we tend to use those spaces frequently. When a space is difficult to enter and move around, we’re more likely to avoid it. Here are some examples of how the spacial flow of a room impacts the feeling.
- Your clutter-free and cozy bedroom has luxe textiles and a soft palette. Your room is going to broadly equate to a calm and balanced state of mind and encourage you to take time-out.
- A well-designed office layout, including desk configurations, lunch areas and meeting rooms, is going to encourage colleagues to talk to each other. This layout facilitates communication between departments and result in more cohesive teams and organization-wide collaboration.
- Your expansive outdoor entertaining space is roomy and complete with a pergola and garden outlook. This spot is going to be the setting for many enjoyable catch-ups with friends and family.
- An aged care facility that accounts for ‘way-finding.’ It uses clear signage and other visual devices that help residents navigate the common areas and individual rooms with more ease.
Working with an architect and/or interior designer can help to make informed decisions about how to configure your space in a way that supports your lifestyle, your employees workplace, or your customers comfort.