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IS PRACTICALITY A DESIGN CHOICE?

When it comes to designing anything, there are always many factors which need to be considered before a design can be finalised. Whether it’s the colour scheme, the features that are required, or even just the shape of the room; each of these have to be thought about thoroughly during the interior design process.

But what about practicality? Surely the practicality of an idea should be thought about before any changes or adaptations are made?

WHY IS PRACTICALITY IMPORTANT?

In order for a design or idea to be successful, there needs to be some form of planning ahead of time to ensure that the project is feasible. This also takes into account whether the choices that are proposed are actually practical with regards to the purpose of the room.

builders planning

Practicality deals with whether aspects can actually be achieved, rather than thinking or theorising that they will. The more practical you can make your ideas, the less chance you will have of creating an interior that doesn’t work for the space or purpose that you require it to.

Everyone involved in a project needs to work together to come up with a design which is completely practical, as each team may have very different ideas which, when put together, might not necessarily be a practical solution.

HOW TO COME UP WITH A PRACTICAL IDEA

So, how do you come up with a practical idea? Or more importantly, what makes an idea practical?

To begin with, you need to consider the space that you will be working with. Are there any specific features which may hinder your design ideas? These could be anything from the shape of the room, and any planning permission that you may need, to any existing features which are to be left in place which may alter your design.

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You need to take all these things into consideration and design around them rather than have an idea in your head beforehand and then having to adapt it when you see that your design simply won’t work in that specific space.

A design will also need to fit the function of the space. You will need to ask yourself – or the owner of the space if you are an architect or interior designer working on a project – what the function of the room is.

HOMELIFT 4 - Is Practicality a Design Choice?

For example, it simply wouldn’t be practical to have a lift installed in a super-small, contained room as there needs to be space to move around and manoeuvre into the lift. You’d need to think about the practicality of the lift placement – how much room would you need for manoeuvrability should someone in a wheelchair need to access it? How much space would that leave you to utilise? These are all essential questions that need to be answered honestly.

WORKING TOGETHER

If your project requires multiple teams to be working within the same space, it’s important that you’re ensuring that your channels of communication are well and truly clear so that everyone is on the same page.

Freelance webdesigners talking about a project

Designing for practicality as well as functionality and aesthetic really requires a lot in the way of communication, especially if there are teams who specialise in different areas all working to the same end; what one team may consider practical may not fit into what the other teams have planned for their practical ideas.

Getting everyone on the right track with the same goal in mind is one thing, but ensuring that all the ideas form one practical solution is another. It will take time, but it is important that practicality and feasibility are incorporated into the initial planning stages – not only to create the best possible solution, but to make sure it’s actually achievable, too!

If you’re looking for lift experts who understand how to plan practically when it comes to incorporating a lift into an interior project, feel free to get in touch with us today on 01200 405 005 and we’ll be more than happy to help you to the best of our ability.