Little things count when shaping living space

IT’S hard not to be swept up by a property’s outward beauty — whether it be a facade's slick, clean lines, curved timber-batten face, spans of glass or pre-rusted steel cladding. However, as in life, what’s inside is just as important when designing a new house.

“Architects consider the interior as much as the exterior,” Archicentre general manager David Hallett says.

When architects talk interiors, they’re not referring to soft furnishings or furniture; what they typically understand by “interior design” is the volume of the building, ceiling heights and window placements, as well as materials, fittings, fixtures and finishes.

“In visualising (internal) spaces, we put in some floor finishes, light fittings, perhaps some furniture,” architect Anthony Chan says. “It’s fairly generic. Any actual selection of those things happens at the end.”

It’s working out the nitty-gritty. For example, what type of oven do you want? Wall or free-standing? Where do you want it to go? What light fittings? What heating? Ducted, hydronic? What stone for the benchtops? What timber veneer for the joinery? What tiles? The colour of the walls? And on it goes.

“It's a world in its own right,” says David Mulhall, a spokesman for the Building Designers Association of Victoria.

Some of these elements are incorporated in a broad sense at the concept-design stage, but they’re continually changed, refined and made more specific as the working drawings become increasingly detailed and the design closer to being finalised.

Architect Simon Perkins says configuring the internal design is highly involved, particularly for the client.

“It’s something they can dial into because every client is familiar with interiors and opinionated about the layout ... and the way it works,” he says.

While clients are often brimming with ideas and preferences, they can also become overwhelmed by the number of options. That’s where a consultant can come in handy.

“The key (to using a consultant) is to narrow the options and make choices,” Perkins says.

The hundreds of items for consideration — from tapware and door handles to splashbacks and light switches — also need to be cost co-ordinated.