Bringing actual, living elements into Interior Design strategies can transform an Interior environment in ways that create unique impressions on those living in or visiting such environments.
 
There are no limitations on the ways your Interior design team can incorporate “life” factors into an Interior design plan.   The elements that come most readily to mind are the more obvious and quite popular:  aquariums and live plants!  
 
In areas such as medical/dental waiting rooms, aquariums provide a special way to fascinate and relax nervous patients.  Particularly in Pediatric facilities, children enjoy watching the antics of fish and may soon forget any anxiety about the dentist chair!   In residences or offices the beauty of exotic aquariums has long been a favorite element.  Seafood restaurants sometimes present tanks where you can even select your future dinner from swimming possibilities!  
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It’s an art.  Some say a skill; some, a talent.   Nevertheless, your Interior designer or team needs to be able to show you when less is more and when enough is enough in Interior design decision-making!  Nothing can splash cold water on a hot Interior design concept faster than not knowing that critical point where going further can be a spoiler.
 
In a past article, “When Enough Is Enough And Less Is More!” I discussed critical points concerning the quantification factor when making choices for an Interior design.  We considered “how much” and “how many” of a good thing was appropriate for a given situation, location and environment.  We looked at all factors such as the over-use of a favorite color or accessory components.  For instance, a very small area can be made into a cozy, inviting place; however, taken too far, it can become just a crowded, uninviting area.  Quantity matters!

​There are very high function Interior areas, and less critical function Interior areas in all Interior environments – business or residential.   Contemporary Interior Design has radically transformed the ugly ducklings of “ho-hum” treatment in high function areas such as bathrooms and kitchens!
 
I recall with humor some of the tiny toilet closets found in older Victorian era homes that required courage and ingenuity should one choose to use one!   Both kitchens and bathrooms historically favored function over beauty, plain and simple.  Fortunately, that phenomenon has been addressed and challenged by contemporary Interior designers!
 
And, why not?   There is no denying that quite a large amount of time in anyone’s life is spent in bathrooms and kitchens!  Acknowledging the importance of efficient and practical function, but insisting such be produced and delivered beautifully, is a changed (and welcome) paradigm.

Space use planning is one of the several constant considerations of Interior Design teams.  That particular skill is most important when the Interior environment in question is odd, possibly confined, long and narrow, including off angles and with no clearly designated function.  Sometimes, such anomalies can be tackled with some limited re-construction, but in most situations, it’s just there – and the client wants us to: “do the best you can” with it!
 
Such Interior space challenges can be diamonds in the rough, just waiting for the right touch.  “Long and narrow” is one of the toughest, yet one of the best creative opportunities.  The primary solution lies in designing to take the emphasis off the oddity and onto the transformative purpose. Especially in vintage buildings, odd space configurations crop up.  They are often a reflection of times with fewer conveniences than we presently enjoy.  An example would be wider hallways (but not too wide) that accommodated the service function of sending and receiving necessities by dumb waiters installed in wall channels between floors.  Another example is buildings where the original use and the conversion use are radically different, and where adaptation requires a lot of ingenuity!

Both business and residential Interiors have the need for areas entirely dedicated to maintenance facilitation.  Whether you call it utility, janitorial, maintenance or just “the shop,” it’s essential.  But it doesn’t have to be a dumpsite!
 
In fact, such essential Interior areas are where several members of your company team – or your family – spend a lot of time!  Whether tooling up to make the rounds of offices and reception areas, or declaring it cleaning and maintenance day at home, there’s no reason why interior maintenance bases cannot be made appropriately functional while also being attractive, pleasant work areas.
 
In the past, too often business “utility and maintenance” was often combined with the “staff break room” -- not practical for the maintenance process, and certainly not the most desirable setting to refresh, relax and eat lunch!   (And it’s probably best not to discuss the health issues.)
 
It has been proven over and over that when decent amenities are part of staff’s experience, good will and efficiency result. Separating janitorial equipment, supplies (and odors) from personnel needing pleasant breaks in the workday is not only a pleasant change, but also an essential courtesy.
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​There’s a very long list of awful Interior Design “surprises” you wouldn’t like – but let’s explore just a few!
 
One of my favorites (that I have experienced several times with equally surprised clients) happens when a client wants to refurbish – or restore – an old building.  It could be residential or commercial –but it’s true for both: the older the building the more the surprises and more expensive!    You can almost bet that behind those walls amazing features may be discovered.  In one situation, we discovered that two major support beams must have been “in the way” for some resident years ago; they just sawed them off, top and bottom, for a better furniture arrangement in their living room.  Luck must have been in their favor and that of subsequent residents.  The upper floors started to sag a little, but fortunately hadn’t yet collapsed.   Advice?  If you are interested in fixing up an old property, get your General Contractor to do a thorough inspection before you make changes!
 

The marriage of light and materials needs to be a good match!  You want your Interior Vision to match the reality! ​

Partnership is one of the most versatile terms in our language!  It can indicate anything from a formally documented legal business structure, all the way to quaint observations of Wolves and Whooping Cranes in nature that “partner” for life!  In our Interior Design context, there are all kinds of partnerships that occur just because of the nature of the work.
 
The first and most obvious, of course, starts with yourself and the Interior design expert you select to make your project vision come true.  Whatever you want to call your formal agreement – a Contract, a Memo of Clarification, a Job Order, etc.  – you will be working as informal partners in all stages of the plan.  Every aspect of your project that requires specific skill, specific materials, certifiable services, professional services, appropriate equipment manufacturers plus other necessities such as dependable communication, documentation and transportation, all amount to “secondary partnerships” for getting the job done.
 
However, as anyone who has ever been in any kind of a “partnership” knows – it can get tricky!    ​

It doesn’t seem to be the details themselves that bothers us; it’s how they are managed in a given situation.  When you place your design project in the hands of your design team, you buy into that team’s overall ”style,” and that of each of your project specialists.
 
Let’s face it.   Some styles can be annoying – particularly when they require accountability that may not line up with our own personal patterns.   Keeping all the balls in the air is very important.  There are many ways to manage the myriad details in projects of all sizes.  Flexibility and an open mind concerning perceived differences in how to handle the details is a benefit – not a handicap.

The simple, clean lines of a finished project do not reveal the hundreds of details that brought it all together.
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​That’s when your design team may be flattered, but at the same time, knows that part of the job will be helping the client to develop their own vision.  There are situations where a prospect makes it clear that they want a great environment, but don’t have a specific theme in mind, seem to have no materials preferences, color focus or the faintest idea where to begin!
 
Almost everyone has preferences!  Often the assertion:  “I really don’t care – I trust your judgment!” actually has to do with transposition.   For instance, you may know exactly what you want when you choose your clothing or select an automobile make, model and color, and a range of other situations where you make selections based on clear preferences.  But, envisioning how to pull a complex commercial or residential environment into balance and harmony seems monumental and unfocused.
 
It can be difficult to envision a favorite color, for instance, on the full expanse of a wall – though you love it in a necktie or sweater.  Picturing patterns on upholstery, paneling or flooring for a space sixty feet by eighty, for instance, is very different than for a vehicle.

​Where’s the middle ground?  How does your design expert make the selections for you to choose from?  One thing is certain, it is not from guesswork!
 
From initial contact, through documentation and all the subsequent steps and stages that lead to project completion, your professional design team is getting to know you.  That important process is one that continues – not one that is addressed and then at some point, is considered complete!
 
Your design vision may start with definite and specific form, but – like many art forms -- it continues to evolve.  As the project develops and becomes real, the subtleties and nuances of the original vision mature and shift.  Within the desired concept, the vision grows as each new choice is made, and as circumstances may influence

​You’ve hired your Interior Design team, you have signed all the paper work, paid your retainer and are ready to embark on the project – at last!  After a lot of careful consideration, you made the decision to stay put and not vacate your home or business site while the design project gets underway, then all the way to completion.  You have planned to accommodate the various crews, area by area, by “moving over, exercising patience, trying to stay out of the way – and offering your help wherever it might save time or money.”
 
Oh, boy...   Sometimes what looks like a white flag of truce and peace can turn into a big red flag signaling confusion and trouble ahead!  So, let’s take a look at options.
 
In some cases, it’s not a matter of moving out when a project begins, but delaying moving in.  Circumstances, funds, and timing do not always play out in harmony; often there may not be a choice.   The project may have to go forward with everyone present and accounted for.
 
Assuming that best case is not possible, and the less desirable choice must be tolerated, it’s good to remember it can be managed!   While not the most desirable of circumstances, it is possible to successfully conduct an interior design project while the business or family remains on site.

​Like a table with a missing leg, a project without the appropriate collaborative team just won’t stand up to its responsibilities.   It’s an invitation for confusion, mistakes, delays and collapse.
 
It is a rare project that can find its way to satisfactory conclusion without an integrated team and a commitment to teamwork.  Even the smallest project has parts that depend on other parts, skills and talents that come from several sources.   And there may be complex aspects that require special expertise.
 
Your design team is an orchestrated collaboration of the resources that your professional designer has determined essential from your plan guidelines.  It is important to know who needs to provide what, at what point in the process and in conjunction with which other procedures!    Coordinating the players, timing their interface, having what each needs when they need it, is the overriding design within the master design plan.
 
When your interior designer comes on board to your project, there may already be an architect deeply invested in master plans and construction drawings.  Most architects have a network of affiliations with specific commercial and residential interior designers.  They ordinarily invite the appropriate “match” to participate in their contracted project.

The client is always “in charge!”  That’s why the game sometimes changes without warning from their side of the table. 
 
Your design team manages a large pool of resources – all of which have operational scenarios of their own.  That’s why the game sometimes changes without warning from their side of the table!
 
Your professional design team is familiar with these negative possibilities.   It can be disruptive, but circumstances do sometimes unexpectedly alter cases.
 
There is, of course, the very human menu of reasons:  illness, unexpected financial reversals, a rift among principals, legal and compliance changes and similar situations.  But, sometimes the reason seems to turn on a whim or a communication glitch.  Suddenly there is a significant change in the project’s complex; it can shake the project’s foundation as well as the relationships.
 
Management of a game change requires a commitment to solutions from all concerned.   Clear communication, revised documentation and sincere efforts toward understanding cause and effects are vital for re-stabilizing the project.   
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​More often than not, a project in either a business or residential category leads to another project in the client’s other aspect.
 
When your design team has become immersed in the details of your commercial design project for business, professional practice or institution, they probably have gained extensive insights to the personal tastes that would also drive your residential environment design.
 
In the process of studying everything from function, color, lighting and sound preferences to ambiance and accessorizing, design experts are able to re-translate those insights from one site aspect to second or third site applications.  The huge advantage lies in the fact that the hours and dollars that have been invested in learning about the client’s tastes and budgeting disciplines have already been covered, in depth.  Very little of the basic groundwork must be re-visited.

​Sometimes it’s a hard sell, because putting the whole team together at the front end of your project may seem premature and cumbersome.  Some professionals may agree with that caution.  However, bringing all aspects into focus in the initial planning process has many advantages that outweigh the resistance to do so. 
 
Envisioning the full scope of a design project as early as possible can eliminate both misconceptions and serious conflicts further down the line.
 
Organizing your team leadership participators in brainstorming and troubleshooting eliminates unrealistic perceptions that may exist concerning factors of cost, feasibility and possibility!
 
If you are an old hand at design projects involving all modes from completely new build-outs to remodeling and refreshing, you will probably see the wisdom in addressing as much as possible, up front.  On the other hand, if you are new at the game, it is worth your while to take a breath and slow down a bit.   Jumping right in with a chosen first priority, then winging it as you move along -- continually searching for the next-needed expert – is a recipe for trouble.