Interior design is a profession that primarily deals with anything found inside a space – walls, windows, doors, finishes, textures, light, furnishings and furniture. All of these elements are used by interior designers to develop a functional, safe, and aesthetically pleasing space for a building’s user. Prior to commencing work on any space various factors are to be undertaken by the interior decorator. These factors include the look and feel of the space involved, theme and module of the decoration, the ambiance to be created the architecture and traditional decoration if required. The demand of interior decoration has increased rapidly to an extent that you have firms and agencies opening up solely to serve the purpose. Today, interior designers must be attuned to architectural detailing including floor plans, home renovations, and construction codes. Some interior designers are architects as well. Interior design is conceptualized by architects for both residential as well as commercial purposes. As the name suggests, residential designs deal with homes, where as commercial designs include offices, hotels, schools, hospitals or other public buildings. Some interior designers develop expertise within a niche design area such as hospitality, health care and institutional design. There is a wide range of disciplines within the career of interior design. Some of the disciplines include: structure, function, specialized performance, special group needs, discipline needed for business, computer technology, presentation skills, craft skills, social disciplines, promotional disciplines, professional disciplines, aesthetic disciplines, and disciplines with cultural implications. Areas of specialization in this field is continuously growing and changing. With various malls and multiplexes opening up in cities an increased focus have been applied to produce exotic designs and architecture making it look glamorous. Interior Design is a costly franchise and the revenues that are earned are generally very high. The earnings vary based on employer, number of years with experience, and the reputation of the individual. In both cases residential and commercial charges are levied on an area basis (per square feet). Additional factors that determines the cost of the project is the location and demographic factor. Central metropolitan areas where costs of living expenses and median earnings are generally greater, the budget will be higher compared to suburbs and rural areas. Moreover the average square footage of homes and offices has increased over time; the scope of work performed translates directly to higher earnings. All in all the industry is flourishing big time. Almost every major corporate would hire an interior decorator prior to setting up an office. Celebrities hire their professional services to get their stage decorated before commencing with an event and every homebuyer does strive to save as much to get their house decorated.
Archive for December, 2009
Understanding Second Empire Architecture
December 30th, 2009Some of the 19th century’s most imposing, majestic homes and public buildings were built in the Second Empire style. Based on French design elements popular during the Second French Empire, this building form was popular throughout the European sphere of influence and the United States during the mid to late 19th century, and is often considered the first prominent Victorian building style. Unlike other popular 19th century architectural forms, Second Empire was largely the product of new and emerging styles, rather than classic styles like Gothic and Regency. Second Empire architecture is also closely related to the Italianate building style, which also came into prominence during the mid-19th century.
Several design elements set the Second Empire style apart from other building forms. Most notably, the style is known for its widespread use of Mansard roofing, which produced the style’s famously imposing stature. Mansard roofs are hipped and double sloped, with a nearly vertical lower slope, and a much flatter upper slope that isn’t usually visible from ground level. The four-sided, double sloped approach made these roofs extremely functional as well as attractive, and allowed for large three story floor plans. Often a house with a small ground floor footprint could have the same volume as a tall apartment building or row house using a Mansard roof. The stylish look of these roofs was often enhanced with molded cornices aligned with windows and doors on lower floors. Many Mansard roofs also included a third slope along the bottom edge acting as an overhang, and a rounded main slope to give the roof a domed look.
Another common feature of the Second Empire architecture was a tower, or tower-like element, usually at the front and center of a building. This feature is instantly recognizable in many Second Empire city hall and parliament buildings, and often resembles a bell tower. With a large tower to offset the profile of buildings, the Second Empire style could often be employed to produce much larger structures – this meant the style was doubly useful in sizing applications, as it allowed small footprints to be used to their maximum potential, and large footprints to become more stylish and less monolithic. Prior to the construction of the Pentagon in the 1940s some of the world’s largest roofs were built in the Second Empire style, including that of the Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital, and the Ohio State Asylum for the Insane. Both of these institutions were built according to the Kirkbride Plan for mental asylums, which helped shape the Second Empire style in dozens of imposing, steep roofed health care facilities built throughout the late 19th century.
The practicality of Second Empire architecture was often overshadowed by its abundant ornamentation. Extensive custom molding on the exterior of these buildings was often matched by intricate detailing on the interior walls, often accented by high sculpted pillars and wide winding staircases. Beautiful ornamentation helped make the Second Empire style popular, but also may have helped push it into obscurity, as plainer building styles became more popular during the early 20th century.