Joanne Richards Design at Canterbury Rebuild & Renovate Home Show

The Canterbury Rebuild & Renovate Home Show is at The CBS Canterbury Arena in Addington, Christchurch from the 22nd to the 24th of March. Joanne Richards Design will be showing some of the freshest ideas in furniture, furnishings and design. You can find her at Stand 176.

THE COMPLEXITIES OF INTERIOR DESIGN

I often get asked what it is I do as an Interior Designer, and why people should pay me to do it. Isn't it just about matching paint colours and fabric? Surely I can get that advice for free?

A more accurate but complicated-sounding description of what I do is:

Creative problem solving, achieved by analysing information (client brief, budget, restrictions, regulations and aesthetics); establishing a conceptual direction, refining the design direction and producing written and construction documentation.

As a trained professional, I take care of the details as well as the big picture. I come up with a design concept based on the client brief. Along with my trained creative design skills, I bring an understanding of the legal and compliance requirements that need to be considered for any renovation or building work. I have a working knowledge of fabrics, finishes, colours, paints, lighting, timbers, flooring and hard furnishings and an understanding of spatial requirements for both residential and commercial spaces. So once I've worked out what it's going to look like, I can work out how to make it a dream to live in, and make sure the regulations and compliance requirements are adhered to.

To do all this I have to be a great listener, practical, realistic, technically minded and mathematically able. I have to have empathy for my clients and be able to articulate what they want, even when they are not sure themselves!

"As an Interior Designer you have to be able to optimise the outputs of your 'right brain' to develop creative solutions that will wow your clients, and then on the other hand, you are pushing your 'left brain' to effectively plan and execute their interior projects." Rod Hanna, Designers Collection.

Interior Design training is an essential part of being able to work as a professional. I did my degree in London but a similar course here would be the Bachelor of Design and Visual Arts (Interior Design) at Unitec New Zealand. My training included building construction and services, materials, visual communications, commercial, residential, kitchen and bathroom design and professional practice.

Of course for a young graduate the learning really starts when they are working in the field, hopefully in a practice that will give them the opportunity to grow their knowledge, skills and ability to deliver what the client wants. Many of the skills required are only gained by experience - conceptualising, construction drawings and managing fit-out contracts as well as having an accurate eye for detail. They need to understand proportions, and understand the finer points of building, joinery, carpet and tile laying, curtain making and furniture design.

My clients had a disused garage and needed more bathroom space. This was the result of a careful design which made use of the existing wooden doors to filter natural light into a spacious contemporary bathroom.

Sadly the term "Interior Designer" has become loosely applied to anyone who works in the field, including paint, carpet and soft furnishing suppliers, who can of course give advice on how to use their own products but may have little knowledge or expertise beyond that.

Interior decorators focus solely on the style and aesthetics of an interior. They will have a broad knowledge of products available in the market place. Their job is to embellish the space whereas an Interior Designer manipulates the space to achieve a well thought out solution that goes beyond colours and fabrics.

There is a cross over between Interior Designers and Decorators, and also between Interior Designers and Architects. My practice offers architectural services - usually renovations and rebuilds, and usually on a small scale - but having that facility means we can bring an architectural viewpoint into the conversation to offer a more complete solution.

"A powerful palette…. Is a palette that's not just a set of interesting or strong colours: It's something that has its own identity above those colours and that can trigger strong associations of a time or place or emotion. A single colour can trigger such associations by itself, but a full palette can work like a full orchestra. " Kevin McCloud

Joanne Richards Design provides nationwide interior design, architectural design and project management services for new and existing residential homes, as well as for commercial, retail and hospitality businesses.

She excels in designing timeless, stylish interiors that reflect a European influence but are entirely appropriate for the more relaxed New Zealand lifestyle or business premises.