The Studio by Nandita Manwani

Exploring the Interplay: Furniture Design versus Space Design versus Interior Design

Interior Design Best Practices, Interior Design Theme, Interior designer value, role of an interior designer

“Design Furniture – You create Convenience, Design a Space – You create Comfort, Design a Home – You create Culture.”

I often tell home makers that designing furniture for a home is fundamentally different from designing a home for a family.  After the discussion most folks walk away with a fuzzy “I don’t know what she is saying” kind of a look. Today however was different – we had a home maker call in saying “I need Interior design for my home and my designer is giving me furniture design, can you help?”. And I go “Aa, haaa ♪♪♪ ♫♫ ” … with all the chirpy birds & bells going around my head.

Let’s dig this deeper – While creating functional and aesthetically pleasing living spaces, the roles of furniture design, space design, and interior design are crucial yet distinct. While these disciplines often overlap, understanding their unique contribution is critical for home makers to ensure meaningful discussions with their interior design team. Let us go through each.

 

Furniture Design: Crafting Function

Furniture design focuses on creating individual pieces that serve specific functions within a space. It encompasses everything from chairs and tables to cabinets and sofas, with an emphasis on both practicality and aesthetics. Furniture designers consider not only the visual appeal of their creations but also their ergonomic qualities, durability, and overall utility.

From minimalist Scandinavian-inspired designs to ornately carved antique replicas, furniture design encompasses a wide range of styles and influences, however at its core, furniture design is about crafting functional pieces carefully conceived to fulfill a particular need while also making a statement through its design.

 

Space Design: Shaping Comfort

Space design takes a broader perspective, focusing on the layout and the organization of furniture within it as a whole. It involves determining how different areas and components within a space relate to each other and how people move through and interact within those spaces. Space designers have to consider factors such as purpose of the space, traffic flow, spatial proportions, and the overall atmosphere of the environment under both natural lighting (during the day) and artificial lighting (after sundown).

 

Interior Design: Curating Culture

Interior design is the most encompassing of the three disciplines as it involves curating the entire sensory experience of a space and its interplay with life within the space. Interior designers consider not only the layout and furnishings of a space but also elements such as color schemes, textures, and decorative accents. Their goal is to create cohesive and visually appealing environments that evoke specific moods or emotions.

Interior designers work closely with clients to understand their needs, preferences, and lifestyles, translating these insights into personalized design solutions. Whether creating a cozy living room retreat or a sleek corporate office space, interior designers strive to balance functionality with style while reflecting the unique identity of the space’s occupants.

In Summary – When working with a qualified Interior Designer, customers should expect more than just furniture design, this however usually does not happen in most engagements and customers lose out on the full value that an interior designer can bring in.

If you find this idea appealing then you may also be inclined to go through the following TED talk by Frank Gehry on the value of an architect available here https://www.ted.com/talks/frank_gehry_asks_then_what# and 2 of my earlier blog posts at

  1. Do you Really Need an Interior Designer at https://thestudiobangalore.com/blog/2013/02/do-you-need-interior-designer
  2. A Car is not JUST a Car. The Element of “Design” in Interior Design at https://thestudiobangalore.com/blog/2013/06/a-car-is-not-just-car-element-of-design

Signing Off

Nandita

Founder & Principal Interior Designer

The Studio by Nandita Manwani

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

Apartment interiors, Home Interiors Bangalore, Interior Decorators in Bangalore, Interior designer bangalore, Interior Designers in Bangalore, Top Interior Designer in Bangalore, Top Interior Designers in Bangalore, Turnkey home interiors

Tips and tricks to convert your rental home into a place of your own

Home Interiors and Decorators   This one is for readers who have or are in the process of renting out

Acetech Bangalore, Home Automation, Interior Designers in Bangalore, LED Lighting, Murals, Partitions, Sky Light

Feedback from The ET Acetech 2015 Bangalore

If you have been on Bangalore roads in the last couple of weeks you would not have missed the huge

Modular Kitchen, Modular Kitchens

Deccan Herald features our article on Modular Kitchens today

You may read the full article at https://www.deccanherald.com/content/646811/a-guide-modular-kitchens/   Happy reading   Cheers Nandita

Interior Designer,interior designer in bangalore

The Interior Designer Called Pinterest

Over the last few months, I have had several conversations with customers about Pinterest. The most interesting one was with

A couple of my home interior design projects featured in Homify Magazine

A couple of my Home interior projects were recently featured by Homify magazine. Do please see them in the links

Interior designer bangalore

The Interior Designer – it’s not just the person stupid – it’s the team.

If you have not seen the “matka painting” pictures on our facebook page then do click here to check them

Home Interior Maintenance

Lockdown & “Home work”

I was wondering what to write next, sitting home under lockdown when my daughter recommended why not write something on

Sliding Wardrobes, the studio sliding wardrobe bangalore

The Studio Range of Wardrobes – Frequently Asked Questions

I have been getting a number of questions from you on the Studio Range of Wardrobes post the launch &

Apartment interiors, Bangalore Home Interiors, Budget for Interior Design, Five Elements of Interior Design, Home Interior Designers, Home Interiors Bangalore, Interior designer value, Turnkey Home Interiors & Design

Our New Packages for Home Interiors in Bangalore

Earlier this April I had written about our hunt for optimizing cost for Interiors and how that exercise took our

Home Interior Designers, Sliding Door Wardrobe

The DIY Interior Designer Series Bangalore: Home Interior Design Best Practices Revisited

This blog is now over 7 years old and over these years a lot of what I have written about

Blog

My Interior Design Blog on Times of India Online

Times of India Online will now be featuring my Interior Design Blog. I have named it “The Culture of Space”

Nandita Manwani's Interior Design Masterclass

Masterclass on Interior Design Best Practices for new Home Owners

Announcing the second edition of our “show and tell” masterclass on Interior Design Best practices for Home Makers The masterclass

rattan shutter partition

The Return of Rattan: Why Your Wardrobe (and Your Home) Wants Cane Back

Rattan shutters aren’t just a style statement—they’re a cultural return. A small rebellion against flat-pack, modular fatigue. A reminder that
Bangalore Home Interior expert, Newspapers

My “Expert Corner” in Deccan Herald – Starts today

Deccan Herald has started an “Ask the Expert” section in their Friday Homes & Interiors segment where I will be

Home Interior Design FAQs, Interior Designers in Bangalore

2000 FAQ’s on Home Interiors and Interior Design Best Practices

Imagine a repository of 2000 Frequently Asked Questions and how to’s on interior design and home interiors….how cool would that

Interior Designers in Bangalore, Nandita Manwani, the studio bangalore

My New Logo – The Studio: Homes, Kitchens & Wardrobes

Finally after long deliberations & doodling with friends and family the logo for The Studio is out…yooohoo 🙂   Based

Bangalore Home Interiors, Best Interior Designers in Bangalore, Getting the maximum value from your interior designer, home interior best practices, Interior design best practices in Bangalore, Interior Designers in Bangalore

The Culture of Space

I have written about designing homes based on lifestyle of the inhabiting family, today I want to turn that concept

Environment,Interior Design Best Practices

Interior Design for Total Environment Homes

In all Total Environment projects across Bangalore, you will notice a set of general principles around which their homes are

Art for the home, Murals Bangalore, Newspapers, Partitions Bangalore, texture painting, Wall decoration Bangalore, Wall Paintings

Objects of Art for the Home

My article above was published in Deccan Herald today. You may read it here http://www.deccanherald.com/content/535128/art-homes-sake/ However…..since, as readers of this

Related Articles

Scroll to Top
Thank you icon

Thanks for your Interest

We will get back to you on this shortly