The design of a commercial interior begins with an understanding of the business of the business, which refers to understanding the goals and purposes of a business. In fact, it is important to understand the business specialty even before seeking projects in that specialty. When the interior designer and team understand the client's business in general and the client's goals for the project from a business point of view as well as from a design standpoint, solutions are more functional for the client and lead to more creative design concepts.
For example, space planning and product specifications are different for a pediatrician's suit than for the office of a cardiologist. Planning decisions are different for a small gift shop than for one in a resort hotel. Understanding this from the onset is critical for the design firm.
An obvious advantage of understanding the client's business is the interior design will be more functional. Businesses seek interior design firms that are not "learning on the job" with the client's project. Of course, creative solutions that are aesthetically pleasing are important to many clients. However, a creative and attractive office that does not work or is not safe is not helpful to the client. Creativity alone does not mean success in commercial interior design.
One issue that influences the interior design of a commercial space is the type of facility; is it a doctor's office suite with exam rooms of a hospital acute care unit? Is it a coffee shop or a high-end, full service restaurant? Is the project an elementary school or the business college at a university? Is it a bed and breakfast or a convention hotel? Each type of facility has many different requirements. Space planning, furniture specifications, materials that can be used, codes that must be adhered to, and the functions and goals of the business are just some of the many factors that influence the interior design based on the type of facility.
Location is another issue. Is the project in a small town or an urban area? Will the accounting office be located in a strip shopping center or an office building? Is the restaurant in a standalone building or incorporated into a hotel? The impact of the location of the business will relate to the client base the business wants to attract. The dollars spent on the interior may very well be different based on the project's location. Customer's expectations will be greater when the business is located in a high-end area.
Another issue is the expected customers of the business. Different design decisions will be made if the restaurant's customers are neighborhood residents, tourists, or business executives. Obvious differences in design and amenities will be made for a hotel along an interstate highway than for a resort hotel in the mountains. Retail stores catering for Generation Y will have different detailing and coloring choices from stores located in retirement communities.
The type of work conducted in a business also varies with the nature of the business. The work done in a coffee shop that only sells coffee products and bakery goods is very different from that of a full-service, high-end restaurant. The fixtures and ambiance of a jewelry store are significantly different from those of a sporting goods store. Acceptable accommodations for a traveler at a motel along the highway are entirely different from those of the individual who has travelled across the country to attend a professional conference.
Your client is another influencing factor. He or she may be the owner an accounting office or the neighborhood restaurant or bed and breakfast, or developer, creating office space for anyone or any type of office function. Then again, the owner might be the board of directors and the facility manager for a major corporation's new headquarters or the local jurisdictional governing body, retaining an interior designer the design of a new country courthouse. Maybe your client is a charitable foundation adding a new wing to a museum. Each client has different goals for the business, and the interior designer is challenged to satisfy all their unique demands.
Obviously, understanding the business of the business and its characteristics is important to understand how to go about designing the interior. The more you know about the hospitality industry, for example, the more effective you solutions will be for a lodging of food service facility. Gaining experience and knowledge about retailing will be an advantage for you in designing any kind of retail space. In fact, the more you know about any of the specialty areas of commercial interior design, the greater your success in working with those clients.
By Christine M. Piotrowski, Elizabeth A. Rogers
