Now covered in more depth
Architect vs Interior Designer in Seattle: What’s the Difference?
Interior design and interior architecture are often confused, and sometimes used interchangeably. For Seattle homeowners planning a renovation, understanding the difference helps you hire the right professional for your project.
Interior Architecture
Interior architecture deals with the structural and spatial elements of a building’s interior: walls, openings, ceiling heights, floor level changes, built-in elements, and the integration of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. Interior architects understand building codes, structural systems, and how buildings are constructed.
Work products include: Floor plans, reflected ceiling plans, wall sections, structural coordination, permitted renovation drawings
When you need an interior architect: Moving or removing walls, adding or relocating windows and doors, reconfiguring the layout of rooms, creating built-in storage or cabinetry, any work requiring a building permit
Interior Design
Interior design focuses on the aesthetic and experiential qualities of a space, finishes, furnishings, color, lighting, textiles, and decor. Interior designers make spaces feel right without necessarily changing the structure.
Work products include: Finish schedules, furniture specifications, color palettes, lighting plans, material samples
When you need an interior designer: Refreshing a space without structural changes, selecting finishes for a new home or renovation, furnishing a completed space
Planning a project?
Working out what your lot will allow, and what it will cost?
Send David the address and a few lines about what you want. The first feasibility check is free and usually takes about a day: what the site and the code are likely to allow, and what to check first.
Architect since 1996, member of the AIA and NCARB. Three Masonry Excellence Awards for commercial projects; the Carr residence was featured in Above The Lake and Lux magazines.
When You Need Both
Major renovations that reconfigure space AND require finish selections need both disciplines. Piper Cole Architects coordinates interior architecture and interior design as an integrated service, ensuring that spatial decisions and material decisions are made together rather than in sequence.
See our interior architecture service or contact us for a free feasibility check. Call 425-753-6452.
