Interior Design and Interior Decoration

Mason Davis Interiors, an interior design firm in Santa Fe New Mexico, was established in 1998. The owner, Malea Mason, ASID specializes in lighting and kitchen design. Please enjoy this informational article!

Interior decoration is the art of decorating a room so it looks good, is easy to use, and functions well with the existing architecture. The goal of interior decoration is to provide a certain "feel" for the room; it encompasses applying wallpaper, painting walls and other surfaces, choosing furniture and fittings, such as light fixtures, and providing other decorations for the area such as paintings and sculptures.

Interior Designers and Interior Decorators

Interior decorating is done professionally by interior designers or interior decorators, and by some architects. It is considered a design field.

There is sometimes a distinction made between interior decorating and interior design. Interior decorating is generally focused more on finishes, such as wallpaper, paint, window coverings, and furnishings. Interior design tends to be more integrated with the architecture, and in addition to the above areas, might also be involved in cabinet making, room layout, window placement, appliance selection, tile and floor selection, et cetera.

Interior Design and Architecture

Architecture is the art and science of designing buildings. A wider definition would include within its scope the design of the total built environment, from the macro level of town planning, urban design, and landscape to the micro level of furniture and product design. The later is where the Interior Designer works closely with the Architect. Interior Design and Architecture, equally importantly, also refers to the product of such a design.

With the Renaissance and its emphasis on the individual and humanity rather than religion, and with all its attendant progress and achievements, a new chapter began. Buildings were ascribed to specific architects - Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, Leonardo da Vinci - and the cult of the individual had begun. But there was no dividing line between artist, architect, interior designer and engineer, or any of the related vocations.

With the consolidation of knowledge in scientific fields such as engineering and the rise of new materials and technology, the interior designer and architect began to lose ground on the technical aspects of building. They therefore cornered themselves on another playing field. The interior designer focused on the flow and aesthetics of the interior design of a building. The Architect focused on the aesthetics of the outside of buildings.