Interior Design Interior Design UnitUnit

Designing Functional Designing Functional Interiors & Interiors &

Floor PlansFloor Plans

Floor Plans:Floor Plans:

Scale diagrams Scale diagrams of a space as of a space as seen from seen from above. above.

They are They are architectural architectural drawings and drawings and have to be have to be precise.precise.

Housing ZonesHousing Zones

Well-designed homes divide Well-designed homes divide the space into zones. the space into zones.

Each contains areas with Each contains areas with similar functions. similar functions.

When a home is zoned, When a home is zoned, activities are less likely to activities are less likely to cause conflict.cause conflict.

3 Most Common Housing 3 Most Common Housing Zones:Zones:

1. Private Zone1. Private Zone Quiet, Quiet, comfortable comfortable areas for areas for sleeping & sleeping & relaxing, and relaxing, and privacy for privacy for bathing & bathing & dressing dressing

Usually Usually bedrooms & bedrooms & bathroomsbathrooms

2. Service Zone2. Service Zone

For household For household work work

Kitchen, Kitchen, laundry room, laundry room, workshop, workshop, garage…garage…

2. Social Zone2. Social Zone

for activities & entertainment (living, for activities & entertainment (living, dining, family, and recreation rooms, dining, family, and recreation rooms, entrance hall, patios, decks & other entrance hall, patios, decks & other outdoor living spaces) outdoor living spaces)

Open Floor PlanOpen Floor PlanWhen few dividing When few dividing walls separate walls separate rooms (typically in rooms (typically in Social Zone)Social Zone)

Advantages: Advantages: Entertaining, Entertaining, lighting, easy to lighting, easy to move furnituremove furniture

Drawbacks: hard to Drawbacks: hard to heat, no privacy, heat, no privacy, noisenoise

Closed Floor PlanClosed Floor PlanRooms are separated Rooms are separated & self-contained & self-contained (typically in Private (typically in Private Zone)Zone)

Advantages: Privacy, Advantages: Privacy, contains heat & noisecontains heat & noise

Drawbacks: less Drawbacks: less community feel, not community feel, not as good for as good for entertainingentertaining

Traffic PatternsTraffic PatternsThe paths people The paths people take as they walk take as they walk from room to room from room to room during everyday during everyday activities.activities.

A well-designed A well-designed floor plan provides floor plan provides convenient convenient pathways to all pathways to all areas of the home.areas of the home.