Designing Functional Interiors & Interior Design Unit Designing Functional Interiors & Floor Plans

Floor Plans: Scale diagrams of a space as seen from above. They are architectural drawings and have to be precise.

Housing Zones Well-designed homes divide the space into zones. Each contains areas with similar functions. When a home is zoned, activities are less likely to cause conflict.

3 Most Common Housing Zones: 1. Private Zone Quiet, comfortable areas for sleeping & relaxing, and privacy for bathing & dressing Usually bedrooms & bathrooms

2. Service Zone For household work Kitchen, laundry room, workshop, garage…

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

Open Floor Plan When few dividing walls separate rooms (typically in Social Zone) Advantages: Entertaining, lighting, easy to move furniture Drawbacks: hard to heat, no privacy, noise

Closed Floor Plan Rooms are separated & self-contained (typically in Private Zone) Advantages: Privacy, contains heat & noise Drawbacks: less community feel, not as good for entertaining

Traffic Patterns The paths people take as they walk from room to room during everyday activities. A well-designed floor plan provides convenient pathways to all areas of the home.