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    The Interior Design Sourcebook
    The Interior Design Sourcebook
    The Interior Design Sourcebook
    Ebook395 pages1 hour

    The Interior Design Sourcebook

    By Thomas L. Williams

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    About this ebook

    Concrete that is light and translucent, fabric that responds to its environment by lighting up, tiles that can be moved from place to place at willthese are just a few of the updated entries you’ll find in The Interior Design Directory. The book is divided into four parts, opening with a section on classic, composite materials including wood and stone, brick, and ceramic, then moving on to building materials that have been refined and updated for home use from glass, concrete, and metal to rubber and tiles. The final section is devoted to sustainable materials and the environmental impact of our choices. Photographs of contemporary interiors and detailed close-ups of each material make this as visually inspiring as it is practical.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAllworth
    Release dateJan 12, 2012
    ISBN9781621532941
    The Interior Design Sourcebook
    Author

    Thomas L. Williams

    Thomas L. Williams is the author of 20/20: IFDA’s Vision for the Future, a series of articles on design and the business of interior design, and has taught business practices for interior designers at Monterey Peninsula College. As a cofounder of Hale-Williams Interior Design, he has drawn on his years of experience with interior design firms to create seminars and multi-day classes for private schools. Williams, along with his business partner, Robert Hale, is the coauthor of Starting Your Career as an Interior Designer. He lives in Carmel, California.

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      Book preview

      The Interior Design Sourcebook - Thomas L. Williams

      INTRODUCTION

      Timeless and Enduring: Clasic

      With its wealth of natural resources, our planet has been the repository of all we use in our daily lives, both for sustenance and shelter, since long before recorded time. Stone, wood, and metal ores were among the first items manipulated by man, and our ability to mold these items to our needs continues to this day. With the advent of farming and herding, we learned how to use fibers and fabrics for our comfort and adornment. During the renaissance, we learned to fashion natural elements into astounding displays of architectural and aesthetic beauty. Artisans, builders, and craftsmen envisioned and created works of art in every genre to please the eye, satisfy the soul, and surround us in comfort.

      Since man combined tin and copper to create bronze, he has continued to look for ways to produce new and durable metals. by the early 18th century, with the advent of the industrial revolution, man began to manipulate elements in previously unthought-of ways. by the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the development of strong structural metals helped create the cityscapes we know today and the buildings in which most of us live. Since the middle of the 18th century, furniture makers, upholsterers, and sundry craftsmen have endeavored to procure and manipulate a wealth of natural and man-made resources when producing interiors for clients far and wide.

      Today’s interior design professionals have at their command a plethora of materials, fabrics, colors, items, and tools to produce some of the most beautiful and creative interiors in the world. With this breadth of choice comes an overwhelming array of elements, items, and possibilities. understanding the resources with which we work is part and parcel of our job as professional interior designers. It is up to us to understand which element is the correct choice for a particular application and explain to our clientele why it is so. As professionals we need to understand how a product or element is grown, manufactured, or produced to have a clear idea of how best to use it in any given installation.

      The Interior Design Sourcebook is designed to help you and your client understand what an element is and how it might be used in today’s modern interior designs. From classic and traditional materials to the most cutting-edge, sustainable, and ecofriendly ones, this book will defne the elements of interior design, discuss their applications and uses, and direct you to the best possible resources to find everything needed to complete a refned and elegant interior.

      Starting with classic elements like stone, wood, fibers, and metals, The Interior Design Sourcebook considers new uses and applications for traditional materials. Durable and reassuring, these elements have nonetheless been manipulated to be even more enduring and usable. Professional interior designers need to understand the changes and adaptations that have been made to best utilize these elements.

      Contemporary elements encompass those used first in industrial or commercial applications before fnding their way, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, into residential use. It was during this period that concrete, steel, and structural elements began to play a larger part in interior design, and understanding how to use these elements in less-rigid residential interiors without giving up their inherent noble characteristics is part of understanding how they are made and used today.

      Professional interior design has experienced explosive growth since the end of World War II, and the use of both classic and contemporary elements has created the modern interiors we currently enjoy. Modern elements are a combination of classic sensibilities and an out-of-the-box approach to application and function. Fabrics that change with the light and concrete that is almost transparent create a sense of drama and excitement while allowing modern interiors to remain warm and inviting.

      As we have become more attuned to our needs and the needs of the planet as a whole, we’ve learned to appreciate and embrace reclaimed and recycled elements. Many of these elements, too, have come from commercial and industrial areas into our homes, and understanding their origins will help when deciding what application is best for you and your client. The reclamation of elements and the use of secondhand materials has become one of the standard tools of our trade, and sustainability has come to the fore as one of the most important aspects of material acquisition and use. our understanding of how an element is created helps us make thoughtful and sensitive decisions about its use within modern interior design installations.

      Appropriate choices made in an effcient and thoughtful manner will help any professional interior designer satisfy his or her clientele and, at the same time, create sumptuous and refined interiors. A clear and complete understanding of resources and acquisition will help make any designer’s job easier and more rewarding. The Interior Design Sourcebook provides the tools necessary to meet client obligations, satisfy aesthetic parameters, meet ecological considerations, and produce interiors that will provide functional and comfortable surroundings.

      PART ONE

      TIMELESS AND ENDURING: CLASSIC

      Classic materials are those with which we have a long and productive history. elements such as wood, stone, and fabric have long been used to great advantage in interior design and continue to this day to provide warmth, reassurance, and a quiet sense of serenity. In short, these elements are the foundation on which most interior designers base their projects. We are comfortable with these elements because we know them so well. We know how to use them to our best advantage; we are comfortable with installation and application; we understand their characteristics. Most of us grew up with the warm, rich glow of beautifully polished wood finishes and the intricate and interesting way in which the grain of wood plays with the curve of a chair leg or headboard. We understand the cool, elegant appeal of marble and stone, which enhance the beauty of other elements in a room. classic elements provide a sense of security and permanence. Are they, therefore, too restrained and conservative to be actually usable in today’s interiors? Of course not.

      The essence of appropriate application is in the new and exciting ways in which classic elements are used today. Wood is combined with glues and high heat to produce strong and durable beams for construction as well as light and easily manipulated panels for furniture and paneling. Marble has come up from the floor and is used on walls and even ceilings as an expression of a more updated aesthetic. These elements are as vital a part of the whole as when they were first used centuries ago.

      The true building blocks of design, these elements are easily sourced and installed. We all have a very clear understanding of how they are manufactured and used in both traditional and modern interiors. each is highly adaptable to the needs of the professional interior designer and the requirements of residential interior installations.

      Stone

      The oldest of all the elements on earth, stone is the epitome of durability and permanence. Stone can impart a refined and elegant look or a downright rustic appeal. Which stone is selected and how it is finished defnes its ultimate expression. From heroic, columned Federal buildings to sleek, refned contemporary interiors, stone always conveys a sense of power and permanence.

      As a dense material, stone is slow to gather heat and slow to release it. This particular attribute makes stone a wonderful choice for spaces designed with passive solar heating in mind, as well as spaces using underfloor heating systems. Stone is used in construction in areas of the world that experience hot summers and cool or cold winters because of its ability to retain and release heat slowly.

      Although exceptionally hard and unyielding, stone is not completely solid. even granite must be sealed after installation to help prevent stains and spots associated with use. Stone is also very heavy, and it requires expert installation to ensure that cracks don’t appear under floors and on countertops. extra support must always be used when installing flooring or counters to support the additional weight stone brings to any use. The precise fabrication techniques used and the expert installation required add to the cost of stone. It still remains, however, the first choice of many clients and professional interior designers for floors, countertops, and bathrooms. As

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