FT NEWS

If you are planning to construct or renovate your home, it is essential to know the difference between an architect and an interior designer. Both architects and interior designers are involved with designing homes and other building projects, and their scope of work is different, though linked. This article will clear all the confusion and give you a clear picture about whether you should appoint an architect or an interior designer for designing your home.

Who is an architect and who is an interior designer?
The primary difference between an architect and an interior designer is in terms of their educational qualification.

• An architect studies architecture for a period of five years to earn a bachelor’s degree in architecture. They are registered with the COA (Council of Architecture), which is constituted by the Government of India, and have the authority to get the building plans sanctioned from the local development authority. An architect may study further and attain a master’s degree with specialisation in the field of landscape, urban design, conservation and so on.
• An interior designer can practise after completing an interior design course. The different levels of qualification include a bachelor’s degree, a diploma or a certificate in interior design. The duration of a bachelor’s degree course is between three and five years, a diploma course takes between one and two years, and a certificate course is for a shorter duration, ranging from six months to a year.

What is the scope of work of an architect and an interior designer?
The scope of work of architects and interior designers covers different aspects of the same project.

Architect

• The chief responsibility of an architect is to design the building according to the client’s requirements and as per the local building bye-laws. The building design takes care of factors such as the form of the building, facade treatment, internal planning, building services, orientation of the building according to the sun path and so on.
• Once the design of the project is finalised, the building plans are submitted by the architect to the local development authority so that the building can get sanctioned and the construction work can start.
• After the building is sanctioned, technical working drawings are furnished by the architect and released for construction of the building to different contractors. The different types of drawings include the structural and foundation details, brickwork details, position and size of doors and windows, plumbing and electrical layouts.
• The architect also co-ordinates with the various contractors on site and supervises the overall construction work to enable smooth execution and completion of the project.

Interior designer

• After a building is constructed, it is the interior designer’s responsibility to beautify the indoor space and make it livable.
• The interior designer works out the furniture layouts as per the homeowner’s requirements, to achieve maximum utility and beauty within the built space.
• Specific working drawings are furnished and handed over to different contractors so that they can execute the specified work at site. The drawings also mention the materials and finishes for various items of work, such as the woodwork, flooring, false ceiling and so on.
• An interior designer is also involved with the selection of furnishing, textiles, drapery, hardware, colour combinations, paint colours and wall paper to complete the look of the interiors.
• An interior designer co-ordinates with various interior design contractors to ensure a smooth work flow and timely completion of the project.

So, if you are planning to construct a home from scratch, you will need to appoint an architect as well as an interior designer.

If you only want to renovate the interiors of your home then you need to appoint an interior designer.

What are the similarities between an architect and an interior designer?

• Both architects and interior designers are responsible for creating an efficient spatial relationship between the indoors and outdoors, and the residents and how they use the house, by developing plans for the building. Their main aim is to create a highly functional space that can cater to the present and future requirements of the homeowner.
• Architects and interior designers have a creative and artistic bent of mind with problem-solving skills, which are used to design an aesthetically pleasing space.
• Both these professionals use similar software such as CAD (computer aided design) to generate presentation drawings and working drawings that are fit for execution on site.