Assume that you have decided, after talking to an interior designer, that you want the minimalist interior design style for the property you just bought. Even the contemporary interior design style caught your eye and the clean features of the industrial style seemed attractive as well. But did you know that these different interior design styles dawn very different looks when applied to residential and commercial settings? A residential minimalist design comes no where near to its commercial counterpart in terms of aesthetics, furniture, colour of the walls, lights, decor items, and others.
Residential and commercial design is very different. And although many interior designers claim that they can do both, only a trained expert can work in the overlapping region where the design for one does not look like the other. You need to clearly understand the difference between residential and commercial interior designs before hiring an expert firm because the requirements and scopes are very different.
Residential Interior Design
A 1/2/3-BHK apartment, a duplex, a bungalow, villa, farmhouse, penthouse or even a condo is a residential complex. As you may know, these are places where people live and you must hire an interior designer who can make the places liveable.
A residential interior designer will work directly with you. Every design aspect will be personalised to your liking. You will choose the colour of your wall, the size of your bed, the grandeur of the chandelier or the poster in the living room. The interior design will bring your personal items together to look aesthetically beautiful. The overall decor will be inviting and calming and only fit your preference.
In residential design, the scope of custom furniture is massive. You may choose the partition style of your cabinet or the design concept of your bookshelf. As the homeowner, you have complete freedom to design your home in any way you want, without thinking much about productivity or cost-effectivity.
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Commercial Interior Design
The first outright difference between residential and commercial design is the target of interior decor. In commercial spaces, an interior designer has to keep the needs of the many in mind rather than an individual. Desk heights have to match every employee or visitor and the design concept should be soothing to a large number of people. The client is now a brand, not a person. The need changes from warmth and comfort into efficiency and productivity.
Custom furnishing has limited scope in commercial spaces. Yes, a business owner may choose to get custom chairs built but that is generally not cost-effective for the company. Also, most commercial interior designers rely on a few specific industrial design templates because the concepts have proven to boost productivity.
You hire a commercial interior designer to design your school building, restaurant floor, company headquarters, or grocery store. Even hospitals, theatres, clubs, museums, sports facilities and any other business area, all come under the umbrella of commercial designing.
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Residential and commercial design – the difference at a glance
We can quickly summarize the main pointers as follows.
Residential design
- Meant for homes, apartments, bungalows, farmhouses, and others
- Personalisation is a key element of the interior design
- The designer deals with the homeowner directly
- Custom furnishing take the center-stage
- Comfort and luxury are major design requirements
- Sub-specialties include kitchen design, garden design, master bathroom design, and more
- No specific template is available. More than one design category can merge to create a homely feeling
Commercial design
- Meant for offices, restaurants, shopping malls, general stores, and others
- Productivity has to outshine all other design elements
- Branding is important – the client is not an individual
- Mass market furniture help with cost-effectiveness
- Smooth flow of business and credibility are the design requirements
- Sub-specialties include mall food court design, standalone stores, franchise restaurants, and more
- Specific design templates are available that help with business efficiency and branding
As evident, the nuances of residential and commercial design are very different.
Hire the experts for the best interior designing
You need an interior designer who specifically understands the varying needs. You need a designer who can design your residential property as your home and your commercial space as your office. At Alive Studio, we are experts in both residential and commercial design and deliver exactly what you should expect.
We separate out the involved design requirements. We think luxury during home designs and prioritise productivity in office designs. Alive Studio has already worked with multiple homeowners and enterprises to bring only the best decor for your space and make your property stand out.
