Internal Audit

Interior Design Audit checklist

The interior design audit checklist is an element that enhances the beauty of the environment that suits your lifestyle, ensuring a space that is visually appealing and functional. The interior design audit checklist includes various materials that escalate the space of the house by choosing colors, patterns, pieces of art, etc. Interior designing can be overwhelming, as most of the time many things get left out when folks plan interiors for their home decorations. It is often seen that without an interior design audit checklist various issues pop out, such as budget creep, last-minute hurdles to get everything in order, etc. The interior audit checklist ensures that the latest trends with the designs and materials are used for increasing the visual appeal and function of the interior space of a house.

While designing the interior of a house or a room, various decisions have to be taken very carefully such as choosing the right color, selecting of perfect furniture, and various other accessories. This interior design audit checklist comes into the picture to have an organized method during the designing process, a track on the development and requirements ensuring that every material and element is aligned with the space according to the visualization and intentions.

Holistic Interior Design Review

Interior designing can be overwhelming, thus interior design audit checklist comes into the picture for seasoned interior design professionals, so that they can manage the interior designing and have tracking on such process, and to avoid any mismatch while selecting the materials for the home decor. It is common for people to make silly mistakes while designing home interiors, therefore it’s important to have an interior design audit checklist, to track and manage the entire interior design very carefully. A lack of proper planning and project tracking system results in increasing the budget and delays in the interior design project of a home.

An interior design audit checklist is a very important tool for an interior design project of a house or a room so that such projects are executed seamlessly without any mismatch as per the visualizations and no extra cost is added upon. Indeed, designing a house in itself is a task as many things have to come in alignment such as meeting the demands of all family member’s tastes and choices in consideration. Hence it is recommended to prepare a room-by-room interior audit checklist to make the journey of the interior process less daunting.

Therefore, a thorough interior audit checklist helps professionals and individuals to build a systematic planning, and preparation within a pre-specified budget for a respective interior home design. A checklist is a kind of aid for reducing failure by compensating with pre-planned measures before implementation.

Why Interior Design audit checklist?

The interior design audit checklist also ensures that projects on the interior design are tracked, to have details information on how much development has been covered by the designers and their coworkers. Having a detailed interior design audit checklist assists the designer in not forgetting things that are crucial for the interior projects. It also helps the designer and individuals to keep track of the project and its progress and most importantly it cuts down the limit of expenses to a large extent.

Interior designing is a comprehensive complex project, that requires a detail-oriented and passionate professional for efficient working of the interior design project. There are several activities involved in this interior design project, and it is quite common for people and professionals to miss out on or forget some things that are crucial for the comfort and efficient functionality of a space. Thus, an interior design audit checklist plays a crucial role in avoiding such irregularities and falls.

Just imagine a situation where you have designed and decorated the entire interior design project and taken care of every small thing, but you forgot to fix a hanger in the washroom. Does it make any difference? Yes, it does. To avoid such a small fallout the interior design audit checklist ensures it covers every single requirement in the interior design project. 

Therefore, it is always recommended to have a plan on the interior design audit checklist, so that nothing is left out and to have complete control over the needs and requirements before executing the interior project, within the budget.

What are the 8 interior design elements?

Interior design is a method of giving the seamless shape of an interior space of a building through various elements by manipulations of spatial volume, surface detailing, lighting, and furnishings. However, the term interior can be given to a design within a structure that is mostly connected to describing the design of interior spaces in homes, offices, and various other public places.

Indeed, interior design is a sophisticated complex profession that includes conceptual idea and development, space planning, inspections of sites, research, programming, presentations, constructions and various other administrations.

The most common eight elements of interior design that are part of the interior design audit checklist are line, form, space, color, texture, scale, proportion, and pattern.

What is phase 3 of the interior design process?

Phase 3 of the interior design process is the final steps, which include the selection and placement of furnishing and finishes, this should be done very diligently ensuring that all elements are aligned in their place.

While choosing or selecting the materials for furnishing and finishes, an interior design audit checklist shall ensure that the style of the space, function of the room, and budget are considered. It also includes considering the space size and layouts as well as the amount of lightning and various other color schemes.

For a good interior design, the elements have to be such that it is functional as well as stylish. One should ensure that the rooms don’t look cluttered or overwhelming at the same time, so one should always keep this in mind while choosing pieces that should be practical and comfortable simultaneously.

Interior design audit checklist also has to ensure that, while choosing the furnishings and finishes, the size of a room and layout has to be taken care of, so that it can be arranged in such a way that there is no traffic flow and make sense for a room.

Adding to it phase 3 of the interior design process includes placing the curtains, artwork, rugs, etc for smooth detailing and enhancement to the room décor.

What is the basis of the interior audit checklist?

Designing the interior of a house or office can be fun and exciting at the same time, however, one should understand the basic requirements or elements for creating a good interior design. Given below are the major basic elements that every interior professional must know:

Balance

Each plan must have a balance so that no elements are misplaced or look uneven in an inappropriate place. An interior planner or a designer must ensure that every element or materials are evenly distributed so that the interior spaces look stable and harmonious. One can create a balance in multiple ways, but most of the time, balance is achieved through symmetrical and asymmetrical elements together.

Proportion

Proportion is another important thing; a designer must keep in mind while making an interior audit checklist. This means an equal contribution has to be taken care of while putting elements in the interior spaces, it is therefore important to ensure that each element’s size is in proportion to the other so that the space does not look chaotic and disjointed.

Rhythm

Rhythm signifies the principle of repetition and variation. An interior design should ensure that a space has a sense of movement and flow, by repeating the same pattern throughout the space or by using in a sequence a different element.

Contrast

Contrast means the opposite. For better detailing and visual effect, an interior designer can use two different colors together, so that the differences in the spaces are highlighted and gives a strong visual effect.

What are the steps in the Interior design audit checklist?

Interior design audit checklists are the procedures to achieve seamless operations while designing the interior space, interior design usually reflects the needs and wants of every member of that house or building. A designer shall try to achieve according to the requirements of the members of that particular interior space. It involves everything considering from selecting the color, paintings, furniture, décor, etc.

Given below is the list of steps that should be taken care of by the interior professionals while performing the interior project:

Planning

Every project shall have a legitimate plan before operating the projects for effective results, the same goes with interior design, an interior professional must always have an interior audit checklist in hand so that no discrepancies occur after the work is completed. It is the responsibility of the interior professionals to inquire and have a chat with the clients or customers to know more about their lifestyles, likes, dislikes, etc, and what they expect from this interior project.

Thus, the interior professionals after collecting such information, shall create a preliminary plan to design the interior space of the respective customers. Proper drafting, sketches, PPT, etc shall be shown for better visualization of the interior project.

Execution

After finalizing the plan, an interior professional shall execute the interior project according to the interior design audit checklist. This includes purchasing furniture, and décor to fixing the materials, sometimes by engaging a contractor to carry out the interior design project. A professional interior designer must keep his customers updated with the interior project development and answer all the queries of their clients.

Final touches

Once the interior design project is completed, an interior designer shall give his final touch to enhance the space, this may include things such as adding accessories, pieces of artwork, adjustments of lightning, etc. Once everything is perfect, an interior designer shall give his client a walkthrough of the space and meet all the requirements of the customers.

What are the key elements of the interior design audit checklist?

There are many key elements of the interior design audit checklist that are to be taken care of for an effective and efficient interior design project. Depending on project to project, various interior audit checklists may defer meeting the specific needs and requirements of the customers. This interior audit checklist includes choosing the furniture and accessories to fix according to the colors and textures that are chosen for the rooms. Given below are the common elements of interior design that are to be taken care of by the designer, to avoid any discrepancies and unmatched with the requirements.

Color

Color plays a very significant role in enlightening the room environment. Color also signifies the mood and feelings of the people, so one should always ensure that the right choice of color is selected for a room. Such as different colors for different rooms and utilities like on walls, flooring, furniture, bathrooms, etc.

Texture

The texture is another important element that has to be taken care of under the interior design audit checklist, as it adds to the visual effect of the room and enhances the cohesive looks of the room. Various textures can be used in various elements such as fabrics on the sofa, the roughness of stone tiles in the bathroom, etc.

Furniture

An interior designer in his interior design audit checklist shall also include that the furniture for the rooms is chosen very carefully, such that it is comfortable and stylish at the same time. One should ensure that the size and layout of the space are such that selected furniture has a space on it.

Accessories

Accessories are those elements in the interior of a room, that reflect the personality of a person, thus under the interior design audit checklist, a designer shall have a chat with his client to understand his tastes and likings. Accordingly, accessories have to be chosen that are both functional as well as decorative, enhancing a unique look as a whole.

Lighting

Lighting is a very important element in uplifting the room’s textures and vibe, good lighting makes a room brighter and spacious. The interior design audit checklist shall ensure that the interior designer has selected the right type of lighting for a specific space in the right place.

Layout

Lastly, the layout of the room spaces, the layout of the room reflects how one will feel inside the specific space and how functional it is. The size and shape of the room shall be considered so that better and more efficient requirements are fulfilled.

Best Practices on Interior Design Audit Checklist

  Some of the common best practices on the Interior Design audit checklist are:

Know Your Client (KYC)

For a successful implementation of an interior project, a designer must have a complete understanding of the requirements such as their likings, visualizations, and overall expectations from their clients. Knowing your client will help the designer execute the project according to the specialized requirements of the client.

Define a clear Interior Design Objective

To achieve a seamless successful finish on the interior design, an interior designer must have a plan and objectives on how to achieve successful expectations of the client’s requirements. This objective must be planned out at the beginning of the project like maximizing the space and providing a cosy boutique residential space.

Professionals and Experience

Interior designing is complex and requires a detail-oriented and creative mind. For tailoring the requirements of a client, a professional and experienced interior designer is required for seamless operations of the interior project.

Resources and Materials

One of the major elements of the interior design project is to make a correct choice and selection of resources and materials that are used for the interior project.

Market Trends

The interior designing industry is an ever-changing landscape, various new materials always get updated from time to time. One should always keep updated and informed with the latest trends, to avoid an outdated experience in your interior space.

Presentation of Scheme

It is the responsibility of the interior designer to prepare a concise and coherent presentation on the interior design they have planned for the clients, this will help the clients to have a complete idea of how the project is going to look.

Staying with the pre-defined budget

Interior designing requires a hefty amount of money thus, one should always have a systematic interior audit design checklist to avoid any mismanagement and overbudgeting in decorating your interior. We don’t often design our home interior, so an interior design has to be done so efficiently as it stays with us for more than 10 years, therefore one should always use the best materials in the market while designing and decorating your home.

An interior design audit checklist helps the designer maintain the specific pre-decided budget for an interior design project. Through this, a designer very cautiously and carefully selects things or materials according to the budget allocation for every room, ensuring which part is going to cost how much.

Using Sustainable Materials for Interior Design

With the growing industry, environmental control has been a crucial part of day-to-day business to take control and maintain a sustainable approach towards business operations. The same goes with the interior designing project, they are recommended to use sustainable materials to minimize the carbon footprint and provide a healthy and safe environment.

One of the major benefits of using sustainable materials is that they provide a uniqueness to the home décor. Most of the home décor sustainable materials are handmade and have a distinct uniqueness in textures, and colors which often create a truly personalized experience and space inside the interior of a room. An expert professional in interior design with their interior design audit checklist, can assist individuals in decorating their interior by using various sustainable materials, in creative and unique ways.  For example, using recycled glass, wood, etc.

List of Materials under the Interior Audit Checklist

Given below is the common master list that is to be considered during the interior audit checklist or the interior design phase:

Kitchen

Items like Cabinets, pantry units, Specific corner units, countertops, appliances, breakfast counter, bar tools, chairs, lights, sinks, etc. are the common things that are to be part of the interior audit checklist so that no discrepancies occur during the interior design process.

Utility

Counter, sink, plumbing, storage unit, etc.

Living and dining room

Foyer unit, crockery unit, TV unit, television, false ceiling, Pooja unit, wall paneling, sofa set, center table, side tables, dining table, chairs, bar unit, stools, etc.

Bedrooms/ entertainment Room/ study

Wardrobe, TV unit, television, size of TV for space planning, dressing space, false roofing, study unit, bookshelf, sofa cum bed, couch, children’s bed, etc.

Bathrooms

Storage units, mirrors, shower partition, bathtub, jacuzzi, various other sanitary ware, tiling, flooring, and side rails.

Electrical Work

Geygers, fans, air conditioners, light fittings etc.

Painting

Wall painting, textures, wallpaper, artwork, wall cladding etc.

Other Miscellaneous

Staircase beautification, storage, specialty pillars, flooring, landscaping, grill work, curtain rods, soundproofing, etc.

Conclusion

Designing a home interior is sometimes overwhelming and requires a huge amount to meet the multiple levels of tasks and stages of the interior project. It indeed involves a complex number of tasks and stages such as layout approval, choosing colors, accessories, furnishing, etc.  One can easily forget the list of items and stages to cover under this project.

However, interior designing is not just to make your home look beautiful but also reflect your personality thus creating a living environment with an exclusive feeling of belonging.

But if you have an interior design audit checklist, you can efficiently plan and prepare, review, and track the procedures etc within a specified budget. This article has covered all the required interior design audit checklists that should be taken care of for anyone planning for interior décor for their house, office, etc.

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