Storytelling is the strategy of communicating ideas and experiences, and its application in interior design is gaining immense popularity. When you walk into a space, you create a personal narrative based on the visuals. The intentional use of a curated combination of elements is meant to convey the desired story. The designers bring the desired emotions, direct the traffic flow, or concentrate attention on carefully chosen objects.
The design narrative for a home focuses on telling the story of the family that lives there. The story can reflect people’s journey, passions, and aspirations. On the other hand, storytelling in interior design for commercial spaces focuses more on attracting customers with uniqueness and providing an excellent experience that aligns with the brand image. Designers are challenged to translate the brand culture into the interior while minding the other crucial aspects. The design supports decision-making and problem-solving, leading to enhances customer satisfaction. In addition, the space delivers an outstanding branded experience.
Examples Of Narrative In Interior Design
We can take Wabi-Sabi as a clear example of narrative in interior design. The trending Japanese aesthetic embraces the beauty of imperfection. The chips and cracks on a vase aren’t seen as a flaw but rather a detail that reveals a lot about the object’s past. Aged materials with clear signs of wear and tear are considered examples of the life changes we celebrate.
For commercial spaces, creating a design narrative is different. The hospitality projects should convey a compelling story to attract visitors, and there are many ways to do it. The history of the building can become an excellent starting point for the story. Bio habitat buildings seamlessly blend into the surrounding, offering close relationships with nature. Some like to incorporate the cultural element in the design, displaying mesmerizing artwork for the customers to enjoy. Innovation can also become the central point for storytelling, with unique concepts that stretch the limits.
The innovative concept of storytelling in interior design includes all senses for the ultimate user experience. The design should tell a story through the combination of visuals, smells, sounds, and sensing the proportion by moving through the area. The chronological setting guides the visitor through the story, creating a memorable experience that they will be excited to share with friends and acquaintances.
Similar to hotels and restaurants, the office design will convey a story that aligns with the brand image. It creates a pleasant visual and emotional experience for the employees and prospective clients.
Why Does Narrative Make A Difference In Interior Design
A proper narrative will empower the brand while providing cohesiveness and marketing advantage. The remarkable story will turn into your unique selling point.
Storytelling in interior design is meant to fuse functionality and aesthetics while bringing emotional meaning to the space. Designers will develop a unique concept that offers a new perspective of the space. Also, it is essential to note that the design narrative is timeless and doesn’t follow the current trends. It is all about coming up with a narrative that will amaze your customers, motivating them to return and become your advocates.
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Storytelling In Creating A Design Brief
The design narrative sums up the design components and features. Instead of just presenting facts, the design solutions can be presented in the form of a story. This will further explain the concept and make it straightforward for everyone. Combining detailed research and knowing your brand character is the key to creating a unique story.
Creating a good design brief that clearly conveys the designer’s ideas is crucial. The brief doesn’t only contain the technical details and specifications. Storytelling in interior design can help explain the vision. Think of using mood boards as a great solution to support your ideas. Even metaphors and short descriptions will help translate the concepts better than simple adjectives. By implementing storytelling in the design brief, you explain the challenges of the interior’s purpose and describe the function of different areas.
The Process Of Storytelling
One of the aspects of interior design is to bring positive emotions into people’s lives. Interior designers will work closely with their clients to understand the brand and develop a memorable story that delivers the ultimate customer experience. They will ask lots of questions to understand the customers, consumer behaviour, and pain points.
Crafting the design narrative requires three key steps: intention, intuition, and implementation. The designers will use their intuition to develop an ideal ratio of functionality and emotional value. Implementation is the final step of the process, which includes visualizing the ideas. Designers will use sketches and 3D models to present their ideas in a physical form.
Components Of Narrative In Interior Design
The design narrative should match the people who use it and the brand identity. The components of storytelling in interior design are: Context, Plot and Structure.
Context
The context is the starting point for the interior designer, which will be used as a base for the following components. This is the thing that the designer will further modify to convey the desired mood. The actual space is the blank canvas that they will work with. However, designers can also help you define the context before the construction process starts. Some of the key aspects that they consider are location, sun direction, unit status, neighbourhood, and the type of people that will walk through the streets.
Plot
The design narrative includes a few focal points connected with each other. The carefully planned layout will define the customer flow. The main story will help designers determine what type of objects should become a focal point. Together with the walls and flooring, the carefully chosen objects will convey the desired story.
Structure
The structure refers to how you organize the story, which defines how the user will experience it. Designers will use dynamic approaches to catch the attention, such as contrast and rhythm. With these methods, they can make a clear difference between the focal points and routes that connect them. The designer and client work closely to define unique ways of communicating the story through architectural details.
Final Thoughts
A space without a narrative feels empty and lifeless. For commercial interior design, this can make a huge difference in profitability. Despite offering an unforgettable experience, a good story is a unique selling point for a business.
We at Tanic Design understand the need for conveying your story to the space. If you need help designing a space that aligns with your ideas, get in touch with us.
