Why is space planning important?

Space planning is such a crucial aspect of any design, it allows time to identify what is working in the space and offer options of elements that could be reconfigured to achieve better functionality and flow for a space.

When I meet with our clients for our first in person design meeting, I like to ask the simple or not so simple question. What do you like about your space? Often client’s pause to think about the space, coming up with items they seem surprised about. Sometimes it is I like the amount of natural light; I like how open the space is… Then we will often look at inspiration images. Some clients have a very clear path laid out at this point, between a clear direction based on their answers of what they like about their space and continuity in the inspiration images selected. Other clients select very different inspiration images and again we revisit what they like or dislike in each to form a clearer direction for the new design.

After this meeting, I create a drawing with accurate measurements of our client’s space in my design program. From there I am able to create within the specified parameters of the space and incorporate the design details our client specified during our meeting. Once this is complete, I gather physical samples and return to our client’s home for a second design meeting. Here is when we really dive into the space planning, I explain using floor plans and renderings how I used space planning in their design. We ensure each aspect is exactly to their liking before continuing. Once the layout is locked in, we go through the material selected for the space. Without space planning, the construction phase of the project would have little to no direction, it would become a trial and error, based on the visual desire of the space but would have no specifications to base placement, layout, material selection, etc. off of. Can you imagine, your bathroom is completely demolished, you haven’t done any space planning and your contractor is moving a toilet around the open space to see if anything seems to look right!? Really it would be a best guess situation! Some things in life are good to leave to chance… but this is not one of them.

I like to remind myself the way that my creative brain works isn’t necessarily the same as the way other people’s brain’s work, when I step into a space my brain turns onto autopilot, what I would rearrange in the space, colour selections, material choices, décor ideas… the drawing’s, the space planning automatically developing. I can already visualize how the space will transform. The great part about the visual aids of space planning is it works for all brains (haha sounds funny) but what I mean is you don’t need to be able to imagine it in your mind, you can visually see how the space will come to life through the space planning design stage and drawings.