Stage 4 - Layout and white modelling

Stage 4 - Floor Plans & White Modelling

We have established via the design brief all of the main elements that the client wants to include in their new home. This information is vital for informing the floor plan.

When looking at the floor plan, you are looking at the flow between rooms and the ergonomics of the home. It will also help you to plot furniture placement, areas that require joinery and where you want to include any interior architecture.

The floor plan will likely have many iterations until you land on the very best solution in every room. Once the floor plan is finalised, you can now move on to the 3D white models.

For the fourth and final stage of my 4-step process, we are focusing on floor plans and white modelling.

3D White Models

At my studio, we always create 3D white models of the interior architecture to give the client a tangible sense of how the design will look in reality. Often clients can struggle to visualise how a room might look, so this stage can be incredibly useful.

Just as the name describes, the 3D models are made entirely in shades of white and don't give any representation of material or colour. They are purely to convey layout, furniture placement and interior architecture detailing.

These 3D white models are created by importing the architect's CAD model into a program called 'SketchUp', which enables you to develop these 3D images. This is a relatively easy programme to get to grips with, so if you haven't already started with it, get stuck in!

At this stage, nothing is final, and you may find yourself creating multiple options before landing on the final decision.

3D white models can also be invaluable when costing up inbuilt furniture and joinery designs.

FF&E

When explaining FF&E to my clients (an acronym for fixtures, fittings and equipment), I ask them to visualise picking up their house and turning it upside down. Anything that falls out comes under FF&E, and anything that remains fixed is classed as interior architecture.

FF&E encompasses items such as lamps, rugs, furniture, accessories whereas interior architecture is joinery, built-in furniture, kitchens and bathrooms.