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CHALLENGE: How important is it to
keep accurate measurements when working with floor plans and elevations?
I seem to be having trouble transferring my thought process onto paper.
Could you please offer some suggestions and tools that will assist me
with my floor plans? I have not received any guidance on this part of
the design process.
SOLUTION: Accurate, appropriate and
well-understood floor plans and measurements are required for anyone working
with interior spaces.
The ability to draw a room to accurate scale and then implement those
measurements into real-life scenarios is absolutely necessary. I will
offer some necessary points of reference to help you get started.
Tools Required: Floor plans are required of interior spaces to
accurately depict the size of the space. Most designers will draw floor
plans to a scale of 1/4-inch equals one foot. In other words, every foot
of space is rendered as 1/4-inch on a drawn floor plan.
An architect’s scale can be purchased at an office supply or drafting
supply store to help in drawing floor plans on non-ruled paper. Drafting
paper ruled in a 1/4-inch scale or vellum also may be used to draw your
floor plans.
Some additional tools to get you started would be:
• Drafting tape—to secure your drawing to the drafting table
• Mechanical pencils in various lead sizes
• Drawing erasers
• Erasing shield
• Triangles—for drawing lines that are not horizontal
• T-squares—to draw horizontal and vertical lines
• Compass—to draw circles, arcs and radii
• 1/4-inch residential templates—to draw in accurate furniture
sizes
• Drawing board
• Protractor—for measuring angles
• Watercolor or acrylic paints to enhance your drawings
Procedure: A quick lesson in drawing to scale:
Walk into a room with pencil and paper in hand and on your drawing paper
accurately mark your point of entry. Start with a rough sketch of the
space in the form of a bubble diagram. That is, plot the room by sketching
out simple circles and label the spaces. Then, refine your drawing by
measuring the space with a heavy-duty tape measure. Record your measurements
in feet and inches.
As I walk into a room, I always start from the left and move to the right.
That way I am always sure of the areas I have measured. Remember to include
all wall breaks, window areas, doorways, etc.
Now, take your measurements and transfer them to a 1/4-inch scale drawing.
This will take some calculations.
Elevation Drawings: There are three types of perspectives:
1. One-point—parallel
2. Two-point—angular
3. Three-point—oblique perspective (Gener-ally for tall, commercial
type buildings.)
Elevation drawings usually are rendered to a scale of one inch equals
one foot. This assists your client in getting a true visual representation
of what the space will look like. An elevation drawing is viewed as if
you were viewing a photograph of a room. The room is in perspective.
This skill will take some time to develop as practice is needed to learn
this process. There are many books that will help guide you through the
process. The book Architecture—Residential Drawing and Design by
Clois E. Kicklighter, Joan C. Kicklighter and Ronald J. Baird is recommended.
It is a text I use in my classes.
There are additional books and magazines that also show floor plans and
elevations that can be purchased over the counter. Magazines specializing
in house plans are excellent sources. Visiting model homes will give you
another source for viewing various drawn plans.
Be sure to practice, practice, practice and you will start to understand
this process, which is so important for interior design.
Editor’s note: This is a continuing series of articles written
by Sharon L. Anderson that will answer some of the many questions we receive
at Draperies & Window Coverings as well as questions Anderson has
encountered in her own business. If you have a question you would like
Anderson to address, please send it to:
Design Solutions
c/o Draperies & Window Coverings
1724 E. Grand Ave.
Lindenhurst, IL 60046
Fax: (847) 356-9013
E-mail: DesignSol@dwcdesignet.com
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Sharon L. Anderson has more than 20 years experience
in the residential and commercial areas of interior design. She is
currently a faculty member at two Southern California colleges. Anderson
has been featured in numerous books and publications. |
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