Interior design is all about creating a cohesive, unique, and clean aesthetic that reflects the client’s taste and personality. And while there are many ways designers get from point A to point B, there is a common thread that flows through each and every project since caves were being decorated with chisel and pigment: the process.

Good designs are not conjured out of thin air. They are worked, reworked, and then worked a few more times to circle around an end product that is a reflection of all the effort that was put into it. The process is everything, and its vital that every interior designer instills a rigor and discipline in their feedback loop that results in the best possible outcome for the benefit of the client.

This article aims to outline what that design process looks like, and how 3D visualization and rendering play an essential role in strengthening the feedback loop and making interior design services better.

What is the feedback loop?

At the onset of each new project, the interior designer will meet with the client and perform an audit that creates the conceptual backbone for the design. This consists of a survey and measuring of the interior space, and a short interview with the client to figure out what is most important to them from a perspective of aesthetics and function.

This is where the loop starts.

From there, the designer works up a series of preliminary sketches, plans, and big ideas that they take to the client. This is the conceptual design phase, where broad strokes are taken in order to get a better feel for what the client is looking for. This might not be the best time to start showing them photorealistic renderings, as doing so could make them feel like your work is already done, when in reality it is just beginning.

And so the feedback loop continues, with the designer going back to the drawing board with the client’s notes and comments to make the design more tailored to what they are expecting. This continues for as long as it has to, with each iteration getting closer and closer to what the realized interiors will look like when complete.

Interior rendering as a design and presentation tool

Towards the end of the feedback loop, most interior designers start to commission photorealistic renderings to help the client better understand what the end product will look like. Not only will these images and animations impress your clients, they will strengthen the trust they have in you to make the right decisions and might even end up giving you more creative freedom to do something bold.

Perhaps more important than impressing the client, however, is how interior renderings can make the internal design process more effective. Designers are, by nature, visual thinkers and learners, and if they don’t have a base of visual knowledge to make important design decisions, they run the risk of falling flat. Renderings should be done throughout the process to make sure everyone working on the design is happy with materiality, quality of light, color, and functional aesthetics.

Having in-house rendering and visualization artists are the best kind of design tool, because they present real-life information about how to change things to make the design better. Interior designers should have 3D rendering built into their process to make sure they are delivering a service that lives up to the expectations the client has at the onset of a project.

Design is Collective

In the end, a design is only as good as the collaboration that was set in place to make it great. Nothing is designed in a vacuum, and being able to take inputs from clients, builders, material suppliers, and co-workers is essential in making the end result the best it can possibly be. The design process and feedback loop is all about bringing people into the fold who can add light and vision to your blind spots as an interior designer.

The best interior designers are just as resourceful as they are creative, being able to pull expertise from all corners of the design and construction industry. 3D rendering and visualization can help get 3rd parties quickly into the loop and help them understand what it is you’re looking to accomplish, and how their particular skill set can elevate it further.

It’s all about process.