Decoration
In its widest sense, 'decoration' refers to the process of making something more attractive, or to the items that are used to make something more attractive.
In the construction industry, decoration refers to the ‘dressing’ of a room or interior space. It can be referred to as ‘interior decoration’ or 'decor' and relates to the aesthetics of a space and its furniture, furnishings, surface finishes, lighting, and so on. It generally does not include the shape of the space, position of walls and so on.
The purpose of decoration is to make the space more aesthetically pleasing and functionally useful for the occupants, but this may include consideration of wider contextual issues such as fashion, culture and so on.
In a domestic context, decoration is something that may be undertaken by the homeowner (DIY) or by hiring tradespeople (such as a painter and decorator). On higher-value projects, a professional interior designer (or other designer, such as an architect) may be responsible for designing decorations, and sometimes their role will extend beyond this to include the layout and use of the space.
For more information see: Interior designer.
Redecorating involves changing the appearance or furnishings of an interior space, for example, repainting or applying new or replacement wallpaper, and so on. These ‘cosmetic’ renovations may be part of a wider a project.
In non-domestic projects, decoration can be complex and disruptive and may involve a number of professionals. It may also be influenced by the corporate brand of the occupants.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
Are you interested in giving or hosting a talk to explain how civil engineers transform lives?
Gustavo Giovannoni’s role in integrating modern planning requirements into historic town centres.
Desipite Hackitt's recommendations, the government are to consult on combustible cladding.
Do we need to change the way we create industry knowledge? Last chance to take our 2-minute survey.
People or density - can we create urban liveability at ever-increasing densities?
3D printing is the computer-controlled sequential layering of materials to create 3D shapes.
Hackitt review calls for a radical rethink of the whole system and how it works.
Life cycle assessment is used to total up the environmental impact of a product’s supply chain. But why building LCA?
The government warns building owners of a performance issue with Grenfell fire doors.
Ramboll discusses how digitisation is contributing to how they design, engineer and construct in new and different ways.
'Carillion could happen again, and soon' is the stark warning from the heavily critical final report into Carillion's collapse.