Interior design is the planning and arrangement of the inside of buildings to create spaces that are functional, comfortable and visually harmonious. It brings together architecture, furniture, lighting, textiles, colour, wall treatments, flooring and decorative objects into a coherent scheme.
Historically, interiors were often designed by architects and upholsterers, with figures such as Robert Adam creating unified rooms in which ceilings, carpets, furniture and fittings shared a single design language. The Victorian era favoured richly layered rooms, while the Arts and Crafts movement promoted honest materials and handcraft, and the twentieth century brought lighter, more pared-back approaches. Antiques play an important role in contemporary interior design. A single well-chosen piece of period furniture, a characterful light fitting or an antique mirror can give a modern room depth, individuality and a sense of history, while mixing pieces from different periods creates interiors that feel collected over time rather than bought all at once.
