How to Communicate Your Ideas to an Architect
How to Communicate Your Ideas to an Architect

Communication is essential for any successful project. You must learn how to communicate with a person working on the project that’s going to be your living space. Architecture projects are very long, so they take a lot of time and involve a lot of details.

On top of that, both sides are equally involved in the project. Clients and architects work together on ideas and different solutions for an interior or exterior. In other words, clients today want to keep track of everything done in their homes.

After all, everyone wants to have their dream home, right? However, creative ideas aren’t that easy to present to someone. It’s essential to have flawless communication with your architect if you want to get the perfect results.

Here is how you can be better at this and help your architect create your dream home.

Invite them to see your place

The first thing you should do is invite your architect to see your home before you even start to talk about new ideas. We’re sure that you haven’t decided overnight to choose an architect to work on your home project.

You must have been looking for the person whose style you liked the most. However, you should know that the architect also needs to know what your particular style is. Before you present your new ideas, you both need to have a quick tour of your home.

For a start, introduce yourself and grab a cup of coffee with a person you chose to renovate your home. Then take a quick tour and show your current living space. That allows the architect to understand you and have a rough idea of your style and what areas you might like to improve.

After all, you surely want to add a personal touch and participate in the project. If you want to enjoy the final product, show your architect every corner of your home and discuss what bothers you the most and what you would like to improve.

Create a list of your wishes and ideas

After an architect tells you what’s possible to renovate and improve, you might want to have a whole concept in your head and maybe on paper. You can sit down and create a list of your ideas and wishes to give more information to an architect and make their job easier.

Write down even the tiniest idea you have, and you won’t have any misunderstandings. The more information you provide, the easier it will be for your architect to make a concept and understand your requirements.

It’s always easier to have a written outline and be specific about your wishes. If you don’t have time for that, try to discuss verbally and let an architect take notes and write down everything to better understand the project.

Every architect will be very happy to see that you have a clear concept and are confident in your ideas. It will show that you want to participate in the project and won’t suddenly change decisions during the work. There must be mutual understanding and respect for both the client and the architect.

Bookmark images and ideas

If you want flawless communication with your architect, you can bookmark some ideas and images that convey what you would like to have in your home. It’s extremely important to show your architect some pictures of spaces you find interesting or close to your ideas.

That’ll surely help an architect to understand your style. You can also show some images you dislike and talk about what you don’t wanna see in your newly renovated home. As we already mentioned, the more info you provide, the better design you’ll get.

If you’re one of these clients with unclear direction, you cannot expect that architect will know your style and meet all your requirements. After all, you need a starting point and at least an idea of ​​what your space should look like.

Collect as many materials as you can and see the previous work of your architect. You can discuss what you like and point out some of the ideas you find interesting.

Set the general mood

Every space has a lot of details and items that affect the overall picture. However, these items aren’t unrelated to each other. They all create the greater picture together and set the overall mood of that space.

Instead of talking about each detail separately with your architect, you can take a different approach. Sometimes it’s better to talk about the general mood you want to have. When you explain the general concept to an architect, it will be easier for them to understand which things to add or not.

In other words, there’s less room for mistakes or misunderstandings. Some people love cozy little spaces – some want to have large open concept homes with industrial motives. It all comes down to personal preferences, but it’s important to tell your architect what style you prefer.

Don’t think that an architect needs to know that you love to have industrial or wooden elements in your living room. You need to tell that stuff before the architect makes the final floor plan design.

Talk about your habits

Believe it or not, your daily habits are an important factor for every architect. You need to mention them and be specific before the architect makes the final plan. Keep in mind that no one can assume you have a problem sharing a bathroom or basin with someone else.

You need to mention that before it becomes too late. These things are highly relevant for a final design, and make sure your architect knows them. If you are a person who enjoys cooking and is constantly preparing dinner parties for friends, emphasize that to the architect and tell that you want a functional and large kitchen space.

If you enjoy watching movies and are not that thrilled about cooking, emphasize that you want a large living room and help the architect design the space according to your habits.

Understand what you need in your home

Another important factor is for you to understand what your needs are. By that, we mean you must tell your architect if you want to have additional space for your vinyl or book collection. If you like a minimalistic style, with hidden boxes and storage places, be sure to mention that.

Point out that you have children or pets. It’ll totally change the concept of the final plan design, and the architect will closely understand how to adjust the space to your needs. If you work from home, you may want to have a home office and a quiet place in some corner of the house.

Think about your needs in the long run and agree on those details with the architect in time. Don’t change the plan during the work as you will certainly make the process more difficult and may spend more money than you planned.

Be specific

Once you’ve finished with a rough design idea and the general style you want to see in your home, you can switch to more practical and specific details. By this, we mean details concerning the practicality and functionality of your home.

If you want to have specific lighting in the house that has warm colors and is located in the places you have specified, be sure to emphasize that to the architect. If you don’t do that, the architect will place the lighting where they think it fits well and according to the basic standards.

While this is probably a better option, it doesn’t necessarily have to be that way. You can determine these details yourself and work with an architect to make your idea a reality. Think of such small details, and be specific before it is too late.

Be realistic

Probably the most important thing in communication with your architect is to stay realistic. An architect is not a magician, even though they can do wonders. You need to determine your budget and know what an architect can do with that amount of money.

Also, don’t expect that you can finish a house renovation in a few days. It also takes time to make a plan, make rough outlines, gather material, and find contractors. Be realistic, and don’t expect your home to be ready in an unrealistic time.

Communicate with your architect and get to know the details so you have an accurate picture and a closer understanding of the process steps and the real-time you can expect your dream home to be finished.

Make sure to listen to the architect

While you should be involved in the process of renovating and designing your new home, don’t think you know the job better than your architect. After all, if that were the case, you wouldn’t even be hiring one. So, make sure to listen to your architect and consider that they are well-experienced professionals.

Every architect will give you a realistic picture of what can be done and will do their best to fulfill your every request, as unrealistic as it may sound. If you do not listen to the advice, there may be a misunderstanding.

After all, it would be nice to adjust some things the way the architect advised you to enjoy a functional home for many years.

Consider asking for a 3D render to get an accurate representation

If you’re not familiar with architecture, you probably don’t know that you can always ask an architect for a 3D render and get a more accurate representation of your future dream home. 3D rendering is very popular today, and all architects use it to visualize and recreate houses, buildings, and complexes.

3D rendering is the realistic representation of how your future place will be looking but in 3D. If you can’t wait to see your new home, ask your architect to make a 3D render and talk about what you like and dislike.

You can talk about your ideas and tell what you want to improve because the 3D representation gives you the precise look of the final design. You can check every small detail, from lighting, textures, color, and shadows, to see if you’re satisfied with the final project.

Educate yourself on design

The best way to communicate your ideas to an architect is to educate yourself on design. It’ll make it easier for both of you. If you’re interested in knowing more about what will be done on your future home, take a quick tour and learn more about design basics.

You don’t have to attend classes. Just take some time and do your research online. Since we live in a digital age, you can find blogs and articles about everything you’re interested in. Follow the designers you like the most on social media that can help you learn basic terminology and understand your architect.

There are a lot of useful videos online that talk about design, how you can decorate your home, or which colors to choose for details. For example, check out Pinterest if you want to do this without spending a lot of time and energy.

This social network is a creative platform where people constantly share new and interesting ideas about design. You can follow creative designers, make your personal boards by collecting ideas and images. You’ll surely have a more precise picture to present to your architect.

Conclusion

There’s no need for your home renovation to be annoying and an exhausting experience. From the tips we have given you, you can easily learn how to establish good and effective communication and pass on your ideas to an architect.

After all, the goal is for both sides to be satisfied with the outcome. You can accomplish this if you learn how to communicate with an architect.