Home interior design and architecture often overlap, but the two disciplines have some distinct differences. Perhaps the most significant difference centers on the home’s physical structure. Keep reading to learn how a home interior designer can only work with nonstructural and nonseismic aspects of the home.

Nonstructural Home Interior Design

Home interior designers cannot make changes to the home’s building shell without consulting with a construction expert or architect. The building shell refers to any load-bearing aspect of the building. Load bearing elements of design include:

• Building columns
• Building core
• Exterior/perimeter walls
• Framework
• Other load-bearing elements.

Home interior designers can modify nonstructural elements of a home. Ceilings, for instance, are nonstructural in nature. So too are partition walls.

A partition wall is a wall that supports no structural load other than its own weight, and that of any cabinets or shelves attached to the wall. A wall is not considered a partition if it extends past the space intended for habitation (for instance, if it continues past the top of the room to support another structure).

Partition walls are elements of design that can be knocked out, cut through or otherwise modified without damaging the structural integrity of the home. If there’s any doubt whether or not a wall is load-bearing, a home interior design professional should check with an architect, engineer or construction specialist.

Seismic Design of Buildings

Home interior design also avoids modifying the seismic design of buildings. Simply put, the seismic design of buildings refers to elements of design that protect the building from earthquake damage (including tsunami or tidal wave damage).

The primary goal of seismic design of buildings is to reduce the risk of death or injury caused if the building collapses. A professional interior designer will not make any modifications to the seismic design of buildings without consulting with a professional in this area.

Working with Structural and Seismic Design Changes

A home interior design project need not be canceled if it affects structural or seismic design. However, this does mean that the project needs to be given the green light by professionals in the field. Even if the final decision is that the project cannot be completed as envisioned, it’s often possible to modify the project to address structural concerns.

Changes to a home’s structural integrity should always be planned carefully. Weakening load-bearing elements in a home can result in structural collapse, injuries and death.