Home interior design focuses on human behavior and how interior design affects human activity. Safety in design includes ergonomics, ensuring mobility and independence for the elderly, and choosing the safest home interior design materials.

Interior Designers Design for Safety

One of the key differences between an interior designer and an interior decorator is the designer’s knowledge of building codes. Safety at home is often dependent on whether or not a building is “up to code.”

An interior designer understands local building codes. The designer will check your home interior design project to ensure all electrical, plumbing and construction codes are in order. This reduces the risk of fires, harmful mold infestations and even structural collapse.

Safety in Design for an Aging Population

Americans are staying more independent as they age, partially due to improved medical care and partially due to the costs of long term health care. As people age, they often find their safety at home compromised by loss of mobility or other physical ailments.

An interior designer will design for safety at multiple levels. In addition to obvious safety features, such as safety bars on bathroom walls, safety in design uses more subtle methods to ensure safety.

The correct placement of furniture, for instance, makes it easier for someone with limited mobility to move in a room without stumbling or falling. Cluttered spaces are accidents waiting to happen. The interior designer focuses on clear, open spaces, with chairs and other easy to use furniture.

Design for Safety and Children

Safety at home is extremely important if you have young children. Again, many of the safety designs implemented by interior designers are very subtle. Glass tabletops and sharp-edged furniture, for instance, can be dangerous for small children, especially if sharp edges are at the child’s eye level. Rounded corners and less glass is much safer.

Safety in designing spaces for small children includes ensuring that they cannot access potential dangers such as the furnace or electrical outlets. There are no guarantees when a curious child is concerned. However, an interior designer can create safe areas of the home that are more appealing to children than dangerous areas. You can create an interior design that will “channel” children into the rooms you want. Doing so requires a keen understanding of how people use different spaces.

Home Interior Design Materials

Many of the products used in construction have hidden dangers. Carpeting, for instance, contains toxic chemicals that are released in smoke during a house fire.

When an interior designer designs for safety, she takes materials into account. The interior designer can select the safest and most appropriate materials for each project. If you smoke or use candles, for instance, the designer may recommend project materials that have high flame retardant properties.

Safety in design is a complex issue that requires formal interior design training. Safety at home should be every homeowner’s concern. After all, nowhere else makes you feel as safe as your own home.