Up on the blog this week I'm discussing the age old interior design question, How hard can it be to select furniture?
We've all done it in our homes and are often drawn to the ease and budget of online shopping outlets like AllModern and Wayfair. Catalog vignettes inspire us and direct us to a harmonious palettes and arrangements. That being said, selecting furniture and finishes for public spaces, ranging from hospitality spaces like hotels and restaurants, to office and restaurant environments requires more than just a great visual. Building codes and regulations for furnishings and finishes are enforced for commercial spaces in order to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public here in Philadelphia and in all cities in the Nation.
Photo Cred: Pinterest
A fellow interior designer wasn’t thinking about those criteria when her oldest and youngest sons were in college and lived on campus with their football friends. This on-campus “house” was a fraternity-style building where many people lived and numerous parties took place until the fire.
Photo Cred: Phi Sigma Kappa
The house was a wood structure without any of the construction or furniture criteria required in commercial construction today. This wood structure and all of the wood based furniture was inherently highly-flammable. College personnel regularly inspected the house to make sure no one was placing items on the walls or windows that could easily catch fire. I still remember my friend complaining that they wouldn’t let her hang residential curtains. Unfortunately, personnel did not pay attention to the furniture selections.
Photo Cred: Pinterest
One evening, one of the guys was smoking a cigarette and accidentally dropped it in the corner of the sofa. Since no one saw smoke, they assumed the cigarette had extinguished itself, and they all went to bed. Later that evening, one of the guys awoke to find the house ablaze and the fire moving rapidly. Getting quickly out of the house was a life or death situation. Another guy couldn’t find his best friend and went back into the house only to be surrounded by smoke and fire. He survived by breaking through a window and was critically injured. His friend was outside.
Photo Cred: Pinterest
The truth is many fires can result from the wrong fabrics or finishes in an environment. Residential furniture is not required to meet the stringent codes that are required for commercial furniture. Does that mean that commercial products cannot catch on fire? No. It does mean that the commercial products have fabrics, cushions, and construction that can keep a fire from igniting and/or spreading.
Photo Cred: Pinterest
In addition to fire safety, commercial furniture and finishes are tested for weight capacity, abrasion resistance, colorfastness to light, clean-ability, etc. All of this information is considered by commercial interior designers as a part of the selection process. The final selections still have the aesthetic and overall palette, but all of those qualities are contributing to the space and it's functional environment for the public.
Photo Cred: Pinterest
In today’s college/university environment, the focus is on large, flexible spaces where the students can collaborate. The furniture and finishes need to last at least 10 years because renovating and replacing items in that time span is not financially feasible. Interior designers are qualified to design these facilities through their education in accredited design programs, their continuing education and NCIDQ examination. The potential liability of having someone harmed because of lack of knowledge on the designer’s part is not an option.
Photo Cred: Curbed
Imagine students coming into your home and rearranging your furniture, tracking in outdoor dirt, spilling drinks, overloading your power sources, and writing on your walls. Would your house hold up for 10 years without replacing furniture or finishes? Would the students be safe in the event of a fire? Just something to think about when it comes to making sure you source the right furniture for University Housing, a Hotel, Office, Restaurant or Spa.
Photo Cred: Andreu World
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In addition to being a Philadelphia Multifamily Interior Designer, I also design boutique hotels, fitness centers, office spaces, residential development projects, other commercial spaces such as office and retail spaces, and the senior living community throughout the tri state area. We work here in Philadelphia, the main line, and even Nationally!
About the Interior Designer
Tina Delia, a native of Ocean County, NJ, current resident of Philadelphia, is the Founder and Principal Interior Designer of Delia Designs. For the past eleven years, Tina has been steadfast in her vision and continues to develop herself personally and professionally. She is dedicated to excellence and insistence on forward thinking design. At the forefront of her designs is the idea that our spaces have the ability to transform our lives. She is looking to move us, inspire us to see, think and create freely. After all, it's not only about creating beautiful spaces.
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