Draw for Interior Decorators
If you're an interior decorator who doesn't have architectural drawing skills, you're missing out an opportunity to increase the value of your business. Being able to draw helps with furniture arrangement, space planning and remodeling. Scale drawings are often what sells the client on your ideas. Only 5 percent of people can imagine a finished room; for the other 95 percent, a picture is worth a thousand words. Being able to not only draw an overhead view but also elevations can clinch a sale.
Instructions
1. Take your T-square and place it on top of the drawing board with the handle lined up with the left side of the board so the T-square can slide up and down the side; place a sheet of paper on the board and line its bottom up with the T-square. Hold the paper in place with one hand and place a piece of tape on each corner of the paper.
2. Choose your ratio. Most commonly used ratios are 1/4 and 1/2. For a normal room size, 1/4 will fit on the page no problem, even with the side elevations. A 1/2 ratio is easier to see and read, but you'll probably have to add on pieces of paper to the main page for the elevations. Take your architect's scale and select the ratio on the scale; the numbers each represent 1 foot. Lining the scale up with the T-square, measure out and then draw the bottom line of the room shape, using the edge of the T-square, not the scale.
3. Finish the rest of the room shape. When creating the side lines, use your triangle to draw the lines instead of the T-square. Line the triangle up by resting it on the top of the square to create a true angle. After you make the four walls, make another line around the outside of your shape, 1/4 inch away, which represents the actual size of the wall with studs.
4. Measure the spaces out for the windows and doors. Erase the wall where they fit in. The window sections are drawn as rectangles, sticking out just a little bit from the wall lines on either side of them. Doorways should be left blank. If there's a door, find a circle template that fits by lining up the top and the side notches of the circle with the two sides of the door opening. Draw an arc, then a straight line for the door itself. Be sure the arc is going in the right direction for how the door actually opens. Draw in the fireplace, showing the mantle protrusion and the hearth flooring. Also add any other protrusions or architectural features like columns.
5. Draw the side elevations. Draw a wall "box" 1/4 inch from each of the edges of the overhead view of the room. Using the same ratio, make the side walls the right height of the room. Fill in the windows, doors and other architectural details.
