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Interior Design vocabulary · Clients & Projects

Design brief

Meaning in interior design, with examples

/dɪˈzaɪn briːf/nounCore term

In interior design, design brief means: A document or set of notes that records what the client wants from a project: how the space will be used, the style, the budget, the timeline and any must-haves.

In Turkish: tasarım brifi, ihtiyaç programı, proje brifi

How it is used

Written or agreed at the very start of a project, often after the first meeting, and checked whenever decisions are questioned later. You write, agree, follow or update the brief, and you can stick to it or go beyond it; designers often just say the brief.

Example sentences

  1. According to the design brief, the family needs a home office that can also work as a guest room.

  2. This idea is lovely, but it isn't in the design brief and it's over budget.

Common collocations

  • write a design brief
  • agree the brief
  • stick to the brief
  • client brief
  • site surveyA visit to a property to measure it accurately and record existing conditions such as walls, windows, ceiling heights, sockets, pipes and damage.
  • concept designThe early design stage in which the designer presents the overall idea for a space, including the layout, mood, colours and key materials, before technical details are developed.
  • mood boardA collage of images, colours, textures and objects that shows the feeling and style intended for a space before any detailed design is done.
  • specificationA detailed written description of the products, materials, finishes and quantities to be used in a project, so that they can be priced, ordered and installed correctly.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Clients & Projects

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