{"id":713255,"date":"2026-06-03T23:08:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T23:08:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/713255\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T23:08:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T23:08:14","slug":"interior-pros-swear-by-the-3-fs-of-interior-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/713255\/","title":{"rendered":"Interior pros swear by the 3 Fs of interior design"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just like any other discipline, interior design, too, comes with its own set of rules. But, of course, the pros don\u2019t stick to every single one religiously as the design process comes to many of them almost instinctively \u2013 however, one that most interior designers swear by are the 3 Fs of interior design, even if the designers might not necessarily refer to it as such.<\/p>\n

The 3 Fs stand for function, flow and feel \u2013 these are the elements of a room that need to be considered and figured out at the start of any designing, arranging and decorating of the said room. And while I hadn\u2019t heard of this rule before the start of this year, it\u2019s one that I\u2019ll be sure to remember as it\u2019s one of the most useful design tools I\u2019ve come across ever since the likes of the 4-inch seating rule<\/a> and the 18-inch rug rule<\/a>, both of which I now swear by.<\/p>\n

\u2018I would say that this is the approach we consciously use when designing any project,\u2019 says Francesca Leat<\/a>, owner, director and head designer at Francesca Leat Interiors. \u2018The 3 Fs are used to describe the utility, layout and appearance of a space.\u2019<\/p>\n

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\"A\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future PLC\/Caroline Mardon)<\/p>\n

How to use the 3 Fs of interior design principle?<\/p>\n

The best way to utilise this rule is by turning the 3 Fs into questions \u2013 what\u2019s the function of this room? What do I want it to feel like here? And does the layout and movement around the room flow and work right?<\/p>\n

\u2018Clients often get stuck before starting a project because they have an idea of the desired look and design but don’t know how to bring their vision to life appropriately. Having this important conversation about all aspects of the space’s design and appearance enables the puzzle pieces to fall into place and moves the project forward,\u2019 Francesca says.<\/p>\n

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But let\u2019s break it down step by step.<\/p>\n

Function<\/p>\n

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\"A\n<\/p>\n

Get the look: This room perfectly mixes textures – from the marble coffee table, similar to Soho Home’s Tisbury design<\/a>, to the corduroy upholstery of the MADE Thea chairs<\/a> and scalloped jute rug like this one at John Lewis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future PLC\/Bee Holmes)<\/p>\n

\u2018When approaching any project it’s important to first determine the space’s purpose and function, usually involving in-depth conversations and a site visit with the client,\u2019 Francesca says.<\/p>\n

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But you can ask yourself – and your partner potentially – these questions, too.<\/p>\n

Feel <\/p>\n

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\"A\n<\/p>\n

Get the look: The pink modular sofa piece in this image is the iconic Camaleonda by B&B Italia<\/a>. But if you’re after a budget alternative, the DUSK Bondi sofa<\/a> is very close to the original look.<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future PLC\/James French)<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Jo Lane<\/a>, founder and interior designer at online interior design service See Your Place, believes that it\u2019s best to start with the feeling of a space as it should determine everything else thereafter.<\/p>\n

\u2018Each designer has a different starting point and whilst some would start with function, I actually think feeling is by far the most key aspect of a design,\u2019 Jo explains. \u2018My very first question to any client is, \u201cHow do you want to feel in your space?\u201d A room designed to make the owner feel a certain way is deeply personal, has character and soul, and is a place they will always feel at home.\u2019<\/p>\n

What to read next<\/p>\n

Flow<\/p>\n

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\"An\n<\/p>\n

Get the look: The room is anchored by a black round pedestal dining table like the Hattie from DUSK<\/a> and a natural woven jute rug like this one from La Redoute<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Future PLC\/James French)<\/p>\n

Finally, flow is an important aspect to think about when choosing your furniture<\/a> and when deciding how to arrange the likes of living room furniture<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2018Consider the layout and how it will serve the functionality’s purpose,\u2019 Francesca starts.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just the function of the room that should impact the flow of the room, but also the feel, as Jo at See Your Place demonstrates, \u2018If I want to keep things relaxing and uncluttered to promote calm, I would layout my furniture in a particular way to achieve this.\u2019<\/p>\n

So while you can decide which of the 3 Fs you start with when designing your home, it\u2019s important you pay attention to each one in order to create a space that functions well, feels great to be in and flows effortlessly. \u2018All three are crucial for delivering a cohesive and considered interior design,\u2019 Francesca concludes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just like any other discipline, interior design, too, comes with its own set of rules. But, of course,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":713256,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,49,48,356,75],"class_list":["post-713255","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-design","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713255","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=713255"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/713255\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/713256"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=713255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=713255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=713255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}