Why I Still Sketch By Hand as an Interior Designer

I spend a lot of time working digitally. Between floor plans, 3D models, presentations, sourcing, and everything else that goes into a project, there are plenty of tools that can show a space in incredible detail.

And yet, I still love starting with a pencil and paper.

I've been sketching throughout my career as an interior designer, and it's something I've come to appreciate even more over time. There's a freedom to working by hand that I don't always get when I immediately open a computer program. I can get an idea out quickly, change it, draw over it, and keep going without worrying about making anything too precise.

That's usually when some of my best ideas start to take shape.

Sketching helps me think through a room.

When I'm designing a room, I never want every piece to feel like it belongs to the same collection.

There's something very different about drawing a space versus simply looking at one.

As I'm sketching, I'm thinking about proportions, sight-lines, furniture placement, architectural details, and how everything relates to one another. I start noticing where something feels too heavy, where the room needs more balance, or where an idea could be pushed a little further.

Sometimes I'll start a sketch thinking I know exactly where it's going and end up somewhere completely different.

I like that…it gives me a chance to explore before committing to an idea.

It doesn’t have to be perfect.

A sketch is allowed to be messy…it’s supposed to be messy.

There are lines underneath lines, things get erased, proportions aren't always exact, and sometimes a sketch doesn't turn out the way I imagined it would.

I still finish it.

Sketching is a kinetic exercise for me. I'm getting ideas out of my head and onto paper, and the value is often in the process of working through them rather than creating a perfect drawing at the end.

That freedom makes it a really useful part of my design process.

Some ideas are easier to understand when you can see them.

Sketching is also one of the ways I quickly communicate design ideas.

Interior design involves a lot of conversations about things that don't exist yet. We might be discussing a new fireplace wall, built-in cabinetry, a furniture arrangement, or an architectural detail that can be difficult to picture from words alone.

Being able to quickly draw an idea gives us something tangible to respond to.

From there, we can refine it, adjust proportions, explore materials, and eventually develop it into the more detailed drawings or models needed to execute the design.

From an idea to a real space.

By the time a client sees a finished design, there may have been dozens of little decisions and iterations behind it.

A quick sketch might become a 3D model. That model might reveal something we want to change. A detail gets refined, materials are selected, drawings become more precise, and eventually the idea that started on paper becomes something you can actually walk into.

I think that's part of why I've never stopped sketching.

There's still something pretty great about watching a few imperfect pencil lines become someone's home.