Church Sanctuary Interior Design
Faith is a powerful thing and a church should convey as much. Church sanctuary interior design is a subject with fairly specific guidelines.
Church Sanctuary Interior Design
The interior design of a church is another specialty design niche that presents a unique set of requirements and problems for the professional Interior Designer. There may not be another category where the client’s expectations are so critical to the design. There is no question that the design will need to reflect the sacred nature of a church. The question is just what is acceptable and what is not. There is no set answer to this question. One congregation will find profane that which another finds to be inspiring.
The Interior Designer must carefully research the attitudes and expectations of the congregation and the church leadership. When the design concept has been developed, it should be approved before any work is done. It will be essential that there are no surprises in the design. The client must understand completely what he is going to get and be comfortable with it.
There are major space issues involved in Church Interior design as there are in most other niche specialties. There is going to need to be ample space allotted for pews. The seating capacity of the Church will depend on the overall size of the building. It will also depend on the percentage of available space that is allotted to seating. Ceiling height is an issue here as well. Although this will be decided by the exterior size of the building, it will be an important factor in the overall interior design. A higher ceiling makes possible such things as stained glass windows and interior columns.
The central focus of any Church design is going to be the altar area. In many older churches, the altar was placed quite a bit higher than the pews. This created a sense of looking up to the services, or a sense that the pastor was looking down on you. Height and size of the altar will depend on the intended nature of the services. Many congregations are conducting services that involve musicians and choirs. This will require a large altar area. Other congregations will have a smaller altar.
Large, modern, and majestic is one way to design the interior of a church. Small, cozy, and reverent is another. The clients will have a desire to worship in a building that reflects their own beliefs and does not conflict with their vision of what a Church should encompass. The Interior Designer may find the development of a Church design concept to be a project that releases his imagination or he may find that it calls for a great deal of restraint.