Process
It is one of the first questions people ask when they plan a new home or a renovation: do I need an architect, an interior designer, or both? The answer depends on what you are building — but understanding what each one does will save you money, time and a fair amount of rework.
What an architect does
An architect designs the building itself: how it sits on the plot, its structure, its rooms and how they connect, its facade, its openings for light and air, and its compliance with local building rules. Architects prepare the drawings needed for approvals and construction, and coordinate with structural, electrical and plumbing consultants. If you are building from the ground up, adding a floor or changing the structure of an existing building, you need an architect.
What an interior designer does
An interior designer works inside the shell: layouts, furniture, lighting, joinery, materials, colours and finishes. They decide where the sofa goes and why, how the kitchen is planned, what the wardrobes look like and how the lighting is layered. If the structure is already in place — a new apartment, a finished house or an office — an interior designer is usually who you need.
Where their work overlaps
Many decisions belong to both: window sizes and positions, ceiling heights, the location of electrical points, plumbing for kitchens and bathrooms, and lighting. When an architect and an interior designer work separately, these are exactly the places where things go wrong — a beam that cuts through a planned false ceiling, a window where the bed should go, switchboards hidden behind a wardrobe.
A quick guide
Building a new house, villa or farmhouse
You need an architect from day one — ideally with interior input before the drawings are frozen, so services and openings suit the furniture plan.
Doing up a new apartment or office
An interior designer is usually enough, unless you plan to move walls, add a mezzanine or change the facade.
Renovating an older home
Start with an architect if walls, structure or plumbing lines are changing; otherwise an interior designer can lead.
Building a hotel, resort or commercial space
You need both, working as one team, with a project manager holding the schedule together.
The third option: one turnkey studio
A turnkey studio combines architecture, interior design and execution under one roof. You deal with one team, one contract and one point of accountability — from the first sketch through procurement and construction to the final key. For anyone who does not want a second job coordinating consultants and contractors, it is usually the calmest route to a finished home. Our article on turnkey projects explains how it works in practice.
How The Batiment works
The Batiment is an architect in Udaipur and an interior design studio in one. On projects like Buttercup 11, a 6,800 sq ft private residence, we handled architecture, interiors and execution together, so the building and its rooms were designed as a single idea. Read how to choose an architect in Udaipur or our guide to hiring an interior designer in Udaipur — or simply talk to us about what your project needs.