The place of material and its selection criteria in interior design model

Each design action has a past and process that are belong to it. Design process has been in agenda of many scientists for a long time since the mid of the 20th century. This study focuses on interior design process based on the assumption that the design process slightly varies according to the content of its field and can be investigated under the name of a specific discipline. The study aims at creating and proposing a model that will guide the interior space design process with special emphasis on the place of material and its main selection criteria in this model. In this direction, by means of experiences of experienced designers, following mental steps in interior space design process and correlating them with existing patterns based on the pattern model of theoretician Alexander (1977). The proposed model targets at finding out inferences to explain the route that is followed in interior space design process and the place of selection of materials in this route. In the first section, aim, content, method and theoretical framework of this study are explained. Topics of 'design' and 'material' are described with their conceptual aspects in theoretical framework in line with the aim of this thesis. In the second section, studies with the selected sample of experienced designers having a significant role in literature. The interview technique is introduced. Upon the analyses of the interviews, interior space design process model is developed, the place of material in this process is determined and the main criteria effecting material selection in interior space design are disposed. In the last section, results are displayed in the light of obtained findings. The place of this study among design studies in literature and suggestions about design studies that can be performed in future are discussed.