Getting to the desired impression or feel is the purpose of any creative work. The journey starts with incubating a concept and ends by translating that into reality.

Architecture and Interior decoration have got a lot to do with imagination. How to fill an open space to create a commercial or residential place with the right kind of materials and styles so that it may create a certain desired feel in the minds of the visitors when they enter that space. Interior designing is the implementation of ideas and the ideas are attributed by theme and concept.

Concept and theme are the two words which often understood for the same meaning but they are not the same.  Theme is the central thought to bring about certain feel or a mental picture based on a memorable event, a piece of culture and heritage, and so on. Concept is an abstract or the outline of an idea in the line of theme which grows into the actual idea.

While a theme captures the total vision and perspective, a concept contours the ways to express the theme. A practical example may be the interior of a restaurant which serves authentic Keralite cuisine. One can imagine famous festival season of Kerala as a theme for the interior
design, whereas there can be many concepts to express the festive Kerala, for example that famous boat race, decorated elephants, Kathakali dance, etc. at the backdrop of coconut trees and the backwaters.

While a design concept is the foundation of the final idea that gets translated into physical form to create the right ambience with harmony, it may or may not be governed by a theme.