Interior Design may seem to some like it takes just a simple one, two, three process of splashing some colors on a wall, placing a couch in a corner and throwing down an area rug to complete a room. But on the contrary, an educated Interior Designer uses all the elements and principles of design to cohesively bring an interior space together in an exquisite but functional way. The key ingredient to a stress-free and happy life I believe begins with a clutter-free, well-designed, comfortable home to match the needs of its humans.
“Interior Design is the process of shaping an the experience of interior space, through the manipulation of spatial volume as well as surface treatment. Not to be confused with interior decoration, interior design draws on aspects of environmental psychology, architecture, and product design in addition to tradition decoration.”
-Wikipedia
Now that you can get a sense of what it takes to design a space, let’s talk about the principals of Interior Design.
Harmony & Unity
When designing your home or apartment, it is important to think of the space as a totality; spaces coupled together by halls and stairways. The first piece of advice I could give you would be to pick a theme for your space. You will want a common style to run through out the home where all the elements of design complement each other and work well together. Color schemes are a great way to unify a space, make sure to pick a palette of complementary colors and use them in varying shades through out your home. I will have to do a separate post next week specifically focusing on color because thats one of the most important elements of design.
Balance
Balance is the equal distribution of visual weight in a room. A room will feel very unmanageable if the balance is not aesthetically pleasing. There are 3 types of balance:
Symmetrical Balance is basically the repetition of the same objects in the same positions on either side of the room. This style is usually comfortable for anyone, most people feel most at ease in a balanced setting.
Asymmetrical Balance is achieved by using various objects with equal visual weight. This style is more casual but sometimes more difficult to achieve. More lively interiors can benefit from this type of style because it allows for better movement through out the space.
Radial symmetry is when all the elements of design are laid out around a center point. Not often used in residential interiors, if achieved correctly though it can be very pleasing to the eye.
Rhythm
Rhythm is achieved through four different mechanisms.
Repetition is the use of the same element more than once throughout the space. This can be done through pattern, color, texture, line or any other element of design.
Progression is taking an element and increasing or decreasing one or more of its qualities. The most common progression we see happens in size. Think about a nesting table, where the piece has one or two smaller tables progressively coming out from underneath the larger table. Progression can also be achieved through color, using different shades of the same hue in room.
Contrast is putting two elements in opposition to each other. In can be implied by colors or by form. But be careful not to introduce too much contrast as it can make a room feel too “busy.”
Transition is very important in design. The key is to have the eye move smoothly and naturally from one area to another. The most common transition is the use of a curved line.
Emphasis
Emphasis is the main focal point or points in a room that draw the eye’s attention. A focal point must be dominating and have a lasting impression but be integrated into the design properly through scale, color, style or theme. A fireplace is a good example of a focal point in a room, for those of us who live in apartments, our flat screen tv is the first thing we think about when it comes to a focal point. Maintaining balance through out the space so that the focal point doesn’t take away from the room is a valuable piece of information to keep in mind when deciding what your focal point will be.
Proportion & Scale
Proportion & Scale is the ratio and size of elements. Proportion has to do with the ratio of one design element to another or to the whole. Scale is the size comparison of one object with another. For a bigger room, you want to use bigger pieces and vise versa.
Colors also impact the space we live in and alter our moods. Next weeks piece will be solely concerning color and all of its components.
My goal was to enlighten your beautiful brain with some of the basic and most important aspects of design in order to aesthetically design your own homes and apartments. Now that you have gained this precious information get to work and put them into action. You will not regret it, a well-designed home is the beginning of a successful, positive life and isn’t that what we all work our booties off towards accomplishing everyday???
See you next post lovers.
