Interior design: you hear about it
all the time, and you know it’s the process/thing that happens between your
house being boring and your house looking absolutely splendid.
Here, we’ll break it down for you.
And by the end of this article, you’ll be knowledgeable enough in the basic
principles of interior design to offer snobby commentary on your friends’
boring homes.
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Interior design is:
the design and coordination of the decorative elements of the interior of a house, apartment, office,or other structural space, including color
schemes, fittings, furnishings, and sometimes architectural
features.
There are 6 basic principles of
interior design – balance, emphasis, contrast, rhythm, scale and unity.
BALANCE
Symmetrical balance – when half of your room mirrors the other. This creates a
neat, ordered look which can be aesthetically pleasing.
Asymmetrical balance – when opposite sides of the room have furniture or
architecture which may look different or be arranged differently, but carry the
same visual weight^.
Radial symmetry – where a center point has objects radiating from it in an
obvious spiral pattern. Radial symmetry is most commonly created with
staircases in grand foyers and ceiling fixtures, but can also be created using
circular rugs, curved sofas, and other round pieces of furniture.
^Visual weight is the visual
attention that a given object commands. For example, black is visually heavier
than cyan, and a 2 seater sofa is visually heavier than a few armchairs.
EMPHASIS
Each room should have one or a few focal
points. A focal point is the visual center of attraction in any given room,
with all the other design elements leading all visual attention to that point.
This can be accomplished with colour, texture, size, and positioning.
The sofas frame the painting as the
focal point of this room, with a white wall-to-ceiling construct juxtaposed
against the wall and ceiling for further contrast.
CONTRAST
Contrast can define your focal
point, and prevents your interiors from looking too uniform.
Shapes and colours mix things up and create a varied look. Even in minimalist
and Scandinavian design, contrast is utilised to prevent the room from looking
completely flat.
A grey, organically-shaped shelving
unit and rattan embellishments mix things up with this minimalist living room.
The orange square plate is the clear focal point.
Straight lines are played off
against the curves of the furniture and the texture of bamboo despite the use
of similar tones and hues in this dining room and living room.
Positive and negative spaces. Positive spaces are characterised by color, furniture,
artwork, area rugs and bold flooring. Negative space is the planes, white
space, and emptiness that directs attention to the focal point. More positive
space means more visual clutter; less means a colder, emptier look.
A positive space is characterised by
colourful decor and furniture set pieces, and makes for a cosy, lively feel.
Negative spaces, on the other hand,
have large areas of empty space and tend to feel cold and clean, which can be
an excellent way to put the focus on your furniture.
RHYTHM
Rhythm is visual flow: the eye
should be able to ‘flow’ smoothly across the room. Rhythm can be accomplished
through the following means:
Repetition – the repeated use of certain objects or physical
attributes of decor elements. For example: chevron patterns on both your sofa
and wall tapestry, a series of similar vases lining a mantle or a stack of books on a shelf.
Similarly-themed homeware and arts will also contribute to the theme of your
interior design.
Alternation – a modular sofa with alternating colours of white and
green, placing a small roundtable between two armchairs, or even
differently-shaped wall recesses can achieve this effect, as seen below.
Progression – interior design elements placed according to size from
smaller to bigger ones, or perhaps according to the gradient of their colours.
SCALE
Ensure your decor are of the same
scale: an overly large carpet/rug would overpower the living rooms of most
modern HDB apartments in Singapore, as would massive wall decals.
UNITY
Unity is what draws the whole design
together. Simply put, every single item in your home should contribute to the
overall interior design concept, not draw away from it.
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