Before shopping for furniture and decor, create a design plan. This will keep you focused and on budget while helping to identify which pieces you require and in what quantities.
Bring focus by carefully placing furniture and using color, light, and texture to set an accent in each room. Contrast and variety add depth, while minimising boredom.
Principles of interior design
Interior design is the art of crafting functional yet visually appealing spaces. It requires many skillsets including creativity, organizational know-how and attention to detail – something many successful interior designers adhere to regardless of formal qualifications or if their business lacks formal certificates.
Balance, emphasis, proportion and contrast are four fundamental principles that can transform any space. Applying these principles can make an enormous impactful statement about its purpose. Balancing means making sure all objects in a room are evenly distributed whether that means using similar colours and textures or even contrast. A well balanced space will also have a focal point to draw the eye around it.
Emphasis refers to selecting one object as the center of attention in any space and making sure it becomes its focal point. This could be anything from furniture or wall hangings, to decorations like an attractive piano in an entranceway – anything can serve as an anchor point of the space and become its main feature.
Interior designers use proportion and scale principles to ensure all elements in a room are of an appropriate size, such as when placing large furniture pieces in small rooms and vice versa. When considering items’ proportion within an environment, height and depth considerations are crucial components.
Interior designers use repetition and movement to create an air of continuity within a room. This is achieved using similar color, texture, pattern or line repetition – for instance arranging several framed prints along a hallway will promote visual movement while simultaneously creating cohesion.
Proportion and scale
Understanding scale and proportion is an integral component of interior design that can create balanced aesthetics. While many use the terms interchangeably, there is a distinction between proportion and scale – proportion referring to objects within space while scale measures their total size.
Proper proportion and scale can make any space look its absolute best, especially when designing spaces featuring striking architectural features like vaulted ceilings or large windows; matching furnishings and decor to the sizes of these elements is key.
Repetitive shapes and patterns are an effective way to bring proportion into any space, creating a harmonious design and drawing the eye from one piece of furniture or decor to the next. If your home features square doors and windows, try to incorporate similar shapes in other aspects such as area rugs or decorative accents – though be careful not to overdo it as too much repetition could become distracting and take away from its overall look.
Reducing proportion is also achieved through using contrasted sizes of elements. For instance, this can include using large items in smaller rooms, or small objects on large furniture pieces – for instance adding large mirrors or artwork with eye-catching graphics would make a statement in an entryway or living area with smaller furniture pieces. Interior designers frequently employ contrast to draw attention to certain areas within a room – for instance LemayMichaud Architecture Design used an array of oversized light fixtures in their Barcelona Pavilion project as stunning focal points!
Focal point
Focal points are among the most essential design elements interior designers use to set the atmosphere and add visual interest in a room. Focal points may take many forms: architectural features, art pieces or even colors or textures that draw the eye’s focus from other components in a space.
At times, focal points arise naturally – for instance a large window or stunning view. At other times, however, they must be constructed or enhanced using various design techniques.
When selecting a focal point in any space, it’s essential to consider its functionality and identify its main uses. For instance, in an open living area it would be wise to determine whether people will primarily sit by a fireplace or watch television in this particular area.
Simply pick one area to act as the centerpiece and plan an intentional design scheme around it. For instance, if your fireplace is stunning enough, center furniture along its wall and use interior design artwork above its mantel to emphasize it as the focus point.
If there isn’t an obvious focal point to work with, creating one through techniques like accent walls or painting may be necessary. When doing so, be mindful to limit the number of focal points to no more than three; otherwise too many distract viewers and leave rooms feeling chaotic and visually disorganized.
Designers can utilize various techniques to emphasize existing focal points in virtual spaces, including changing lighting levels to brighten and highlight a focal feature, increasing contrast or warming up the tone, or choosing furniture sizes that complement architectural features like fireplaces or windows without overwhelming them.
Contrast and variety
Contrast is an interior design principle often employed to add visual interest in rooms. Contrast can be implemented using either color contrasts (between light and dark hues of a single hue), textures, forms, and surface finishes – or by incorporating all three. By employing this strategy effectively in rooms it will draw the eye inward while creating visual interest.
Setting an overall theme or inspiration image as the cornerstone for your home decor can help you select colors and materials to enhance the space you live in. A design style such as Hollywood glam might include bold accent colors such as hot pink and black combined with high gloss or mirrored furniture to achieve an eye-catchingly glamorous aesthetic.
Balance
Balance in interior design is a critical element that contributes to harmony and stability in any space, creating the perception of peace. Achieved through evenly disbursing visual weight across elements such as size, shape and color it creates an environment which feels harmonious yet soothing; conversely an imbalanced space may feel off-balance and disconcerting.
Balance can take many forms in interior design, including symmetrical, asymmetrical and radial balance. Symmetrical balance involves mirroring similar items like furniture, lighting and millwork on either side of a room – something commonly done with formal living rooms and bedrooms to add elegance and create balance in their design. As seen here in a boardroom designed by BAKOKO Architects featuring an arrangement of chairs around a central table creating a balanced composition.
Asymmetrical balance refers to arrangements featuring objects that do not exactly mirror one another but still create an eye-pleasing appearance. It’s most frequently found in modern designs but can also be more informal. When creating this kind of composition, make sure all objects have equal visual weight or eye appeal – this can be accomplished using different textures, shapes or colors for creating cohesive ensembles.
Radial balance involves arranging items in a circular pattern. While not as frequently seen as its more familiar counterparts, radial balance can be an excellent way to draw the eye toward an element or create movement within a room – for instance in this dining room designed by iLmiodesign, using this radial arrangement draws focus towards its centerpiece.