Basic Interior Design Principles

Before you can redecorate any space, you must have some basic knowledge of interior decorator principles. When you get Into some well designed rooms, you get a feeling that everything in it is Just right and cohesive. You can achieve the same effect in your own home or the space you are decorating by having some knowledge of those principles. Some of them include:

Balance

In the art of design, balance is essential as It brings out a feeling of equilibrium. Balance involves approximating or equalizing the weight of objects (visual). Balance is created when you are able to equalize colors, shapes, texture, and patterns. There are various kinds of balance:

Formal Or Symmetrical Balance

Formal or traditional rooms/spaces require you to balance symmetrically. In this kind of balance, the space is split evenly in two portions that mirror each other. For instance, you can put two chairs on each side of a dining/coffee table to achieve symmetrical balance. This balance is easy to attain as the elements of design are repeated on each of the two portions. However, if not properly used, this balance can end up being boring and monotonous.

Informal Or Asymmetrical Balance

In this kind of balance, the visual weight of colors, lines, textures, and forms are balanced individually without duplication. Informal balance is not as ordered as formal balance and can be more interesting and complex. For example, a couch can be balanced by putting two chairs on either of Its sides.

Radial Balance

This balance is attained when there is a focal point in the centre from which other objects radiate from or around. A good example of such an arrangement would be a round table, with chairs (preferably same design) well arranged around it. Here, there is a lot of repetition of color texture and form.

Rhythm

Rhythm focuses on creating a pattern of contrast and repetition to create visual interest. This can be attained by using the same shape or color at equal/different intervals. The purpose of this principle is to make someone move their eyes around the room. You can achieve this by creating a pattern using a common colors in pillows, continuing it in a painting, and picking it up again in a rug. These repetitions will make the observer’s eye be carried around the MOM.

Harmony

Harmony is brought up when all elements in the room combine to create a common message. Harmony in the elements of a room bring about a feeling of restfulness. For example, you can bring about harmony by use of just one color. You can do this even though your forms greatly vary in size, texture, and shape.

Emphasis

If everything gets equal attention in your room, it may become boring or scattered. You need to look for an anchor. Many rooms often have a built in point of interest like a window with a beautiful view or a fireplace. You can decide to enhance that point by maybe arranging some furniture around it, to put an emphasis on it. If your room lacks such a point, you can create your own by using a large or unusual piece of furniture which could find from the furniture online store.

Proportion and Scale

Proportion is the ratio of size between two parts. The scale in this comparison, is how the size of an object relates to another or placement of the object in the room. For example, if you create an overstuffed section in a small room, it would be out of scale. Some proportions are rather more pleasing than others. The early Greeks created the “Golden Section”, aimed to summarize all proportion to a simple formula: The ratio of the smaller section should equate to that of the larger section to the entire space.

Now that you are aware of the basic principles of interior design, let us move on to various interior design styles.