Everything that we see around us is one or other form of art. The creativity that comes from a variety of minds has helped human society form cultures around us. One such culture that has been in the notice in recent times is the design of structures we dwell in. while Architecture does the duties of maintaining a philosophy of exteriors of the structures, interior design is primarily concerned with what goes inside them.
Art is truly random, especially when it comes from the soul. The same ideology applies to interior design as well. However, this ideology is complemented by some core principles of interior design. These principles serve as assistive guides to the interior designers involved in any project. A harmony of art and principles have helped a variety of interior design companies earn their name for their excellent applications. With that in mind, here are the core interior design principles one mustn’t miss while working on a project:
Colors are perhaps, one of the most easily visible entities one sees upon entering an infrastructure. While it might not seem like it at first, colors have a definite effect on the perceptions and moods of people who witness them. They define the harmony and design palette of any design project. Sometimes, they even justify the choices made by the designers while doing their design.
While it’s pretty difficult to randomly choose the colors for the project, there’s always some form of assistance that can keep one at peace. Making use of assets like color palette library, suggested color combinations, general color selection schemes (complementary, analogous, triads, etc..) makes the choice easier than ever. It is generally seen that bright colors are used at core places of any infrastructure while a mix match of shades and tones is seen at artful and resting places spread across the venue.
Often referred to as progression, this principle of interior design is concerned with increasing or decreasing the quality of a certain element in the space. This gradation is done by taking several factors like placement, color, and size into consideration. The sequential placement of photo frames according to their sizes is one of the ways to put its application.
Reiteration, or commonly known as repetition is a proven concept in the world of interior design. It has been seen that the repetition of several elements has allowed the interior designers to achieve a one-on-one place that is complemented with a blissful scenic view. This is a cost-effective solution, meaning its application proves beneficial in poorly funded projects. The confusion created by the frequent placement of elements lets designers avoid the pain of buying different items for space. Tiles, paint, carpet, statues, plants, and wallpapers are some of the best examples of the items from which repetition can be created.
Transition deals with a seamless flow of elements placed inside a space. This is a niche skill that is often adopted by smart interior design companies. It completely defies the concepts of progression and repetitions. The application of this concept allows the viewers in space to smoothly switch over from area to area. Eyes are made the focal point in this style, leading the viewer across space like a wavy path.
The concept is pretty straightforward. It basically defines mix and match. Complementing black with white, players with CDs, milk with cookies are some of the common real-life examples. This a hallmark trend welcomed by interior designers for ages. While it might be difficult to apply in interior design, it has been fairly used by designers to add life to the place in its entirety. Overdoing contrast is proven to degrade the overall aesthetics of a place.
A rhythmic design speaks uniformity. This design language is all about playing around a variety of pattern templates and repeat them over and over again until a contrasting theme is formed. Such an idea can be achieved by a variety of repetition techniques to get a desired contrasting look. Shape do-overs also allow achieving this look. One of the most common approaches would be to start a favorite color scheme at a certain element at a certain place and loop it till your eye keeps its focus in a certain space.
It is often said that message can be conveyed in a variety of ways. The interior design harmony pays homage to this ideal by delivering its sense. Harmony comes alive in interiors to its fullest, especially when all the elements inside a space come strong and deliver an impactful message. While rhythm is known to deliver a sense of calmness, harmony leans more towards creating a sense of sheer excitement. It can be created either with the help of similar objects or colors. It defies the uniformity by accepting a variety of textures, shapes, and sizes.
While rhythm and repetition are often known to vouch for a great set of their importance, they tend to make the space boring if overdone. Architectural spaces are often carved withholding peak at several places like balcony, ridge, window peeks and more. Emphasis is an approach that is primarily concerned with the improvisation of such focal points and the environment near them. This effect is usually achieved by arranging several objects around the core points. Interior designers often use Ideals of grouping and collective scattering to decorate the space by emphasizing the space incrementally.
A variety of elements are often used to decorate the space. While the similarity is all good in its spaces, it isn’t complete until the harmony of scale is achieved. Objects must always be placed inside a space corresponding to the spaces they can dwell in. this ensures that an inline scale is maintained across space.
The scale is an objective that is achieved keeping proportion in mind. It is the fraction of the sizes of two different elements. This fraction helps in relating the sizes of objects to one another. While proportionating all objects might seem a tedious task, interior designers often make use of golden section formula to equate all the objects into a single formula. Golden section has been a proven application in the world of interior design ever since its discovery by the ancient Greeks.
Nothing is ever fulfilled if balance is left. Balance tends to create a sense of completeness in the space and equating the objects in it. Several entities like textures, patterns, objects, and colors help in achieving this ideal. Interior design deals with three different kinds of balance:
Often referred to as the symmetrical balance, this style deals with arranging the space by splitting the space into two equal divisions. A common example would be of placement of two identical chairs in each division of the space. Repetition aids in achieving this formal balance across the designated space. Overdoing such a balance can cause the design to seem extremely uninspiring.
Duplicating can often seem monotonous and boring. This is where the concept of asymmetrical or informal balance comes in handy. This ideal helps in achieving the harmony of balance by adjusting visual cues without direct repetition. The entire design language becomes complex but interesting at the same time. placing plants next to chairs is one of the most common examples of this style.
This concept idealizes a circular approach. Keeping a central focal point in mind, designers decorate the space around it. One of the common examples of this approach would be the placement of elements like chairs around the dining table. Here the placement is done keeping the dining table in mind. Lots of similar items, textures, and colors are in the play here.
These are some of the essential interior design principles that every interior designer should keep in mind. While applying each of them is not compulsory, but using most of them while randomizing the art around the space truly helps the designers to achieve a proposed design.
