PRINCIPLES OF INTERIOR DESIGN

Principles are rules, formulas, and evaluations about interior design that are unchanging and helpful guides to the discovery of design. At the end of this article youll be able to recognize and use the basic Interior Design Principles used by every interior designer to create a great design.

Interior design is the process of shaping 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 traditional decoration. An interior designer is a person who is considered a professional in the field of interior design or one who designs interiors as part of their job. Interior design is a creative practice that analyzes programmatic information, establishes a conceptual direction, refines the design direction, and produces graphic communication and construction documents. Now that you have an idea about interior design, we can move forward and learn something really useful, the principles of interior design. Lets begin! OVERVIEW Balance Balance is analogous to nature; the great equalizer that provides a constant to the space in which it exists. Criteria can be a comparison of one element such as color or of several elements such as pattern, texture, or layout. Lack of balance can also be used to portray spontaneity in a room. In the home and room With nature In the living style The occupants with the environment When doing interior design it is necessary to think of the house as a totality; a series of spaces linked together by halls and stairways. It is therefore appropriate that a common style and theme runs throughout. This is not to say that all interior design elements should be the same but they should work together and complement each other to strengthen the whole composition. A way to create this theme or storyline is with the well considered use of color. Color schemes in general are a great way to unify a collection of spaces. For example, you might pick three or four colors and use them in varying shades thoughout the house.

Prepared & Compiled By Mr. Sandip P. Ghadge www.designvertex.com

PRINCIPLES OF INTERIOR DESIGN

In a short sentence for those who just scan this article balance can be described as the equal distribution of visual weight in a room. There are three styles of balance: symmetrical, asymmetrical, and radial. Symmetrical balance is usually found in traditional interiors. Symmetrical balance is characterized by the same objects repeated in the same positions on either side of a vertical axis, for example you might remember old rooms where on each side of a room is an exact mirror of the other. This symmetry also reflects the human form, so we are inately comfortable in a balanced setting. Asymmetrical balance is more appropriate in design in these days. Balance is achieved with some dissimilar objects that have equal visual weight or eye attraction. Assymetrical balance is more casual and less contrived in feeling, but more difficult to achieve. Asymmetry suggests movement, and leads to more lively interiors. Radial symmetry is when all the elements of a design are arrayed around a center point. A spiral staircase is also an excellent example of radial balance. Though not often employed in interiors, it can provide an interesting counterpoint if used appropriately.

Focus Direction the eye travels and dwells as it first sees the room. This can be affected by elements and principles including visual weight, color, proximity, line, and layout of the space.

Prepared & Compiled By Mr. Sandip P. Ghadge www.designvertex.com

PRINCIPLES OF INTERIOR DESIGN

Interior designs biggest enemy is boredom. A well-designed room always has, depending on the size of it, one or more focal points. A focal point must be dominant to draw attention and interesting enough to encourage the viewer to look further. A focal point thus must have a lasting impression but must also be an integral part of the decoration linked through scale, style, color or theme. A fireplace or a flat tv is the first example that most people think of when we talk about a room focal point. If you dont have a natural focal point in your space, such as a fireplace for example, you can create one by highlighting a particular piece of furniture, artwork, or by simply painting a contrasting color in one area. Try to maintain balance, though, so that the focal point doesnt hog all of the attention.

Harmony Elements working together to form a visually pleasing cohesiveness. This rule can only work when all other basic elements of interior design have been followed. Harmony will occur within a room when there is proper balance of proportion, patterns, color, textures, contrast and rhythm. Harmony is likened to a jigsaw puzzle in interior design. Putting up together a myriad of pieces that seem to be unrelated is an interior designer's challenge. The designer's task is to put all the pieces together and come up with a beautiful interior design. Putting the pieces together to produce a harmonious room requires a vivid imagination from the designer. Interior designers develop in their minds a finished picture of what the room will actually looks like after all the pieces are placed together. This mental image usually guides an interior designer on how to execute every move successfully and come up with a design that elicits his or her client's happy approval. How do interior designers develop this mental image of a finished picture? There is a basic decorating philosophy that interior designers follow. This is to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative and when it cannot be eliminated, camouflage it. Take for example a room with windows that don't appeal much to the designer, but since the budget doesn't warrant the removal of the structure, eliminating the negative is not an option; rather
Prepared & Compiled By Mr. Sandip P. Ghadge www.designvertex.com

PRINCIPLES OF INTERIOR DESIGN

camouflaging the negative becomes the better way out. To come up with a better interior design, usually the designer in this case designs a window treatment that will hide the undesirable feature and make the windows look more attractive. You may want to redecorate your own home or help a friend create beautiful changes in his or her place. How do you use this philosophy in your own interior designing projects? You should look around the room. Notice any distinctive features and these should include both the good and the bad features. Have a conversation with the room. This could be a good starting point for all your plans. Create a mental image of a finished picture that will terminate in a well-executed interior design of a given room. Look for striking features such as a beautiful view, a fireplace, a sweeping staircase or a distinctive architectural detail. Let's say you want to change the interior design of your living room. The first thing people will notice when they enter the room is your fireplace. How should you handle this? Is it a good feature or a bad feature? Do you want to accentuate it, eliminate it or camouflage it? Also look out for problem features like badly placed columns or pillars. After identifying these distinctive features, whether bad or good, ask yourself on how to accentuate any good features that you see. For bad features, ask yourself whether to eliminate them or just camouflage them. After deciding on what to do with the distinctive features of the room, you should realize that you have already started to formulate a picture in your mind of how the finished room will look. From this budding mental image of the room, you will find that other pieces of the puzzle will start fitting right into place and you are on your way to creating a wonderful interior design of any given room and this is just the beginning.

Proportion The implied measure of visual attributes like size, weight and color. Affects other design principles like balance. Rhythm The continuity or lack thereof that creates stimulating design.

Prepared & Compiled By Mr. Sandip P. Ghadge www.designvertex.com

PRINCIPLES OF INTERIOR DESIGN

If we would speak about music we would describe rhytmas the beat of pulse of the music. In interior design, rhythm is all about visual pattern repetition. Rhythm is defined as continuity, recurrence or organized movement. To achieve these themes in a design, you need to think about repetition, progression, transition and contrast. Using these mechanisms will impart a sense of movement to your space, leading the eye from one design element to another.

Scale and Proportion Measuring dimension of space, element or use of principle. These two design principles go hand in hand, since both relate to size and shape. Proportion has to do with the ratio of one design element to another, or one element to the whole. Scale concerns itself with the size of one object compared to another. Subtlety The effect restraint plays on the design. Moderation in all things, including moderation. Classic Nothing speaks of the lasting nature of a principle more than its popularity through time. The principle of classic architecture introduced by the Greeks in 500 B.C. still used today is an excellent example. Repetition is the use of the same element more than once throughout a space. You can repeat a pattern, color, texture, line, or any other element, or even more than one element. Progression is taking an element and increasing or decreasing one or more of its qualities. The most obvious implementation of this would be a gradation by size. A cluster of candles of varying sizes on a simple tray creates interest because of the natural progression shown.
Prepared & Compiled By Mr. Sandip P. Ghadge www.designvertex.com

PRINCIPLES OF INTERIOR DESIGN

You can also achieve progression via color, such as in a monochromatic color scheme where each element is a slightly different shade of the same hue. Transition is a little harder to define. Unlike repetition or progression, transition tends to be a smoother flow, where the eye naturally glides from one area to another. The most common transition is the use of a curved line to gently lead the eye, such as an arched doorway or winding path.

Contrast is fairly straightforward. Putting two elements in opposition to one another, such as black and white pillows on a sofa, is the hallmark of this design principle. Opposition can also be implied by contrasts in form, such as circles and squares used together. Contrast can be quite jarring, and is generally used to enliven a space. Be careful not to undo any hard work youve done using the other mechanisms by introducing too much contrast! Details Another important element of interior design where it is necessary to take infinite pains is details. Everything from the trimming on the lamp shade, the color of the piping on the scatter cushion, to the light switches and cupboard handles need attention. Unlike color people find details boring. As a result it gets neglected and skimmed over or generally left out. As color expresses the whole spirit and life of a scheme; details are just as an important underpinning of interior design. Details should not be obvious but they should be right, enhancing the overall feel of a room.

Color Colors have a definite impact on the atmosphere that you want to create when doing interior design. To make the job easier, you can rely on the interior designers most important color tool: the color wheel.

Prepared & Compiled By Mr. Sandip P. Ghadge www.designvertex.com

PRINCIPLES OF INTERIOR DESIGN

Color has the ability to create dimension-it can give the illusion of a larger, wider room or one that appears smaller and cozier. Whatever your room size, here are a few hints on how to use color to enhance a room's appearance. You'll see how dramatically less expensive it is to color your walls than to buy an expensive sofa, so don't be afraid to use paint as a decorating tool.

Room Colors Understand that colors behave in three basic ways : active, passive, and neutral , and you can easily match every rooms colors to your personal desires and taste and to the rooms purpose. Light colors are expansive and airy, they make rooms seem larger and brighter. Dark colors are sophisticated and warm; they give large rooms a more intimate appearance Now lets find more about some colors. Red raises a rooms energy level. Its a good choice when you want to stir up excitement, particularly at night. In the living room or dining room, red draws people together and stimulates conversation. In an entryway, it creates a strong first impression. Red has been shown to raise blood pressure, speed respiration and heart rate. It is usually considered too stimulating for bedrooms, but if youre only in the
Prepared & Compiled By Mr. Sandip P. Ghadge www.designvertex.com

PRINCIPLES OF INTERIOR DESIGN

room after dark, youll be seeing it mostly by lamplight, when the color will appear muted, rich, and elegant. Red, the most intense, pumps the adrenaline like no other hue.

Crimson can make some people feel irritable. With red invoking feels of rage and hostility is a color that should be avoided as the main color of a room. Sitting for long periods of time in a room this color will likely breakdown any peace and harmony you are striving to create in your home. Ancient cultures used the color red to stimulate the body and mind and to increase circulation.

Yellow captures the joy of sunshine and communicates happiness. Its perfect for kitchens, dining rooms, and bathrooms, where happy color is energizing and uplifting. In halls, entries, and small spaces, yellow can feel expansive and welcoming.Yellow although is a cheery color is not a good choice in main color schemes of a room. People are more likely to lose their tempers in a yellow room. Babies also seem to cry more in a yellow room. This color tends to create feeling of frustration and anger in people. This color is the most fatiguing on the eyes.In chromotherapy yellow was believed to stimulate the nerves and purify the body.

Blue brings down blood pressure and slows respiration and heart rate. Thats why its considered calming, relaxing, and serene, and is often recommended for bedrooms and bathrooms. Be careful, however: A pastel blue that looks pretty on the paint chip can come across as unpleasantly chilly when its on the walls and furnishings, especially in a room that receives little natural light. If you opt for a light blue as the
Prepared & Compiled By Mr. Sandip P. Ghadge www.designvertex.com

PRINCIPLES OF INTERIOR DESIGN

primary color in and fabrics. a room, balance it with warm hues in the furnishings

To encourage relaxation in the rooms where people gather family rooms, living rooms, large kitchens consider warmer blues, such as periwinkle, or bright blues, such as cerulean or turquoise. Blue is known to have a calming effect when used as the main color of a room. When going with blue go for softer shades of blue. Dark blue has the opposite effect. Dark blue evokes feels of sadness. So refrain from using darker blues in your main color scheme. Stay with the lighter shades of blue to give you and your loved ones a calm effect. Green is considered the most restful color for the eye. Combining the refreshing quality of blue and the cheerfulness of yellow, green is suited to almost any room in the house. In a kitchen, a sage or medium green cools things down; in a family room or living room, it encourages unwinding but has enough warmth to promote comfort and togetherness. In a bedroom, its relaxing and pleasant.Green also has a calming effect when used as a main color for decorating. It is believed to relieve stress by helping people relax. Also believed to help with fertility this is a great choice for the bedroom.

Purple in its darkest values (eggplant, for example) is rich, dramatic, and sophisticated. Its associated with luxury as well as creativity, and as an accent or secondary color, it gives a scheme depth. Lighter versions of purple, such as lavender and lilac, bring the same restful quality to bedrooms as blue does, but without the risk of feeling chilly. Orange evokes excitement, enthusiasm and is an energetic color. While not a good idea for a living room or for bedrooms this color is great for an exercise room. It will bring all the emotions out that you need when jumping into your fitness routine.In ancient cultures orange was used to heal the lungs and increase energy levels. Neutrals (black, gray, white, and brown) are basic to the decorators tool kit. All-neutral schemes fall in and out of fashion, but their virtue lies in their flexibility: Add color to liven things up; subtract it to calm things down. Black is best used in small doses as an accent, indeed, some experts maintain that every room needs a touch of black to ground the color scheme and give it depth.

Prepared & Compiled By Mr. Sandip P. Ghadge www.designvertex.com