''What is interior design?'', ''What is interior
decoration?'', ''What are the basic requirements or skill sets required to come up
with basic interior design ensembles that will wow a client?'', '' What's the whole point?''
These are but some
of the questions that come my way when meeting with various people undertaking
interior design projects.
As an interior
designer, you must appreciate at least 3 design elements of the art.
Once you understand how people view their environment, you can use these elements to personalize space and develop outstanding designs using the principles of design.
I’ll summarise these
design basics here for you:
THE ELEMENTS OF DESIGN
1.
FORM: this can be defined by lines, shape and volume. Form is all about the spatial or overall
dimension of an object. Don’t worry about the definitions for now, we’ll get
clear as the weeks roll by.
2.
TEXTURE:
this is a design characteristic that may be perceived by either
touch or sight. Some examples: rough, smooth, bumpy, fuzzy, grooved, or
prickly.
3.
COLOUR: this one is quite possibly the most
intriguing and exciting element of the design process and encompasses both
art and science. Colour evokes very strong emotional responses that at some
point I will dedicate 2-3 lessons alone on it!
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| Our Elle meeting room : how many elements of design can you pick out in this design ? |
.... AND THE PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
6 principles of
design are used to organize design elements into a workable, beautiful design concept. Here they are:
- Balance: this is the result of inter-playing different designs in order to
create a sense of equilibrium and tranquility.
- Rhythm:
in design we also strive to create
a sense of unity and continuity in a pattern – this recurrence, or
organized movement constitute rhythm.
- Emphasis:
this principle is based on the
concept of dominance and is achieved through position, light, shape, or
contrast.
- Harmony: is
defined by the consistent interaction of spatial elements. To work out well,
the elements have to relate well to the overall design concept.
- Proportion:
as with Art, this is the
desired relationship of parts to the whole. With regards to size, it deals with
magnitude, quantity, or degree e.g. while a well-proportioned room seems just
right, and a poorly proportioned room seems too long or too wide.
- Scale: not to be confused with proportion, scale is about the relative
size of an object that has been measured by a dimension of comparison, such as
the human body e.g. scale is used to demonstrate the relationship
between man and his environment. Let's look at this further : a large scale usually denotes
power, formality and elegance while a smaller scale does just the
opposite and can denote child-like wistfulness.
 |
An executive boardroom my team designed using principles of interior design.
Can you spot them ( the principles...not the team...! ) ?
|
So there you have it – a bunch of information that we can
dig into and understand at a much deeper level and you're in the right company too as I'll be on hand to make
it simpler and easier for you to grasp these concepts along the way.
Till the next article....be inspired !
Daphine
