09
Apr
# TIP 1 : KNOW THE DESIGN BASICS
”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.
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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
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