Design principles are key in developing the interior of your home. Each principle, when considered during the design process, gives balance to the spaces you are creating.
Balance-Balance is important to keep a room feeling harmonized whether it be the color or materials selected or the arrangement of furniture. Balance makes sure not one element in the room overpowers another. It keeps your eye in appreciation of the overall look and feel of the room and not focused on only one thing. Balance is something we notice right way. We know when a space doesn’t feel good. It could be because all of the furniture is on one side of the room and not placed correctly. It could be because there is a piece of art that is too small for a wall or the color palette of the room doesn’t make sense. Balance is important to create cohesiveness within the room.
Rhythm-I like to use rhythm in my spaces to keep the viewer’s eyes appreciating the space and they don’t even know its because of the way we used rhythm. This is achieved through repetition of shapes, color, tone or texture. Using rhythm greatly influences how we perceive a space and if it is aesthetically pleasing to us. It unifies the interior space.
Repetition-This is the easiest way to create rhythm for interior spaces. I like to use color or texture in my interiors. It is amazing how your eye connects all of the “dots” and fuse the elements together to create a design. Using repetition is. great way to do a refresher to a room. For example, adding new throw pillows on a living room sofa and then using the same pillow color in the artwork above the fireplace and maybe a vase on the mantle.
Emphasis-Using the principle of emphasis creates a focal point within a room for the observer to see first but it doesn’t overpower the rest of the room. This is important as if it did overpower the room would be out of balance. Creating emphasis is the first thing to do when creating a room or space. Once this is decided the rest of the design can follow. I love to use an architectural element in a room to emphasis for my interiors. A fireplace is a good example of this or by adding a fountain in a garden project.
