Unless you’re hiring a professional interior designer, you no longer need to consider the big and small details of home decoration. But since you landed on this blog, I suppose you’re taking the DIY route and wondering what these design elements are. Interior design requires a few factors to strike a balance in your space. You want to make your space look like they’re enjoying the company of all components—your furniture, lighting, accessories, and whatnot. So let’s start with these seven interior design elements you must consider when decorating your home.
1. Space
Space is the first element to consider when decorating any room. Without it, you have nothing to work with. And without assessment, you’ll encounter trouble and some back and forth down the road.
Space is considered three-dimensional, which includes the room’s height, length, and width. Depending on the functionality you want to achieve, you want to complement these three dimensions for a better visual outcome. For instance, if you wish to achieve a more heightened visual, display tall bookshelves to lead the eyes upwards.
To make the space wider, you can paint the wall white or feature mirrors to reflect lighting.
Overall, space requires balance in both negative and positive spaces. The former refers to empty spaces, and the latter pertains to areas with furniture or accessories. Maintaining balance between negative and positive spaces makes for better functionality and aesthetics.
2. Color
The next element to consider is color. Colors are powerful components in interior design as they evoke emotions and alter perceptions. They also set the mood in your room and create unity within your furnishings.
You must refer to color psychology when selecting color palettes for any room. For example, blue and green promote calmness, which is suitable for the bedroom. On the other hand, red stimulates appetite, which might be ideal for the kitchen.
When choosing colors for your space, it’s crucial to see how the lighting affects it. A rule of thumb in small spaces is to use lighter or brighter colors to make them appear bigger.
3. Lighting
Another vital interior design factor is lighting because it can unify all components in a room. Lighting is classified into three: Ambient lighting, accent lighting, and task lighting.
Task lighting should consider the purpose of the space under it, which is suited for home offices. Accent lighting emphasizes objects, statement pieces, or focal points in any room. Finally, ambient lighting sets the mood and atmosphere of your space, which can be suitable for your living room or bedroom.
4. Line
Your space should maintain a balance between various lines, such as vertical, horizontal, and dynamic lines. Horizontal lines refer to lines from furnishings like sofas and chairs. On the other hand, vertical lines are from your tall furnishings like bookcases, doors, or windows. Finally, dynamic lines are the curves, zigzags, and diagonals in your space, which can be your stairs or nooks.
Balancing all three varieties to create harmony in any room is essential. Too many horizontal lines may dull your space, while overpowering vertical lines make people uneasy due to seemingly higher ceilings. Finally, too many dynamic lines break the calmness and unity of both vertical and horizontal lines.
5. Form
Forms consist of the shape of the room and the objects displayed in it. This is categorized into two: natural and geometric. The former refers to the shapes created by nature, like plants, while the latter dwells more on man-made shapes, like furniture.
Considering scale and proportion is highly recommended when designing with form. Ensure similar forms or shapes are repeated throughout the room in small objects to prevent a confusing visual outcome.
6. Texture
One of the most overlooked interior design elements, texture plays a vital role in creating depth in a space. It pertains to an object’s finish and can be classified into actual and visual textures. Actual texture refers to the tactile sensation of an object, such as a soft velvety cushion.
On the other hand, visual textures are only perceived by the eyes. Textures give a room personality and feeling, so adding this to your space is essential.
7. Pattern
Like texture, patterns can liven up a room in an instant. When matched with proper color schemes, patterns can draw attention positively. These can be in the form of rugs, fabrics, wallpapers, or soft furnishings.
When choosing patterns for your space, ensure you stick to three patterns, as more than that can create chaos. Also, it’s best for all patterns in your room to base on the same color palettes.
Conclusion
When designing your space, going for the DIY route is easy if you consider these seven elements. The last thing you want is an overwhelming space with the wrong colors, patterns, and some lacking textures and lighting. If you need help creating the most visually pleasing and functional space, contact Spencil’s experts, and we’ll guide you throughout the design process.
About the author
Carl Deña
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