How Is Shape Used in Interior Design
What Are The 7 Elements Of Interior Design
Have you ever felt overwhelmed, trying to find a sofa, pick the perfect paint color or select the right flooring for your home? If so, there's no question, you know exactly what I'm talking about when I say that interior design is not an easy task. Boo, that's because the stakes are high!
For instance, if you're choosing new flooring throughout your entire home — you want to make sure you get it right because it's both a hefty investment + when push comes to shove, you want to make sure you pick something that you'll be happy with, for a long time.
And to be fair, despite there being ba-zillion flooring options to choose from, selecting one that you like isn't all that hard.
Layer on the fact that you also have to make decisions about the casing + millwork, paint colors, door styles, door hardware, not to mention any electrical layouts, furniture space planning… oh, and don't forget about those gorgeous accessories and finishing touches that tie everything together.
Right about now, hunny sugar, is when you realize that the countless variations + what feels like insurmountable decision making that comes into play, makes this entire experience of designing your home feel less like HGTV + more like a gawd-awful migraine.
I get it. No seriously, I feel your pain. Which is why, this week we tackled a question: what are the 7 elements of interior design that we use to make it all look so... magical.
Space
The first element of interior design that we start with is space because it acts as an anchor to your home in a way that feels natural + intuitive to you. But the challenge with space is not wanting to overcrowd an area with too much stuff or make it feel underwhelming + sparse.
So, how do we do it? The key is to look at space from a few different perspectives. First as two-dimensional (2D) + then as three-dimensional (3D).
Two-Dimensional Space — the length and width of the room.
The easiest + probably most applicable reason as to why two-dimensional space is such an important perspective is because it allows us to begin thinking about furniture layout from a birds-eye-view.
Lets face it, if you're going to fill a room with furniture we want to make sure it's functional + provides plenty of room for foot-traffic to easily flow + move about the space. From length to width, the last thing you don't want is furniture that feels too big or too small for the space.
Three-Dimensional Space — the height of the room.
When we consider three-dimensional space, we're thinking about the expansive space available to us; from the floor, to the walls + all the way up to the ceiling. And trust me, (because it's no secret) if you've ever been in a room that's lacked three-dimensional space, you'll immediately know it. Maybe it was a space that had cold + empty walls or a room that felt uncomfortable because all of the furniture was the same height. When you start removing walls, hello open floor plans, finding opportunities to add visual height to a room can be difficult.
Moreover, when we're thinking about space dimensionally, there are a few other aspects we always like to consider.
Negative Space — where the absence of something creates an expansive feeling.
My father-in-law always makes a funny wise crack when I get on a tangent + start talking about the importance of allowing plenty of negative space in a home (yep, he's a real jokester *wink*). But, there's a liberating feeling, especially when it comes to removing a wall, or lowering a breakfast bar down to standard countertop-height or another way to incorporate negative space in a room is by not having artwork hanging on every wall because this my friend, gives your mind + your body a moment to be at ease.
I'm curious, where in your home have you created intentional negative space? In my world + as I'm design spaces for our clients, this is a question I'm always asking myself.
Positive Space — where the presence of one thing creates room for something else.
When you think of positive space, consider how the presence of a mantel over a fireplace creates a focal point for the room + tells your eyes where to rest. Or better yet, how a large sectional creates plenty of space in a room, for everyone to relax.
Deciding how you'll use space in your home is foundational but it's not the only element of interior design to consider.
Color
Color is far beyond an aesthetic decision. In fact, the fascinating thing about color is that it's such an incredibly powerful tool that sometimes, without even realizing it, color directly impacts our mood, our feelings + believe it or not *gasp!* it even contributes to some of our physical behaviors.
Recently, our family took a road trip + while we spent most of our time racking up a few hundred highway miles, whenever we'd stop for gas or pull off to go for a quick hike along the way, we'd ask Brooklyn to look for + point out for different colors.
Ultimately his two year old brain was fascinated with traffic lights. So to encourage his exploration of color +to continue the conversation we'd ask him things like: what does a green-light mean? What does a red-light mean? And so forth…
In the same way that our brains draw conclusions that green means go + and red means stop, color has the ability to create both positive and negative energy in your home. So, if you're trying to pick paint colors for the interior or exterior of your home — ask yourself, what mood do I want to convey? How does our family interact in the space? Are you wanting to create a calm + relaxing sanctuary or a more lively + inspirational spot.
sidenote: if you're most people, struggling with paint color, stop stressing + book yourself a design consultation. This way we can dial in the details together!)
While there's no one size fits all formula when it comes to color, another guideline to consider, is the overall size of your space. In general, the smaller the space the brighter the room should be and the larger the space the more room you have to explore with darker colors.
So often, when we begin discussing color, most of us immediately jump to + begin thinking about paint-color. And while paint is hugely important, it's merely one way to introduce color in your home.
When it comes to color, at Elegant Simplicity, we're all about timeless style that can live up to the wear + tear of everyday life. So, we tend to design a neutral backdrop + bring color in with intentionality and purpose. While we absolutely could paint an entire room a dark + saturated moody color, we also love to introduce colors in the form of furniture + other furnishings like rugs, throw blankets + accent pillows, decorative accessories, as well as artwork or even window drapery.
But, once we start thinking about color — we're rubbing up against the edge of another interior design element, light.
Light
Like color, light can set the mood of a room — hence why we often refer to it in a space as "mood lighting." But like color, light can also create both positive + negative moods so it's another important design element to consider. As a general thought — there are two types of lighting in each room…
Natural Light — fairly self-explanatory, natural light is the source of light available to you through the doors or windows of a home.
Having a lot of natural light is an excellent problem to have because you can utilize window drapery + window coverings to not only filter the amount of light into the room but to also control the overall mood of the space.
Natural light exudes a feeling of warmth + happiness but if not filtered adequately or in an aesthetically pleasing way it can be harsh + uncomfortable. Ugh, you know the feeling of sitting in a chair on a midsummer afternoon sweating bullets but trying to act like it doesn't bother you *wink*
If a room has great natural light, that's fantastic — but what if it doesn't?
Artificial Light — a complimentary source of light to what already exists in the space used with intentionality.
The last part of that definition, "used with intentionality" is really important because there are a few types of artificial lights to consider when choosing the best light for your space + a room without adequate lighting is uninviting.
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Task Lighting - sheds plenty of light in a specific area without brighten up an entire room
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Accent Lighting - is intended to accentuate (or act the) a focal point of your room
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Ambient Lighting - is the starting point of space. It makes us the base amount of light in a room. But if used sparingly can create the subtle "mood lighting" that gives you all the feels + creates ambiance.
The truth about lighting is that most well-designed rooms have a variety of light sources, being both natural light as well as multiple types of artificial lighting. However, to get the lighting right, you really need to think about the activities that are going on in a room. For instance, if you're designing a reading nook, well then, it's safe to bet you'll want a task-light to prevent eye-strain. But, if you're designing a hallway on the main floor of your home where guests will see — perhaps you'll want to layer in an accent light.
Shape
Some refer to this element of design as form, but really what they're referring to is the shape of furniture, millwork, artwork, decorative accessories + even to some extent –– the physical walls in a space.
There are two guiding principles of shapes that we use in designing a space + while great design usually uses both of them, one of them tends to be more dominant.
Geometric Shapes
Geometric shapes in interior design focus on furniture, millwork or accessories with hard lines or angular edges to them.
Natural Shapes
When we think about natural or organic shapes we're not only talking about irregular shapes found in nature but we're also including furniture, millwork or artwork with curves. Shapes found in nature introduce a sense of free-flowing or laid back energy to a space.
In either case, as an interior designer we recommend blending both shapes + layering them into the space. When it comes to space my eye naturally delineates a room into smaller geometric shapes which helps to ensure the overall size of the furniture or decorative accessories fall within the correct scale for the room.
Line
When we talk about the way our brain perceives space (or how we literally see space a room) what we're really taking into consideration here are the lines that are present in every. single. room. Often, we talk with clients about the process of creating leading lines as a way to create movement by emphasizing or drawing attention towards a focal point + goes a long way in creating an inviting space to be in.
Lines can draw you: horizontally into a space like a long wall wainscoting down a hallway that evokes a sense of security. Or vertically towards the ceiling in a way that shows off that jaw-dropping chandelier, a ceiling applique or even a tall fireplace which exudes an anchoring boldness. Long story short, a room that feels like a perfect gem of good interior design balances both horizontal + vertical lines.
But, what about angular or curved lines that are more expressive? These dynamic lines tend to create a greater sense of movement + are wonderful for adding vibrance and energy to a space in a fun, whimsical or even an unexpected way.
Pattern
Patterns are another form of expressive energy that can appear in just about every way imaginable. Certainly, introducing pattern in a home could be accomplished in choosing a wall covering or a particular pattern on a rug or piece of furniture but pattern is more.
Like dynamic lines, pattern adds movement or motion to a room + while too much pattern can be a bad thing the repetition of windows with equal space in between or a repeated window drapery throughout a floor can create the perfect harmony of continuity.
And yet pattern isn't relegated to just the walls, the windows or the furniture — pattern on the floor can bring to life an entire room. That said, the use of patterns should be intentional and include taking into consideration the size of the room as to many varying patterns could overwhelm the space.
Texture
One of my absolute favorite design elements is texture. Ok, let's be honest — I love them all but I have a special space in my heart for layering texture into the home.
In fact, one of the challenges when it comes to designing a room with lots of texture is that texture has both a look + often a touch to consider.
Physical Textures
From textural rugs that you feel underfoot to durable fabrics you sit on to smooth + easy to clean surfaces, physical textures you can touch are a design element to not overlook. They add a dimensional feel to the space that allows you to create a lot of depth.
Visual Only Textures
Texture is a pretty self-explanatory design element until you begin to think about how a texture might only look not touch. It's an illusion of sorts because to the eye a wall might look like it's a stonewall but when you get up close + touch it — it's simply a wall covering.
Phew! I know that's a lot but creating a home you never want to leave takes time + practice because home should be the reminder to slow down, to spend time with those you love + to do the thing you enjoy most.
So my friend, if your mind feels like it's swirling as you process all of these design elements (which we totally get) don't be shy… drop us a line if you're in need of help, let's chat.
Or leave a comment below + let me know which of the 7 elements of interior design did you find the most intriguing?
How Is Shape Used in Interior Design
Source: https://elegantsi.com/blog/what-are-the-7-elements-of-interior-design#:~:text=Natural%20Shapes&text=Shapes%20found%20in%20nature%20introduce,layering%20them%20into%20the%20space.
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