At first glance, decorating a house seems like an easy task. Add a pop of color here, introduce a nice furniture there, and you’re good. The truth is, when you face a blank and empty room, it’s hard to visualize how everything should come together. In fact, you may not know which stuff you should pay attention to. This is when knowing the basics of design come in. The only way you can put together a good design is if you know how it’s actually made up. At its core, interior design has these elements:
Space
Interior design is literally designing interior spaces. Space here refers to the available area defined by structural elements, namely the floors, walls, and ceilings. Before you decide which furniture to get or color palettes to use for your home, you should be able to know the dimensions and the purpose of the space you’re treating. Start by doing the necessary measurements.
Decide on the function of the room. From there, take note of the two categories of space: positive and negative. The former refers to the area containing objects (furniture, fixture, decor, etc.) while the latter refers to the empty space — let’s say, in between objects — on the walls or at the small corners. There has to be a good balance between these two. Otherwise, you will have a room that looks too cluttered or too barren, and neither one of them will make your home pretty.
Form
This refers to the shape of the room and the objects inside it. Form can be either geometric or natural. In the former, these have hard lines and square edges like typical furnishings. In the latter, by its name, it suggests more organic objects — the ones created by nature. Indoor plants are a classic example of this.
Do note that form plays a big role in creating the feel of a space. When you have many elements with sharp lines and edges, the room may look a bit stiff and rigid. On the other hand, when you have too many objects with circular or irregular shapes, the entire area may look too soft. If that’s the kind of feel you’re going for, then fill it up with those types of forms by all means. However, if you want a balanced look, mix and match different shapes in the space.
Light
Light is what makes space and forms more defined. On the flip side, it could also be the element that obscures the treatment of space and the visual interest in forms. It all depends on how you use light. At that, there are two ways to bring light to design: natural and artificial. They’re quite self-explanatory. There’s only one rule when it comes to natural light: maximize it, but learn to control it. In other words, open up those large windows, but use smart window treatments. Have some motorized blinds, as NJ-based interior designers recommend, since these effectively filter sunlight coming in. As for artificial light, there’s also just one rule: layer it. You should be able to have a good mix of ambient, task, and accent lighting in any space.
There are so many tips and tricks in decorating a home, but all of it just boils down to these simple elements of design. Show these off in your space, and you can guarantee not just an aesthetically pleasing place, but also a very functional one.
