Interior design elements | Five elements of Interior Design | Imago Interiors

Interior design elements are essential considerations before embarking on any interior design project. It is important to should always be guided by the fundamental principles and elements of design when planning your interior and it should influence your decisions. The key interior design elements are colour, texture, line, form and space. The principles of interior design relate to how these elements are used to achieve balance, harmony and unity, as well as proportion and scale. Sometimes a room just needs a little help. Imago Interiors can provide you with an invaluable overview of the interior design elements and principles of design relating to interior decorating.

Interior design element number one: Colour

Colour can set the mood in a room and can make a room beautiful, more so than any other interior design element. Colour can make a room feel warmer or cooler and appear to be larger or smaller visually. This is because colour occurs due to light reflecting off a surface back into the eye. This creates the illusion of depth. Contrasting colour can be used to highlight a focal point in a room. Analogous or matching colours can be used to hide undesirable features by blending in. Colour can transform a room and give it life.

Interior design element number two: Texture

Tactile or real texture is how the surface of a particular object feels. Implied or visual texture is the way a material portrays an apparent smoothness or roughness. Texture is becoming an increasingly important home interior design element. Heavily textured fabrics can be used to maintain and enhance a casual feeling. It is a good idea to always avoid dramatic contrast in texture. Smooth, shiny materials such as silk add a certain formality to a room. Several levels of complementary textures, carefully chosen, can add variety to a subject and maintain interest.

Interior design element number three: Line

Line is the basic element that represents continuous movement along a surface. Second only to colour, the lines in a room are important in setting the overall mood or feeling of a room. Usually the dominant line is straight rather than curved. Edges of shapes and forms create lines. The choice of and direction of lines in a room should be based on the mood you want to create. Horizontal lines create a peaceful, if informal feeling, ideal for a family room. Vertical lines add height and dignity and balance horizontal lines found in furniture and other objects. Curved lines are feminine and soft, giving a room an atmosphere that is soft and light. Diagonal lines attract attention which can be disturbing, so should be used with caution.

Interior design element number four: Form

Form can be described as being any three dimensional object. As such it has attributes of length, width, height and depth. There are two types of form, geometric which is man-made and natural which occurs organically. Lines that join together produce the shape or form of an object. Of all the forms in a room, the rectangle is the most popular and dominant shape in a room. The curved form can be used to soften the contours of an object. The triangle form is generally used where stability is important.

Interior design element number five: Space

The final interior design element, space is the area available for a purpose. It can be two dimensional such as the floor in a room, or it may be three dimensional which includes the height aspect. Space refers to the distances or areas in or around a room or an individual piece and includes the foreground, middle ground and the background. Positive and negative spaces exist. Positive space is the space of a particular shape that represents the subject matter. Negative space is simply open space surrounding the subject matter.