When we know the basic interior design principles, we can transform any space to look fabulous. We know what it feels like when you walk into a well-designed room.

We can sense how everything feels cohesive and put together. It feels just right. We can achieve that effect in your own home with a little knowledge of basic design principles.

Pair that knowledge with practice and experimentation and we’re on your way to creating your beautiful home.

1. Balance

In design, balance creates a feeling of equilibrium. It is all about equalizing or approximating the visual weight of objects.

Balance is created not just through shape, but through color, pattern, and texture as well.

There are three different kinds of balance :

Symmetrical or Formal

Traditional or Formal spaces call for symmetrical balance where the space is evenly split into two sides that mirror each other.

For example, two chairs on either side of a coffee table can be said to be symmetrically balanced.

This kind of balance is easy to achieve as design elements are repeated on each side. If you are not careful, this kind of balance can become monotonous and boring.

Asymmetrical or Informal

The visual weights of lines, colors, forms, art piece and textures are balanced without exact duplication.

It is not as ordered as symmetrical balance and can be more complex and interesting. For instance, a sofa can be balanced by placing two chairs on the other side.

Radial Balance

Radial balance is achieved when there is a central focal point with other elements radiating from it or around it.

An example would be a round dining table, with chairs arranged around it. There is a lot of repetition of form, texture, and color.

2. Rhythm

As in music, rhythm in design is all about creating patterns of repetition and contrast to create visual interest. You can achieve this by using the same color or shape at different intervals. Its purpose is to move your eye around the room.

For instance, you can establish a rhythm by using a color in the pillows, picking it up in a painting, and echoing it again in a rug. These repetitions will help carry your eye around the room.

3. Harmony

Harmony is created when all the elements act together to create a unified message. Just as rhythm can create excitement, harmony creates a sense of restfulness.

For instance, you can create harmony by using just one color, even though your forms vary greatly in shape, size, and texture.

4. Emphasis

A room where everything gets equal importance will seem either scattered or boring. You need an anchor, we have points of interest such as a fireplace or a window with a beautiful view.

You can choose to enhance the built-in focal point by arranging furniture around it to emphasize it.

In a room that lacks such a built-in point of interest, you can create one through groupings of furniture or using an unusual or large piece.

5. Proportion and Scale

Proportion is the ratio between the size of one part to another, and scale is how the size of one object relates to another or to the space in which it is placed. For instance, a large overstuffed sectional in a small room will be out of scale.

Some proportional relationships are more pleasing than others. The ancient Greeks came up with the Golden Section, which sought to reduce all proportion to a simple formula:

The ratio of the smaller section to the larger section should be the same as that of the larger section to the whole. This proportion is present in nature, and artists and architects have used it as well.

6. Details

While the first 5 principles of Balance, Rhythm, Harmony, Emphasis, Scale and Proportion are about the “macro” view of a space, the principle of details is all about the “micro”.

Minimalist designs, which call for less details, may look simple but this is one of the most difficult and expensive builds to achieve when you want excellent results. The design, materials, work procedure and finishing have to be considered in one whole seamless process with hardly any margin for error.

Those design disguises like baseboards, moldings, visible hinges, etc. are not used, which means that you would need professionals, craftsmen, and more man hours compared to the standard way.

A simple design does not seem to have many details to consider. The opposite is true though. There are even more details that have been thought about carefully, much more actually compared to a standard build. These details are called “micro”, and considered carefully in the making of a space, so as not to be seen in the finished space.

7. Unity

This is the goal of any architect, interior designer and decorator : to create a united space where all chosen elements and principles are in cohesion with each other.

There is a flow and a relationship between the elements that functionality and aesthetics merge. What is then created is a healthy and wholesome space for whoever inhabits it.

Extend this unity throughout the whole house, and also in the landscape it is in. Interior Era Team opt to think of the whole house and not create themed rooms. When you walk through the house, from room to room, you get a feeling of order and consonance.