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What comes to mind when you hear about interior designing? Some people might think it’s all about adding new features to your space. For others, they might think it’s about replacing old furniture with new ones or making major changes to the space. While these all might be true, there are other more important things or elements to consider when designing an interior. In order to make the perfect blend of elements and to come up with something aesthetically pleasing, from space to pattern, interior designers work with all sorts of things. So before you consider making new changes to the interior of your house, take these 7 basic elements of interior designing into account and see how they are interrelated with each other.

Decorative Items
All interior elements are interrelated with each other

Space

Since interior designing mainly deals with making the most out of a given space, it makes the space itself one of the fundamental elements of interior designing. Interior designers face a limitation of physical boundary when it comes to modifying any given space. Usually, space is segregated into two major categories – Positive space and Negative space. Positive space is any space consisting of objects whereas negative space is all the empty space around and between the subjects of a room. Based on how someone wants to organize their room and the space available, the right balance between positive and negative space should be met. For instance, cluttering a room with lots of furniture might not be a wise thing to do because then you will have less space to live with. In case of spare rooms, leaving it with less furniture might be a better idea to leave space for some functionality. On the other hand, if someone prefers maximalism, he or she might prefer it otherwise.

Light 

Light
Change the mood of your room using different lights

Light is one of the basic elements of interior designing which has the potential to add value or enhance any sort of design. Light can be divided into 3 categories – task lighting, accent lighting, and mood lighting. Task lighting is used for illuminating a space to ensure sufficient lighting. Pendant lights or table lamps are good examples of task lighting. Accent lighting is used to emphasize on a particular aspect. It helps to highlight a work of art or a particular space. Accent lights are often seen in walkways or movie theaters or sometimes even to decorate a stairway. Mood lighting happens to be completely different. Mood lighting is used to create a desired atmosphere inside a room. This form of lighting can be used in any room, depending on the type of ambience one wants to create.

Color

Color has the power to elicit memories and generate emotions. It is one of the basic elements of interior designing which has the ability to set the mood and transform the perception of how large or small a room is. Color preference usually varies from one person to the other. Some people like to use lively colors, whereas some prefer to stick with neutrals. Before deciding on which colors you want for your room, focus on the purpose of that room and then decide accordingly. Usually darker colors give an impression of having the walls closer to each other; while on the contrary lighter colors makes a room look bigger. All in all, colors can truly change how you feel about a particular room. 

Pattern

Bedroom
Using the right set of patterns can add a wow-factor to your room

Among the basic elements of interior designing, patterns are the most crucial factors. Patterns consist of lines and forms and go in line with color and contribute a lot in terms of creating the appeal of a room. When it comes to adding drama to a space, patterns can have the most impact. It also helps in creating a wow-factor. Patterns can also set the mood of an area depending on how you incorporate it with the design. However, patterns can be of several forms and can be found as wallpapers, stripes, prints, or something photographic. But be warned, using patterns arbitrarily can make a space feel cluttered. That is why, it is wise to consider the style of a room before incorporating any sort of pattern to it. 

Lines

Lines come in three forms – horizontal, vertical and dynamic. Horizontal lines are used to project a sense of stability and tranquility in the design. Vertical lines tend to be more bold in nature and produce feelings of strength. Vertical lines also help in making a room look taller. These are generally used for offices or dining spaces. Lastly, the dynamic lines are more fun to play with and aids in forming an environment which depicts energy and movement of some kind. Dynamic lines can be a curved shape, a zigzag form, or even diagonal. A staircase is one preferable place for using dynamic lines.  

Form

Room
Forms are used to create a uniform look

Form is one of the basic elements of interior designing. It is another term for ‘shape’. Form is able to create cohesion. Besides, it can be used to produce symmetry and help in developing a progressive look. Forms can be ‘geometric’ or ‘natural’. Natural forms feel more organic to people creating an abstract feel whereas geometrical forms work on highlighting distinct shapes like squares or triangles. The overall design derived from forms can either be open or closed in nature as well. Consider leaving some space in between the forms used inside a room to make it more visually pleasing. Moreover, make sure the forms or shapes created on the wall are well balanced and uniform. It can also be the interior designer’s call at times to blend whole concepts or create a diversity of forms while working on spaces. Other things which require attention while working on forms are the proportion and the scale of a room. Both these aspects are going to help you in playing around with the available space and can come in handy in terms of choosing your home decor items, furniture, or even artworks.

Texture

Texture adds more detail and depth to the essence of a room. It can be divided into two forms – visual texture and actual texture. Visual texture solely refers to the texture which is visible to human eyes, like wallpaper. The actual texture on the other hand deals with the objects possessing three dimensional characteristics, for instance a fluffy or a silk cushion. It basically has more to do with how an object feels through seeing as well as touching. Texture plays a major role in a room and therefore should be well managed right from the beginning. Texture can be many things, starting from a mirror, paper, glass, silk, cotton, and many others. As you step into changing the texture of your room, make sure the overall texture is drawn in a comprehensive manner so that it complements the objects placed inside the room.

Did this article help you to get a better grasp in understanding the basic elements of interior designing? Are you now excited enough to bring a change in your life and try out something new with these interior elements? Let us know in the comments section below.

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