Basic design principles are recognized by designers of all types.
Interior designers, architects, fashion designers, landscape designer, and artists all work with basic design principles every day.
Do you know all of the basic design principles?
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Balance
Balance pertains to the visual weight of an object, not so much the actual physical weight.
A large piano is balanced by a large sofa. A sideboard with a large mirror hanging above it would be balanced with a china hutch.
Formal balance has symmetrical visual weights on either side. For example, you can put two identical vases on either end of a consold table to create formal balance.
Informal balance is achieved by creating visual balance with different items. For example, you can use set of 3 candlesticks on one side of a table and a large pot on the other side of the table. The grouping of candlesticks seems to have a similar visual weight to the large pot .
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Emphasis or Focal Point
An emphasis or focal point is the dominant item in a room that your eye is most drawn to.
This could be a chandelier, fireplace, or a beautiful bed.
There are usually only one focal point in a smaller room, but larger rooms might have, two or three focal points.
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Gradation
Gradation is the use of a change in size of objects from large to small or a change in color from light to dark .
Russian stacking dolls are an example of gradation from large to small.
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Proportion
Proportion is how an object's quantity, size, or number relates to another part and the object as a whole.
Objects with a 2 to 3, 3 to 5, or 5 to 8 proportion seem to be most pleasing.
For example, a chair that is 30" wide would look nice with an ottoman that is 20" wide, using the 2 to 3 proportion.
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Radiation
Radiation is a balance around a central point.
Dining chairs around a round table radiate around the center of the table.
Tree branches usually radiate around the tree's trunk.
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Rhythm
Rhythm is the path your eye follows. You can create rhythm using gradation, repetition, transition, or radiation.
Repetition is the use of the same object several times. You can use several photos in the same type of frame along a wall to create rhythm.
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Scale
Scale refers to how an object's size relates to other objects.
For example, a large room with small furniture in it would have an unpleasing scale.
A small room with an enormous piece of furniture in it would also have an unpleasing scale.
Your furniture must be a proper scale for your room for your room to be well designed.
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Transition
Transition is how something transitions from one element to another.
Instead of using just tall and short elements, mix in some medium sized elements to create a good transition.
When decorating a nightstand, interior designers will often use one short, one medium, and one tall item to create a pleasing vignette.
