From the Floors Up

Principles of Interior Design: Harmony and Unity

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The last principle of this series helps bring everything full circle! We need to ensure that our design is unified and has harmony. These principles will make sure that everything in your room has a visual relationship with each other. Nothing should feel out of place or forced. Everything in our design should have a purpose. This can be challenging when we design rooms and do not want to get rid of elements that do not belong. Perhaps you have a favorite painting or an antique couch you inherited. They may not belong in the design of your new modern style living room, but this does not mean you need to get rid of them. You just need to see where and what belongs in the room.

Harmony and Unity 

One way to find unity in a new design before starting is by creating a mood board. You can make a mood board digitally or physically.  Find fabrics, pictures of furniture, floor samples, different wood floor patterns, paint swatches, and collect them all together. You can see if anything does not agree or contrasts with one another. Finding unity is the key to success. Your design should have a clear set vision with harmony throughout it. This visually satisfying effect is the assurance that all your elements in your design will agree. When this is achieved properly, your design will be complete. 

Make sure your design does not create confusion. If you are mimicking a Modern Rustic Design, make sure every element is easily recognizable to help enhance the look. For instance, ebony flooring would look jarring in a modern rustic design. Likewise, if you choose a more Scandinavian style design, you should be able to recognize if anything does not belong. This can be challenging at first, but when mastered, will help you create a beautiful living space. 

Look at your home design. Take it through the checklist of the interior design principles. Do you have any elements that feel “forced”? Do you feel that your home has properly achieved balance, unity, rhythm, scale, and emphasis? Being able to recognize these principles takes time, but we assure you it is worth the time invested. For more insight on how to improve your design theme and home improvement, make sure to subscribe! 

How To Use the Elements and Principles Of Design To Decorate Like An Interior Designer, Part 17

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Part 17 Variety

Now that you discovered the importance of unity in Part 16, you can transition to the more exciting concept of variety. It is the absence of monotony or sameness. Variety serves well to make a room more engaging and stimulating. The degree of variety you want to include is typically dictated by your personal taste. Some people favor a simple design, others prefer something more varied, and some love a room full of unique features!

Take a look at the photo of the indoor/outdoor space. It is a great example of the middle road of variety. There’s enough to truly enjoy looking around the room, but the overall design of the room is still refined. Moreover this example stands out because it does not rely on color to break up any monotony. Color is an easy go-to, but sometimes it overwhelms the smaller details that keep things interesting. Here’s an easy reference list for the elements of the room that create variety:

  • Purpose – room’s door and window are open =an appreciation of the outdoors and fresh air; room is closed up = comfort of being protected from the elements while still enjoying the beauty that surrounds the room outside
  • Texture – wood, stone, fabric, glass, and plant life
  • Scale – massive glass doorway and tree; medium scale windows and couch; small tables, accessories, and plants
  • Light – natural light, table lamps, glass sconces, pedant fixture
  • Lines – angular = columns, windows, rug; curvilinear = sconces, furniture legs, coffee table, and arch

If you are a minimalist at heart, ensure your room wows your guests by incorporating a bit of variety. If you adore detail, take it further. Either way, enjoy the effectiveness of this technique!

Next read Part 18 – Harmony

Don’t forget to go back and start by reading Part 1

How To Use the Elements and Principles Of Design To Decorate Like An Interior Designer Part 16

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Part 16 Unity

The concept of unity is a critical principle of interior design. By definition, it suggests oneness and uniformity. Successfully using it requires you to have broad concept of how all the elements in a room are related to each other.  Whereas other design principles can be individually considered to some extent, this simply is the case with unity. So, how does one pull it off like a pro? By creating a simple list of decorating priorities!

Decide ahead of time the most important features of your room. This could include color, style, architectural elements, etc. We suggest no more than three. Once you have your list, use it every single time you make a design decision for the room.  

Let’s use this photo of a dining room as an example. The style of the room is minimalist. For the most part everything in the room has an aesthetic of simplicity. Yet, the space is visually interesting due to the liberal use of shapes.  All of the architectural elements are characterized by obvious angular shape references – square or rectangular. Color is also a very important aspect of this room. It is a monochromatic color scheme, which means various tints and shades of the same color, in this case, brown. So, let’s relate these three distinct elements to the concept of unity. A modern, minimalist design is supported by the use of clean lines. The architectural features in the room are clearly the most important. To deter distraction from them, a subtle color palette is incorporated. The room is unified because everything in it adheres to these three guiding elements.

Another way to understand how to do this well would be to imagine that you are going shopping for items to include in this room.  Would you buy something red? Would you incorporate a fancy, detailed, baroque chair? Would you incorporate a rug with a pattern of circles? No, no, and no. Remember, you’re not deciding based on your tastes. You’re deciding based on the three top priorities of the room. Red, baroque, and circles just don’t jive.

Enjoy your new decision making tool and watch as your rooms come together beautifully!

Next read Part 17 – Variety

Don’t forget to go back and start by reading Part 1

From the Floors Up

From the Floors Up blog was created with the goal of providing a destination for consumers, designers and those interested in the flooring, design, and kitchen and bath industries. Here you’ll find, current, accurate and informative information that is always just a click away!

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