Fylstra Haus

Designing something attractive isn’t just about having a good idea or feeling inspired. It’s more about grasping the basics of the subject. Elements act like the essential pieces that form a space when you’re looking at it.

There are seven basic elements of interior design: Space, Line, Shape, Color, Light, Texture, and Pattern. When focusing on a cohesive design, these elements come together as a whole to create a well balanced area.

Space: The concept of space is the area within a room. Space volume includes positive and negative space and when working them together they create a visual sense of comfort and harmony. What is negative space? This would be the open space around objects. The breathing space is needed to provide balance and proportion within the room.

Line: Lines define a space and assist in creating a sense of direction. These have many different purposes including but not limited to, leading the eye, dividing a space, or communicating a feeling or emotion. Vertical lines make rooms seem taller, wider spaces appear narrower, and suggest a feeling of strength and height, drawing the eye upwards. Horizontal lines create the opposite. Diagonal lines suggest movement and direction. Curved lines have a soft, graceful effect, and create a flow within a room.

Shape: Shapes are created by connecting lines to enclose a space within a structure. There are two forms of shape which then create five following shapes. First there is two-dimensional, shapes that have height and width, but no depth. Secondly there are three-dimensional shapes, those containing mass and volume. These two forms break down into curvilinear, rectilinear, geometric, natural/organic, and abstract or stylized shapes. Perception of shapes is limitless but assist in guiding the “designers eye”.

Color: As mentioned previously, without light, there is no color. This is the ‘fun’ element that everyone loves to play with. The truth of the matter is, color is extremely complex and experimentation requires confidence. Color is also a psychological consideration and it affects our mood.

Texture: The characteristic of anything we feel or touch, being visual and sensory. Texture in a design can be likened to an artist’s brush stroke on a painting. The choices you make have a huge impact on the mood and implied use of the space.

Light: An element that encompasses two separate aspects of design, there usually is both natural and artificial light to consider and manipulate. Artificial light typically comes to mind but optimizing the use of natural light is key in terms of practicality and in order to be able to appreciate the space.

Pattern: The repetition of a graphic motif on a material. It adds interest, creates contrast, and brings together multiple elements like color, line, and shape. Pattern can be created in many ways such as stones in a wall, buttons on a tufted sofa, or shadows on the wall from natural light.