The Limitless World of Design

Do It Yourself10 tips for designing your own home

Color, Color and MORE Color!

{Be Your Own Designer Edition}

Design Thesis 2Letter From the Editor 3

Elements of Design 4Line 5

Texture 9Light 13Space 16Shape 18Form 21Color 24

Principles of Design 30Balance 31Rhythm 34

Harmony 39Emphasis 44Massing 46

Proportion 48Scale 51

10 Tips For Designing Your Own Home 54

Table of Contents

In order to have a well-designed room, you don’t always have to pay a high-scale designer. Simple tips can help you create a well-

balanced room without outside help. This issue will show you many tips and tricks to creating the high-class design feel without hiring a designer.

Why does design have to be so expensive?

My name is Shaunna Campbell. I am not a interior design major, but I have always been interested in the field. In high school I even considered going to school for interior design, but I am not very good at art. I am also not that creative, but I decided that this year I would take interior design as an elective to pursue my ongoing

interests. I was born and raised in Boston and have always had a thing for the city. The complexity of the tall buildings along with the simplicity of the structure has always amazed me. I pride myself on trying to make things simple, so that is what I wanted to focus this issue on.

About the Editor

Elements of Design

Line

Vertical: provide a feeling of height, strength and dignity; often seen in columns on the exterior of buildings

Horizontal: create a feeling of solidity and also provide strength; often seen in bookshelves and low furniture

Diagonal: provide a feeling of action and movement; evident in slanted ceilings and staircases

Curved: graceful and delicate effect; found in arches

Types of Lines

Line

Lines contribute vastly to a well-designed room. A focus on lines makes the entire room appear bigger because the eye travels upward along the vertical lines in the room making it seem wider.

In the picture above the lines and the mirror not only contribute to the overall effect of the room, but it also gives the illusion that the room is almost twice the size it actually is. The great aspect about using line design to make things seem spacious is the cost! Inserting different types of line based furniture and decorations cost a lot less than extending a room into a larger space.

http://inthralld.com/2013/03/make-your-small-space-feel-larger-with-these-8-creative-tips/

Use of Lines

Lines are often used to create a focal point such as in this photo. The bricks were placed around

the tree to emphasize it.

{ECU Campus}

Texture

Texture

What is it?Texture is the surface quality of an object that can be recognizable by touch.

What are the types of textures?Textures can be rough, soft, smooth, shiny or dull. Each type of texture gives a room a certain characteristic. Smooth, shiny textures in a room can make it seem more formal rather than dull, rough textures.

Why Use Texture?

Visual: Texture is often used to bring life and visual interest to a an object or an entire room.

Light Reflection: Surface quality affects the amount of light the texture reflects.

Maintenance: Shinier textures scratch easier while rough textures are more durable and require less maintenance.

Acoustics: Textures can absorb or reflect sound. Smooth, hard surfaces such as hardwood floors reflect sound while soft and rough textures such as carpet absorb sound.

Example of Texture

The different types of texture contain unique surface qualities that can affect the light reflection in a room. In the picture to the right, it is noticeable that the hardwood floors are reflecting the sunlight coming through the window lighting up half the room.

{My House}

Reflective

Light

Light

Light is an important aspect of design. In an interior space, light affects the emotional as well as the physical comfort of the area. It is important to include enough light that the user is able to see, but not too much light where they are prone to discomfort or headaches. It is highly recommended

to use a variety of light sources so that an interior space does not come off as dull or boring. Light goes hand in hand with color, without light color does not exist.

HINT: Natural light sources are the cheapest

Natural: (the highest quality light) creates a linear spectrum that evenly distributes colors as we see them.

Task: used for a certain activity such as work, reading or writing. The light is placed near the activity, but aimed away to avoid glare.

Soffit: a light attached to the ceiling designed to provide a high level of light directly below.

Types of Light

Space

Space

Space in interior design is mostly focused around planning. When designing a room, you have to plan where you want everything to go while making sure there is adequate walkways. An interior designer has to make use of the space with furniture, without clutter or conflict.

Positive Space: space occupied by actual furniture pieces

Negative Space: empty space between pieces

Shape

Shape

Shape is an interesting concept that many people tend to overlook, but shapes play an important role of creating a sense of unity in a space. When designing a

room, it is easiest to buy rectangular or square furniture because they are the most popular shapes used in interior design

Monotony could occur if there are too many squares or rectangles in a room. An

easy fix to this problem would be to incorporate

circular furniture.

Abstract: comes from nature; elements are transformed into nonrepresentational design

Geometric: made up of geometric signs such as stripes, plaids and patterns

Types of Shapes

Form

Form

Form is defined as the nature of design that distinguishes the object. It is often combined with shape and mass in interior design.

Example of Form

Often when furnishing a house, amateurs will place objects of similar shapes against one another. This makes the furniture or whatever is being placed blend into the background, making it unimportant to the space.

In the picture above, the designer chose to use an oval shape as a garden in front of the rectangular building with rectangular windows to use variety in shapes therefore; creating a well-thought out display of form.

Geometric

{ECU Campus}

Color

Color

The world revolves around color, especially in the world of design. Color is an extremely important part of design because it works together with other elements to give an interior space life. Light

supplies the color in the room and color affects the shape and size of the room as well as objects in it.

Without any color, a room is lifeless, dull and ultimately

unappealing.

Color is EVERYWHERE!

No matter which way you turn, color is staring back at you. Sometimes it is found in nature while other times, bright colors are placed on objects to call attention to it. Such as a purple sign or stop sign. The bright purple and red colors draw attract your attention so you are more likely to notice and follow the instructions.In design, colors have the same effect. They create a focal point and sometimes outline an object they want you to admire.

{ECU Campus}

Choosing the right colorTrying to decide what color scheme to choose for your

room? Here are some things to

consider:

Is it a small space?

Do you want a more cozy, relaxing, or supportive atmosphere?

Do you have a color preference?

Categories of Color

CoolBlue, blue-green, green, violet, and blue-violet. Cool colors create a relaxing, restful and soothing atmosphere. These colors also appear to expand space.

WarmRed, red-orange, orange, yellow-orange, and yellow. These colors give an engaging, active and cozy effect to the room. It is known to enclose space.Neutral

Neutral colors include black, gray and white. Colors in between warm and cool colors are called neutralized colors. These colors give a restful, tranquil, and supportive feel. Neutral and neutralized colors are important to every color scheme because they accent the warm or cool colors.

SAMPLE COLOR SCHEME

In the picture above the room portrays a warm color scheme with a beige color to offset the burgundy. The windows and furniture are also white; a neutral color to play off of the scheme.

A common mistake new designers make is choosing the same shade of one color for everything. Matching is important, but when there is too much of one shade of color in a room it tends to be boring. To fix this problem, instead of using only one shade, pick three. Use a light shade for the trim, a medium shade for the walls, and a darker shade for select objects in the room.

{My room}

Principles of Design

Balance

Balance

Balance in a room emphasizes stability. A balanced furniture arrangement provides the feeling of equilibrium.Symmetrical balance is when the same object is arranged equally on either side of the “imaginary line”. This type of balance provides the feeling of formality.

Asymmetrical balance requires more creative thinking when it comes to furniture arrangement. For example, rather than two identical objects sitting across from each other, on one side there will be a large object and on the other side there will be two smaller objects that equal that one large object.

An example of a “balanced” space

{ECU Spillman Building}

Rhythm

Rhythm

Rhythm is created by:

• Repetition• Transition• Progression

Rhythm allows the eye to easily flow throughout the different aspects of the room.

Rhythm- Repetition

Repetition: repeating color, pattern, texture, line, light, or form.

In the picture on the left, the orange and gray color scheme on the floor matches the circles on the chair.

{ECU Faculty Excellence Office}

Rhythm- Transition

Transition: rhythm found in a curved line that carries the over an element such as a window or around furnishings such as a drapery.

In the picture on the right the curved chair placed in the corner of the room beside a round table softens the sharp angle of the merging wall planes. {My House}

Rhythm- Progression

Progression: rhythm created by the change of the size of an object from large to small or of a color from light to dark.

In the picture to the left the carpet begins very dark then moves into a more tan color then reaches the wall where it is greeted with a white trim. As you move up the wall, the trim ends and the tan color begins again. This time, the tan color is accented by the darkest shade in the form of picture frames.

{ECU Spillman Building}

Harmony

Harmony: Compatibility of elements to achieve a pleasing whole

Achieved through unity and variety Unity through shape Variety through color Unity through repetition

Harmony

Harmony-Unity Through Shape

In order to create harmony there needs to be a blend of different varieties with a common denominator that will blend them together.

For example plastic chairs do not blend well with an old fashion living room, instead, plastic chairs belong on a porch or in a more relaxing space such as the deck in the picture on the left.

{My porch}

Harmony- Variety Through Color

{My porch}

A color scheme that progressively transitions between light and dark colors to create a harmonious color combination that will add peace and character to the place being designed.

In the picture above the designer alternated between white for the walls and black for the trim while using tan for the furniture to balance them both and create a peaceful space.

besthomeinspirations.com 

Harmony- Unity Through Repetition

{My porch}

Repeating a piece of furniture, shape or color creates a visually appealing space. Without a consistency in color and shape it can give the room a complex and confused atmosphere.

The picture above demonstrates the repetition of shape because the four couches are all the same size and are symmetrical to one another. It also exhibits a clear color scheme and is repeated throughout the entire space.

adorable-home.com 

Emphasis

The point that catches our attention

Visual Emphasis

Finding your focal pointThe focal point is the place in the room you would like people who walk into the room to notice first.

Creating your focal pointVisual emphasis can be achieved by endowing a form or shape with exceptional size, a unique shape, or a strategic location.

In the picture above the fireplace is the focal point. The designer not only added a fireplace, but made sure it was white to draw your attention to it.

{My house}

Massing

Massing

Mass is described as the three- dimensional forms in a space. “Massing” refers to combining multiple forms in a space. The opposite of mass is open space. Lack of mass, or increase of open space, has a noticeable effect on the character of a space. There are two types of massing actual density and optical density

Proportion

Object in proportion with space

Examples of Proportion

The picture above clearly demonstrates object in proportion with space. Rather than use a small table in this very large room, the designer decided to use a more modern, large table that utilizes the excess space.

www.ipu.co.id 

Object not in proportion with space

Examples of Proportion

The picture above displays objects in a room that are not in proportion to space. Rather than utilize the big living room, the owners chose to use small furniture that uses an excessive amount of space.

thecomfortsofhome.blogspot.com

Scale

Scale

Scale: Overall size of a room, object, or pattern in relation to something else.

Scale in the Design WorldScale affects the designing of a space because objects change in size when placed in certain environments. For instance, if you were to place large furniture in a small living room then it would make the living room seem even smaller. If the large furniture is placed alongside other pieces of large furniture, this object seems even bigger than it had been originally.

Human Scale: Consider a building in terms of dimension of the human body, allows space to be more visually and physically adjustable

Symbolic Scale: Symbolic cue of socioeconomic status

Two Main Types of Scale

10 tips for designing your OWN home1. Pick a color scheme, not just one color2. Choose furniture based on the size of

the room, leave ample amount of walkway space

3. Consider the focal point in the room4. When it comes to lighting natural is

best5. Choose floors wisely; if you have

children consider noise and accidents6. Choose a variety of shapes for furniture7. Create a floor plan FIRST8. Keep in mind the colors and furnishings

that decrease the size of a room9. Use an adequate amount of light, but

not too much!10. Dare to be creative!

References All the information in this

magazine is credited to our classes’ interior design book and Ms. Rose’s powerpoint slides.

All pictures were either taken by myself or are sited at the bottom.