I. Principles & Elements
Principles and elements are possible the most basic makeup
of interior design, yet it also sets a basis in which all other themes work
from. Elements tend to be thought of as the most basic, yet many of them must
work in unison in order to make sense of the principles; they both must work in
unison. For example, the picture I have chosen is from someones random home
office, but it displays a couple different elements very well and tell the
story of the room almost by their selves. If I were to ask you where the focal
point of the room is, or where to head honcho in the room would sit, you could
tell me immediately. The reason for this is elements such as color and
lighting, meaning the two lamps which place the seat at the center. The
sculpture hanging on the back wall works as well to bring attention to the
center of the meeting area. All of these elements make sense hierarchy (principle)
of the space, as well as things such as the unity and harmony.
II. Scale
Scale is a feature of design that has been around since the
beginning of time, and could be argued as possibly the most exhausted. Scale
has long been known as the go to way to easily represent a higher power, and
the evidence is clear in ancient civilizations. From Egypt (which we will talk
more about in this rationale,) to Greece, Rome, etc. humans have honored, or
represented, their gods with towering statues in order to appease them. In some
instances it was even to the point of a sign of power. Take the Colossus of
Rhodes, for example. The leaders of Rhodes constructed the towering Statue of
Liberty-sized sculpture not only to appease their Gods, but also to celebrate
their military victories in the previous years. Another good example of this,
the Great Hypostyle Hall in ancient Egypt. The Hall can be found nearly in
shambles today, but in its prime It was a towering spectacle with no other
purpose than to honor a higher power and to give thanks to them. Holy temples
like this were often the largest epicenter of the civilization, and it just
shows the dedication of civilizations through time that have sacrificed their
best and biggest expenditures on the Gods.
III. Materials
Materials are an interesting part of interior design, and in
some cases can fluctuate the price of a space by hundreds or thousands of
dollars. If you don’t believe me or are having a hard time understanding, think
about the difference in cost of a gold painted room versus an actual gold
plated room. Pretty massive right? Materials can truly make or break a space,
and what makes them interesting is that they are sometimes either covered up
with other finishes, or are just not immediately recognizable to admire. In
most cases, materials that are better off left unfinished are probably more
expensive, or may take a clear lacquer finish such as some hardwoods. This
could be brick, stone, wood, or maybe a natural skin. For instance, the python
jacket I have provided in the image above. First of all, this goes back to the
point of real materials can make or break an item. I believe when I saw this
picture the price said something like 2800 dollars, quite expensive. However,
if this were simply a leather jacket with a replica painting of a python on it,
were talking thousands of dollars cheaper. Same principle applies with interior
design.
IV. Light & Color
Light and color, in particular lighting in my instance, can
do quite a bit in terms of touching a person in terms of experience. Whether it
is mood, setting, anything really, it can be influenced by the dimming or
brightening of light. Movies are better in the dark, you chances for a kiss
increase when the lights dim, and in a lot of cases, the clothes and food get
more expensive when the lights go dim as well. Why do we see this trend? Well,
lighting itself is the trend; it sets a mood. A brighter lighted area will make
people be more focused and attentive, while a dim light could make you relax a
bit. On the flip side, a brighter light could convey a mood of happiness or
excitement. However, a dark or viscous color could convey darkness or even
fear. It doesn’t just stop at the lighting itself, but also in the way it is
presented to you. In the image I have posted, you will notice that the
restaurant is very dimly lit and each guest has a candle at their table. The
candle-lit dinner represents a more naturalistic and classical feel, nowadays a
sign of high class. The little overhead lighting there is is mainly accent
lights, which also convey a feeling of high hierarchy.
V. Technology
Technology in interior design has been around for a long
time – I would go as far as to say in the beginning, since it has been possibly
the major factor to advance interior and exterior design as far as it has come
today. Technology basically can be anything in a space or room that makes human
life easier; that can be saving space, saving time, saving effort or even
energy. All the way back to the beginning, something like a textile hanging
over the window or door to keep the inside warm can be considered technology.
Furthermore, even stairs made to access a higher floor; this allowed us to
continue to build our buildings upward. A more modern instance, take the image
I have posted above. If you can’t tell, this is a table and a set of six small
rectangular chair, and all of it can be folded up on top of one another to make
an ottoman. This is a great example of humans furthering the use and efficiency
by advancing technology. A pretty small and simple place to sit I know, but
consider the amount of space this can save in an average room. Not to mention
the practicality, it can be shifted for multiple different situations.
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