Hannah Smith is an interior designer in Raleigh, NC, who often partners with The School of Styling.
The Interior Design industry is constantly changing and morphing into something more beautiful everyday. With HOUZZ and Pinterest coming in as the top search engines to gather inspiration, we need to distinguish what design is and how the interior designer comes into play.
Sure, as a designer I need to be able to pair things together that are beautiful to the eye but I also am responsible for the everyday life safety of the client or project I am working on. There are hundreds of building codes and stipulations that you must know in order to make the space in which you are working pass inspection (electrical, plumbing, ADA, occupancy load, sustainable design) just to name a few. Interior design is about creating a beautiful, yet functional space while keeping in line and passing these building codes.
I believe, as an Interior Designer, that any functional space must encompass the 5 principles of design: Balance, Repetition, Scale, Proportion and Harmony. Without these key principles, the design concept is lacking. After all, the interior design industry tends to follow after the fashion industry!
Balance: This is an even distribution of weight enabling something to remain upright and steady or a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions. Balance follows symmetry where there is an even amount of weight distributed throughout your space.
Repetition: This is the repeating visual elements such as line, color, shape, texture, value or image tends to unify the total effect of a work of art as well as create rhythm. A few ways to incorporate repetition is through: curtains, fabric, carpet, wallpaper or tile.
Scale & Proportion: This is the relative size and scale of the various elements in a design. These are the most important factors in design whether it is on the exterior of a building or the inside of your interior space, all design elements should be complimentary of the space (things to take into consideration: ceiling height, pattern size, furniture size, fixtures and size of your space).
Harmony: This is where all parts of the visual image relate to and complement each other. Interiors Designers create music to the eye when they can harmonize by mixing colors, patterns and textures creating a beautiful oasis.
Sources: Photo 1 | Photo 2 | Photo 3 | Photo 4
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