How to Use Basic Design Principles to Decorate Your Home

Decorating your home can be an exciting prospect. It can also be overwhelming if you’re running low on inspiration. 

Never fear — we’re here to tell you about the basic design principles and how to use them to decorate your home.

These are timeless elements to keep in mind as you decorate. And because they’re decorating foundation concepts, you can still add your personal style and create the home of your dreams. Let’s get started!

1. Harmony

Achieving a sense of harmony ensures the rooms in your home feel tranquil to you and your guests.  Your first goal for decorating your home should be to create a harmonious living space.

And there are a few key ways to do so. Consider the following before you start decorating any room:

Paint 

Painting is one of the most obvious ways to decorate a home. But paint is permanent, so it’s important to really love your color choices.

There are simple ways to choose paints that create a harmonious palette.

Colors seen in nature, such as light sky blues, plant-like greens, and pale sunset yellows, are harmonious options for walls. Highlight these shades with white paint on ceilings and trim.

Furniture 

Keep furniture and furnishings at a minimum to make rooms more harmonious. Remember, too much clutter is definitely not harmonious. 

And the furniture you do choose should suit the space and your style (more on this soon). 

Patterns and Textures

Like furnishings, use patterns and textures sparingly. Geometric patterns, like chevrons, are ideal for throw pillow covers. And textures created with natural fibers, like woven straw mats, will look beautiful as rug choices.

All these features should complement and balance each other. Be mindful of clashing paint colors, furnishings, and patterns. Too many decorating elements can feel overwhelming, so leave negative space in every room.

If you feel a room is tranquil and complete once the design phase is over, you’ve achieved a sense of harmony.

2. Scale

Scale is how the size of objects interrelate and how they relate to the space they’re in. Know each room’s measurements as well as the measurements of the furniture you’re adding for balance.

For instance, you don’t want to place a massive sectional sofa in a small living room. This will disrupt the scale of the room and make the space feel cramped.

Use the Golden Ratio

When in doubt, consider the ancient Greek’s Golden Ratio. When applied to home decorating, the Golden Ratio helps us balance objects to one another and to the room as a whole. 

If you want to add a large feature, make sure it’s only about 60% of the room size. All furniture in the room, such as the sofas, bookcases, and entertainment centers in a living room, should account for only 60% of the total room space.

Complementary features should only take up about 40% of the size of the larger elements they’re near. For example, chairs to dining tables and coffee tables to sofas.

3. Function

A room has to serve a specific function, and how you decorate should reflect it. Whether the room will be your home office or master bedroom, suitable design principles are easier to incorporate than they may sound.

Remember these elements to make your rooms functional:

• Furniture: Make sure the furniture you place in a room serves its function, such as a dining table set in the dining room.
• Lighting: The lighting affects the mood of the room and should be functional. Dimmers in the bedroom and living room and accent lighting in the places you entertain in are great examples.
• Focal point: Every room should have one focal point, be it built-in, such as bay windows, or installed, like a magnificent chandelier. 

Once the function of a room has been satisfied with its decor, it’s fun to imagine all the time you will spend working, relaxing, or entertaining there!

4. Rhythm

Rhythm gives a room order and interest. You can attain a sense of rhythm through repetition.

One of the easiest ways to create rhythm is with lighting. Consider repeating rows of lighting across the ceiling from the entryway to a room’s focal point. This is especially effective in living rooms.  Use recessed lighting to make a path toward the focal point, like a fireplace.

Progression is another way to achieve rhythm. 

Going back to a lighting example, you can design a room that has gradient lighting. If you’re planning a game room, the brightest lights can be at the room’s entryway. Then have the lighting getting slightly dimmer as you move toward the gaming area.

Using repetition and progression sets the rhythm in your home’s rooms. It’s a design principle that enhances a space’s ambiance and is essential to cultivate.

5. Personality

Always make sure there is a touch of you in every room. It’s pretty simple to do and will make your home feel truly yours.

Add picture frames with photos of loved ones on walls and atop tables and shelves.  Decorate with vases and throw pillows that speak to your personal design aesthetic. Place antiques and heirlooms where you and your guests can admire them. 

Personality is the final basic design principle to impart when decorating your home. When you know your personality is present in each room of your home — your decorating mission is complete. 

Conclusion

Harmony, scale, function, rhythm, and personality are the basic design principles that are necessary for every home. Remember, the elements of each should correspond with and complement each other.

Following these design principles will serve you long after you’ve finished decorating. And when you get each of them just right, you’ll have a well-decorated home that’s all yours.

Author Bio: Elaine Chavez is the Business Manager at 625 Broadway. With over eight years of experience in the industry, she begins and ends each day loving what she does. She is passionate about helping people find the perfect place to call home and shines at building a community that everyone is proud to be a part of.