The Elements and Principles of Design

Elements and Principles Applied

When looking at an interior space, it is obvious whether or not it looks appealing.  Many people do not know or understand the factors that make a room feel this way.  This is why interior designers have a knowledge of the elements and principles of design.  These elements and principles categorize the different factors that add to the feeling and appearance of a space.  This picture of an extravagant and beautiful living room shows many good examples of the elements and principles seen in good designs.

When looking at the back wall of the picture many horizontal lines are seen in the wood paneling.  This feature uses the element of line to make the room appear taller.  This leads to the grand and large feeling in the space. The back wall also puts and emphasis on the fireplace.  Emphasis is a principle of design that works to make a certain feature stand out.  The fact that all the lines in the photograph are pointing to the fire place, makes it obvious that it is the center of the room.  The bright white color of the fire place against the taupe walls also make it stand out by highlighting it with a different color.  The back wall alone has an appearance that is made beautiful by many of the elements and principles.

The furniture and its arrangement also use elements and principles of design.  The three couches are all white, which employs the use of color in bringing the principle of unity to the space.  These three main pieces of furniture create a “U” shape which employs the principle of balance. The couches are able to balance out the heavy weight of the massive fire place.  The use of the smaller wood side chairs allows for some variety in the room, another principle of design.  The use of two differently styled coffee tables also adds variety.  This same variety is also seen in the accent pieces used throughout the entire room.

The use of color on the furniture allows for it to stand out.   But, the main taupe color in the room allows for a sense of unity.  Because the furniture brings variety into the room and the taupe color brings a sense of unity, the room is able to achieve harmony.  Harmony is difficult to achieve in a room because it has to employ a mix of variety and unity, two opposite principles of design.  This room is able to achieve harmony, and therefore is very aesthetically appealing.

Unusual Materials

  

The Catacombs of Paris

The thought of bones made into wall designs sounds disgusting at first. But, once given the chance to explore the Catacombs in Paris, France many people begin to find it fascinating. Dating back to medieval times, the catacombs are a system of underground tunnels that run beneath the city of Paris. The bones of thousands of bodies line the walls to form interesting, yet morbid, decorations.

I was very lucky to have the opportunity a few years ago to visit these catacombs. Upon entering all visitors have to receive an introduction. During this introduction, I learned a lot about the history of the catacombs. I was also told not to steal any of the bones. Apparently they have had many situations in the past with missing bones. They had even caught people stealing the bones in their backpacks and purses to take home as a souvenir. Just being in the catacombs made me feel uncomfortable. I could not even imagine taking a piece home with me!

As my family and I entered into the underground tunnels at around two in the afternoon, the sunlight disappeared and artificial light lit the way down into the tunnel system. Thousands of leg and arm bones had been stacked upon one another to form the walls of the tunnel. As we got deeper into the system we came across many of the designs we had been told about during our introduction. Skulls were a decorative piece on many of the walls. Different types of bones had been laid in many directions to form patterns. It was the strangest form of decoration I had ever seen.

We were told that it was not uncommon in centuries past for people to get stuck or abandoned in the tunnels. About half of the way through the tour we came across a carving that had been made into the rock side of a tunnel. A man who had been trapped in the tunnels had carved a small castle model into the stone siding. This was also the place that he died after creating his masterpiece. This was only one of the creepy stories that we were told during the tour. Although I was extremely interested in the tunnels I could not stop thinking about how creepy the experience had become.

The wall designs and tunnel systems were very fascinating and beautiful. Although it took me a while to get used to looking at so many human bones, the tour became a good experience that I will never forget. It is interesting to see how unusual materials can be applied in different types of places.  This is the most interesting use of an unusual material that I have ever experienced.

Texas Tech Interior Design Expo 2011

Design Expo

In the real world, we interior designers will have to go to market and learn about new and trending products in order to keep up with the changing trends.  A design expo was held last week at Texas Tech in the Merket Alumni Center.  It was very just like the type of market the professionals must attend.  The experience was fun and gave my classmates and me a look into our future. 

We began the show by entering into large ball room at the Alumni Center where the expo was to take place.  At first glance I was overwhelmed by the amount of vendors that came to our show.  I am sure that talking to learning designers is a good marketing tool for these vendors.  Therefore, they were all very excited to talk with us about the different types of product they had to offer.  This helped me learn a lot about many different types of products that I have not had the opportunity to learn about yet.

I learned about many new products that are currently trending.  This included things such as office chairs, Crypton fabric products, and wallpaper.  This kind of information taught me a lot about the types of things that designers need to continually research in order to stay updated.

My favorite product at the expo was the Crypton fabric products.  These are wonderful for commercial use, which is a field of study I am focusing on this semester.  When I think of commercial fabrics, I usually think of ugly geometric patterns, scratchy surfaces, and ugly stains.  These fabrics had surprisingly beautiful patterns, soft surfaces, and were stain resistant.  Some of these Crypton materials could even resist the permanency of a Sharpie pen.  Learning about these fabrics could really help me in my future career if I am in need of a stain resistant and durable material for a commercial space.

            The atmosphere of the expo was exciting and inspired me to want to learn with my classmates.  The vendors were very happy to be there and were doing their best to sell their product in the most intriguing way possible.  There were buffet tables set up in the middle of the room with food and drinks.   This added more to the social aspect of the event.  I have learned over the past few years that this fast paced and fun atmosphere is common at market and expos.  Being around this type of activity, I was able to even better understand the way things work in the interior design world.

            The expo inspired me to do even more trend researching on my own.  I know that using the internet I have access to all kinds of information.  It is up to me whether or not I actually put that information to use.  Seeing all of the different types of materials and designs at the expo gave me inspiration that I can put into my projects.  The expo further inspired me to do research for the classes that I am taking now.  For my last project, a tile project, I spent a good amount of time looking at tile designs online and in magazines before I started my work.  This gave me ideas that I would have never thought of before.  Because I have not been out in the workforce yet, I haven’t had the opportunity to see large amounts of designs and ideas.  Going to the expo reminded me that by doing a little research I can get inspiration that will only lead to better products on my part.

            I am very glad that Texas Tech hosts a design expo every year.  It gave me a great learning opportunity.  I am sure that it will also help me in the years to come.  It will only help me to be more prepared and confident in myself for my future career.

           

Fabric Applications

Fabric Application in the Alumni Center

Looking around the Texas Tech campus there are many different applications of fabric.  The other day I had the pleasure of taking a trip to the Merket Alumni Center on campus.  The center is fairly new and the inside is very aesthetically appealing.  Even though all of the fabric applications in the building are very nice to look at, it is obvious that the designer thought about the durability of all the fabrics used.  The main application that I noticed the most was the carpeting that runs throughout most of the building. 

Although I do not know the specific make-up of the carpet used in this particular building, it is obviously a nylon based commercial grade carpet.  This means that after many years of use the carpet should continue to look new.  It is very costly to replace carpet, especially in such a huge space.  Having the durability of commercial grade carpet can save on fees of replacing the carpet sooner rather than later.

The color of the carpeting is dark which will also help with the appearance after years of use.  Lighter colors usually show dirt faster than dark colors do and can often begin to look faded or splotchy.  Sometimes permanent stains are inevitable in busy locations.  When a darker carpet is used these stains will be a lot less noticeable, if not impossible, to see.

Another great thing about this carpet is that it has a continuous pattern.  This is aesthetically appealing because it makes such a large area of flooring not look as plain as it would have had the designer used a solid color.  Patterns can also aid in hiding stains and dirt that occur from everyday use.  Many times stains and dirt can be easily cleaned out of a carpet such as this one, but it is hard to keep floors constantly clean.  It would be awkward if someone came out to clean the carpets during the middle of an event that was taking place. In times like these it is good to have something to camouflage food, dirt, and other substances that may get on the floor.   This is where the use of a pattern comes in handy.

Many people pick out their curtains, chair upholstery, and rugs based on aesthetic appeal.  Although these applications of fabric may turn out beautiful, they may not look quite as good a few years down the road.  This is because the durability of a fabric is just as important as the way that it looks, especially when it comes to high traffic volume areas, such as the Merket Alumni Center.