ID 3 Elements ND Principles

Elements of Interior Design
Form
Shape
Color
Texture
Light
FORM
• Form refers to the shape and
structure of something, as
distinguished from its substance or
material. The point is the generator of
all form.
• Point, line, plane, and volume—these
are the primary elements of form. All
visible forms are, in reality, three
dimensional.
• In describing form, these primary
elements differ according to their
relative dimensions of length,width,
and depth—a matter of proportion
and scale.
POINT
A point marks a location in space. Conceptually, it has
no length, width, or depth. It is, therefore, static and
directionless. As the prime generator of form, a point can
mark the end of a line, the intersection of two lines, or the
corner where the lines of a plane or volume meet.
LINE
• A point extended becomes a line. Unlike a point,
which is static and directionless, a line is capable of
expressing movement, direction, and growth.
A straight line represents the tension that exists between two points.
A horizontal line can represent stability, repose, or the plane upon which we stand or
move.
A vertical line can express a state of equilibrium with the force of gravity.
Diagonal lines, deviations from the horizontal and the vertical, can be seen as rising or
falling.
In either case, they imply movement and are visually active and dynamic.
A curved line represents movement deflected by lateral forces. Curved lines tend to
express gentle movement.
Depending on their orientation, they can be uplifting or represent solidity and
attachment to the earth.
Small curves can express playfulness, energy, or patterns of biological growth.
LINEAR FORMS
Linear forms have traditionally been used to provide
vertical support, to span and express movement across
space, and to define the edges of spatial volumes. This
structural role of linear elements can be seen at the scale
of architecture and interior space, and in furnishings.
PLANE
• A line shifted in a direction other than its intrinsic direction defines a plane.
• Conceptually, a plane has two dimensions—width and length—but no depth.
• Shape is the primary characteristic of a plane
• In addition to shape, planar forms have significant surface qualities of material,
color, texture, and pattern.
PLANAR FORMS
• Planar forms are fundamental elements of architecture and interior design.
Floor, wall, and ceiling or roof planes serve to enclose and define three-
dimensional volumes of space
SHAPE
• Shape is the primary means by which we distinguish one form from another.
• It may refer to the contour of a line, the outline of a plane, or the boundary of a
three dimensional mass. In each case, shape is defined by the specific
configuration of the lines or planes that separates a form from its background or
surrounding space.
• Natural shapes represent the images and forms of our natural world.
• Non objective shapes make no obvious reference to a specific object or to a
particular subject matter
Geometric shapes dominate the built
environment of both architecture and
interior deign.
There are two separate and distinct types

of geometric shapes—rectilinear and
curvilinear. In their most regular form,
curvilinear shapes are circular, while
rectilinear shapes include the series of
polygons that can be inscribed within a
circle.
Of these,the most significant geometric

shapes are the circle,the triangle, and the
square.
Extended into the third dimension, these

primary shapes generate the sphere,the
cylinder, the cone, the pyramid, and the
cube.
CIRCLE
The circle is a compact, introverted shape that has its center point as its natural focus.
It represents unity, continuity, and economy of form.
A circular shape is normally stable and self-centering in its environment.
Other curvilinear lines and shapes can be seen to be fragments or combinations of circular
shapes
TRIANGLE SQUARE
•The triangle represents stability. • The square represents the pure
•Triangular shapes and patterns are often used in and the rational.
structural systems, since their configuration cannot • The equality of its four sides and its
be altered without bending or breaking one of their four right angles contributes to its
sides. regularity and visual clarity.
• All other rectangles can be
considered to be variations of the
square with the addition of width
or length.
TEXTURE
• Texture is the specific quality of a surface that
results from its three-dimensional structure.
• Texture is most often used to describe the
relative smoothness or roughness of a surface.
• It can also be used to describe the characteristic

surface qualities of familiar materials, such as the
roughness of stone, the grain of wood, and the
weave of a fabric.
There are two basic types of texture.
• Tactile texture is real and can be felt by touch

• visual texture is seen by the eye.
All tactile textures provide visual texture as well.

Visual texture, on the other hand, may be illusory or real.
COLOR
Color, like shape and texture, is an inherent visual
property of all form. We are surrounded by color in our
environmental settings.
The colors we attribute to objects find their source in the light that
illuminates and reveals form and space.
Without light, color does not exist.

Principles of Interior design
•Principles of interior design are achieved through
the application of the elements of design.
• Proportion
• Scale
• Balance
• Harmony
• Unity and Variety
• Rhythm
• Emphasis
The visual relationships established among the interior design

elements in a space are ordered by proportion, scale, balance,
harmony, unity and variety, rhythm, and emphasis.
These principles, however, can help develop and maintain a sense

of visual order among the design elements of a space, while
accommodating their intended use and function.
Proportion
• Proportion refers to the relationship of one part to another or to the whole, or
between one object and another.
• In interior design, we are concerned with the proportional relationships between the
parts of a design element, between several design elements, and between the elements
and the spatial form and enclosure.
SCALE
• The design principle of scale is related to proportion.
• Both proportion and scale deal with the relative sizes of
things. If there is a difference, proportion pertains to the
relationships between the parts of a composition, while
scale refers specifically to the size of something, relative to
some known standard or recognized constant.
Mechanical scale (Size relative to an accepted

standard of measurement.)is the calculation of
something’s physical size according to a
standard system of measurement.
Visual scale refers to the size something appears

to have when measured against other things
around it. Thus, an object’s scale is often a
judgment we make based on the relative or
known sizes of nearby or surrounding elements.
• Human scale refers to the feeling of bigness
something gives us.
• If the dimensions of an interior space or the
sizes of elements within it make us feel small,
we can say they lack human scale. If, on the
other hand, the space does not dwarf us, or if
the elements offer a comfortable fit with our
dimensional requirements of reach, clearance,
or movement, we can say they are human in
scale.
BALANCE
• The principle of balance is to keep the user brain in equilibrium.
• Balance of a space can be attained by three methods as follows
• Symmetrical
• Asymmetrical • Visual balance in a room
• Radial • Equal weight on all parts of the room
• Formal/symmetrical
• Both sides are the same, mirror
image
• Informal/
asymmetrical
• Sides are different but visual weight
is still equal
Symmetrical Balance
• In this case, the whole space is divided into two halves by central axis. The objects are
placed in similar positions in both sides of axis. One side of axis is like mirror image to
the other side.
Asymmetrical Balance
• In this case, odd number of elements are used. An imaginary central axis is
assumed and visually attractive elements are placed near the imaginary axis and
dull objects are placed farther from axis.
Radial Balance
• In radial balance, a central point is considered around which the objects are arranged
radially in a circular manner.
Is this formal or informal balance?
HARMONY
Harmony can be defined as consonance, or the pleasing agreement of parts or combination
of parts in a composition.
While balance achieves unity through the careful arrangement of both similar and dissimilar
elements, the principle of harmony involves the careful selection of elements that share a
common trait or characteristic, such as shape, color, texture, or material.
It is the repetition of a common trait that produces unity and visual harmony among the
elements in an interior setting.
It is the careful and artistic tension between
order and disorder—between unity and variety—that
enlivens harmony and creates interest in an interior
setting.
UNITY AND VARIETY
• In interior design, the designed space should obey unity throughout its which enable
the user to impress without any confusion. Unity should be maintained in such a
way that the eye of an observer should move smoothly from one object or shape to
another. At the same time, the observer should not feel monotony.
• So, variety should be shown in the form of textures, colors, shapes or sizes etc.
RHYTHM
• The design principle of Rhythm is based on the arrangement of elements of interior
design in a space. The arrangement should create a rhythm in mind while looking at
it.
• There are three types of methods to achieve rhythm:
• Repetition
• Alteration
• Progression
• Repetition
• In this method, elements of same size, color and shape are used repeatedly for the
design.
• Alteration
• Alteration means, two or more elements are arranged in alternative manner to
achieve rhythm.
• Progression
• In progression, elements are arranged in such a way that the size or color gradient of
elements are gradually increasing or decreasing.
EMPHASIS
• The design principle of emphasis
suggests that the central point or
focal point of a space should be
more attractive and all other
elements of that space should be
emerged from that point. So, the
focal point should be carefully
designed with impressive texture,
color, size and shape.

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Elements of Interior Design

There are two separate and distinct types

Of these,the most significant geometric

Extended into the third dimension, these

• It can also be used to describe the characteristic

There are two basic types of texture.

• Tactile texture is real and can be felt by touch

All tactile textures provide visual texture as well.

Without light, color does not exist.

The visual relationships established among the interior design

These principles, however, can help develop and maintain a sense

Mechanical scale (Size relative to an accepted

Visual scale refers to the size something appears

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