I found this great blog that helps to describe design elements. If you follow this link Paula Grace Design Principles and Elements of Design you will find a plethera of ideas and a place to guide you as you make changes in your own home.
Since it is time to get to the nitty gritty of details, it was also time to find out from a professional which way to go. In order to begin that process I inivited a former student over who has gone through school for interior design and currently works in that field. She had some great advice and we could have chatted for hours on end. Thanks again SJ. Her final advice to me was to research design elements. So in doing the research, I thought I might post them here for myself to refer to and for anyone else that might be interested as well.
Please note: The following exerpt is from Paula Grace Principles and Elements of Design. They are not my own words or thoughts.
Design Fundamentals
Scale – the entire perspective. The objective with scale is for objects to be alike or harmonious in dimensions or mass.
Proportion – evaluates the relationship or ratio of parts to the whole.
Emphasis – is the important focal point(s) in a room.
Balance – is equilibrium though symmetry (mirror images from a center point), asymmetry (optically varying items from a central point to achieve balance), or radial (equilibrium based on the circle).
Harmony – is creating a feeling of suitability through unifying elements and objects and adding variety for interest and diversity. The objective is to create an agreeable, appealing whole that won’t tire in the long-run.
Design Elements
The elements discussed here are used by artisans of all types — painters, sculptors, photographers, interior designers, etc. They have been discovered and refined over the course of history and are considered elementary and critical to all fine-art. They are space, shape, form, mass, line, texture, pattern, light, and color.
Space – as humans, we need both large and small areas to please our psyche. Both, or the appearance of both, need to be in your home. There also needs to be a comfortable balance and proportion of positive, filled area, and negative, unfilled area. Traffic paths are negative space in a room yet functionally important.
Shape and Form – Shape is the two-dimensional outline while form is the three-dimensional configuration.
Mass – is the actual or optical density of an object.
Line – is used to create width and height, or the appearance of activity, movement, or flow. The psychological effect of line ranges from secure (horizontal line), free or expansive (vertical), action-oriented (angular) to soft and comforting (curved). The most pleasing effect will have a balanced mixture of lines with one taking the lead role. The dominant line will be chosen dependant upon what feeling or image you would like to portrait.
Texture – is the actual physical feel or surface appearance of a furnishing or treatment.
Pattern – is forms arranged in an orderly manner.
Light – is a critical element in all fine-art. General (overall lighting), task (focused lighting), and accent (highlight and sparkle-effect lighting) are important in residential design. Colors, textures, and patterns can be true or altered primarily dependant upon your artificial lighting.
Color – is the most personal and evocative element in design. We all have our favored and least favored color(s) and many people have associations to particular ones. Colors are considered
warm (reds, yellows, and oranges),
cool (blues, greens, and purples), or
Space – as humans, we need both large and small areas to please our psyche. Both, or the appearance of both, need to be in your home. There also needs to be a comfortable balance and proportion of positive, filled area, and negative, unfilled area. Traffic paths are negative space in a room yet functionally important.
Shape and Form – Shape is the two-dimensional outline while form is the three-dimensional configuration.
Mass – is the actual or optical density of an object.
Line – is used to create width and height, or the appearance of activity, movement, or flow. The psychological effect of line ranges from secure (horizontal line), free or expansive (vertical), action-oriented (angular) to soft and comforting (curved). The most pleasing effect will have a balanced mixture of lines with one taking the lead role. The dominant line will be chosen dependant upon what feeling or image you would like to portrait.
Texture – is the actual physical feel or surface appearance of a furnishing or treatment.
Pattern – is forms arranged in an orderly manner.
Light – is a critical element in all fine-art. General (overall lighting), task (focused lighting), and accent (highlight and sparkle-effect lighting) are important in residential design. Colors, textures, and patterns can be true or altered primarily dependant upon your artificial lighting.
Color – is the most personal and evocative element in design. We all have our favored and least favored color(s) and many people have associations to particular ones. Colors are considered
warm (reds, yellows, and oranges),
cool (blues, greens, and purples), or
neutral (beiges, browns, black, grays, and whites).
There is also graph paper, a ruler, and a pencil. Before you do any purchasing, take the time to draw it out. This will save costly mistakes.
