The Elements and Principles of Design…A Guide for Design and a New Year
By Lauren Setum, LiLu Interiors intern
Last month during a meeting, a LiLu client spoke about her recent trip to France. Determined to make their way through a foreign country on their own, she and her husband ventured around without any type of guided tour or assistance. She described the days as wonderful but exhausting and expressed a new found respect for non-native English speakers in this country.
Being in a place where the language is different from one's own can be quite humbling. While the United States has been commonly referred to as a 'melting pot', it seems that we sometimes forget that variety is the spice of life! In fact, variety can add to an overall sense of unity. Add some variety to the new year with a trip to somewhere new!
I have not been to France, but I have had the opportunity to travel to Italy. I am certainly not fluent in Italian, but I truly enjoyed my stay in the country. One of my fondest memories is of a small, family-run restaurant where my flat mates and I often dined. An older Italian man was the primary owner, and though we did not speak each others language, he welcomed us warmly every time and made sure we were enjoying our experience. We always had a wonderful time there! The photograph above was taken in Cinque Terre, a beautiful place for a hike.
As for the design side of things, unity refers to the overall composition. This principle can be achieved through consistent use of the elements such as line, form, etc. Making sure that all decisions are based on the proposed design concept will lead to a coherent and cohesive solution. LiLu designers know all about producing unified designs. Notice the variety, too!
This LiLu design features a color palette of blues, golds, and browns that is repeated throughout the room. Clean-lined, rectilinear forms can be seen in terms of the furniture and fabric patterns. A few curved lines add variety to the horizontal lines used throughout. Together, these elements unify the space!
This LiLu kitchen is part of a project referred to as 'Log Cabin Couture'. Painted cabinetry adds variety to a space consisting largely of wood tones. At the same time, a few cabinets, such as the uppers seen in the photo, repeat the wood tones seen throughout. The clean lines of the cabinetry allow the beauty of the log structure to stand out. Below is a photo of the living space from this project. Take a look at how LiLu designs unify an entire home!
The blues and reds from the kitchen were carried into the living space, as were the clean lines. A variety of patterns add interest to the space.
