Texture is another important element to take into consideration when decorating a space because texture adds both visual and tactile interest. Texture can stimulate emotions, create a feeling of warmth and harmony and can provide sensual pleasure. Textures can be found in the flooring, area rugs, walls, fabrics, draperies, furnishings, etc. Visual texture may be seen in paint, wood furnishings, certain fabrics (such as smooth or satiny looking fabrics or rough or coarse looking fabrics). Tactile textures stimulate your sense of touch depending on materials used (for example leathers, silks, burlaps, velvets, chenille, etc., all have a different sense of touch). Textures can be rough or smooth, hard or soft, coarse or fine, shiny or flat, etc.
Using the same texture throughout an entire room can be boring. A mix of textures can help to bring a room to life. Textures can be combined in many different ways and it is ideal to use a variety and combination of textures when decorating to add excitement and interest and to bring together the desired look and feel for the room, however, don't overdo it. An example of how textures can be combined is by taking a sofa that is upholstered in richly patterned damask fabric and adding a few cushions of varying materials (possibly a couple of damask cushions combined with a couple of velvet cushions and one chenille cushion).
A mixture of hard fabrics (such as leather) with soft fabrics (such as chenille, linen or cotton) can also work well even if the soft fabrics only appear in cushions and pillows. When putting together a decorating plan, it is ideal to create a design board in advance with the various textures you wish to use to see how the combinations will work together.
One design element that you can have fun experimenting with is using different patterns and combining them with varying colors. The fabric patterns that are selected for a room will have an impact on the feel of the room. For example:
Don't be afraid to combine stripes and plaids or checks and florals or reverse patterns (such as a yellow floral on a blue background with a blue floral on a yellow background) to add interest and variety. However, you do need to anchor the varying patterns together so that the combination doesn't look like a bunch of clashing patterns. For example, you can anchor a dark color in some of the fabric patterns and it can help to anchor some of the dark pieces of furniture in a room. You can also pick one color that unifies all the varying patterns (even if only the smallest amount of that unifying color is found within the patterns).
Some enduring and more popular traditional patterns for fabrics are plaids, stripes, gingham checks, florals and color printing in fabrics. Some newer and popular trends for patterns right now are leopard print (or any type of African print), palm trees and other tropical type patterns and patterns with bumblebees or butterflies. One thing to keep in mind when mixing patterns is to make it work well, ensuring the mixture is anchored with a solid color.
The mix of different patterns will also have an affect on how the room flows. Again, when putting together a decorating plan, it is ideal to create a design board in advance with the various fabrics/patterns, textures, paint colors, flooring, window coverings, etc. to see how the combinations will work together.
Scale in decorating refers to the relative sizes of different items in a room in relation to each other, in relation to the room and in relation to the individuals who will be using the items. Homestore, Inc. defines scale more specifically at their Homestore.com website as: "The proportion or size of a piece of furniture as it relates to a room." The size of a room (and the size of the individuals using the room) will factor into whether large scale furnishings or smaller scale furnishings are used. Large objects look smaller when placed in a big space while small items look bigger when placed in a small space.
For example, if you place a small accent chair in a huge room with very high ceilings, the chair will look dwarfed and out of place, yet if you place that same chair in a small space, it will likely look fabulous. In a large family room, a large oversized sofa and loveseat and chaise lounge with solid wooden tables can be used while this type of furniture would not work in a small room. In a small room it would be better to use a smaller scale sofa with a low back and low arms or a loveseat or a couple of open legged chairs together with tables with glass tops (to give the appearance of openness). Also, a petite woman might choose to have smaller scale furnishings while a large man may choose larger furnishings. It is best to keep pieces of similar scale together. For example, a small occasional chair will look better next to a floor lamp or an occasional or accent table than next to a large piece of furniture like an entertainment center or an oversized sofa. Scale is also important when decorating with accessories. Placing a large piece of artwork or a grouping of artwork on a large wall can look fabulous. However, placing a small piece of artwork on that same large wall (without any of the other pieces of art) can look out of place and off scale.
Lines can be vertical, horizontal or even diagonal and can be curvy or straight. All of the elements within a room can contain lines including the flooring, wall coverings, window coverings, furniture, accessories and fabrics. Additionally, the architecture within a room (doors, archways, windows, columns and even moldings) have lines in them. Curvy lines in a room (such as the lines in archways or rounded off furniture) are softer and more feminine while straight lines (such as doors, chair molding, square tables) are more masculine and have a feeling of strength.
Lines create movement within a room. The eye follows the lines and is directed towards the focal point in a room. Too many lines within one space can look busy while not enough lines in a room can make a room look boring and bare. Therefore, as a decorator, your job is to create a space that has enough lines within it to add interest and give the eye directions about where to look, without overdoing it.
Form relates to the shape of an item or room element (whether it be a piece of furniture or accessory or lamp or window covering or wall, etc.) within a room. When decorating, you should select items (e.g. furnishings and accessories, etc.) that go with the architectural form within the room regardless of the decorating style. For example, if the room has rounded corners and archways, furnishings with curves and rounded shapes will work well while furnishings that are boxy with hard edges won't. If the walls of the room are high yet narrow, then the furnishings should also be tall and narrow. By following the form of the room with items of similar shape and form, you will create a space that is in harmony.
You and your client will know that you have successfully decorated a room when you have a good feeling about how the room looks and the look is pleasing to your eyes. However, if something seems off kilter when you look into the room, you know that you have further rearranging to do.
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1. Eclectic style is one of the most popular interior decorating styles
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