Decorating Living Space
Some people seem to have a natural flair for decorating. Anyone can learn to apply the basic elements and principles of design to create attractive living spaces.
Suggestions for Decorating Identify your needs and preferences What is my major goal? What activities will take place in this space? What type of storage is needed? What look do I want to achieve? Evaluate your current space What parts of the current design work well? What needs improvement? What do I want to keep? Consider your resources How much money do I have to spend? What are some inexpensive changes I can make?
Elements of Design Space The three dimensional area to design Line The outline of the object or the obvious lines within it Line makes your eyes move Shape Form or structure of solid objects May seem heavy or light Texture The way an object s surface looks and feels Color Creates mood
Space illusion of depth
Line Leonardo da Vinci used a soft, sensitive soft line to create a graceful image. Willem DeKooning has created a very different feeling by using a heavy, gestural line The woman's face in the third image is created with a mechanical line creating an emotionallydetached feeling Although the subject matter is the same in all three works, the differences in line quality have created works with very different impact
Shape The shapes in this image are clearly defined This ship's shape is barely discernable. One conveys a sense of orderliness and confidence, while the other communicates a sense of vulnerability and uncertainty. The shapes of the objects that you create or place in your images are positive shapes. The spaces around these shapes are the negative spaces.
Color The harmonious color combinations are called color schemes sometimes the term 'color harmonies' is also used. Color schemes remain harmonious regardless of the rotation angle.
How Do Colors Make You Feel? Red: heat, love, draws attention Orange: associated with creativity Yellow: helps us concentrate Green: natural, calming Blue: calming, can be depressing Violet: symbolizes wealth Black: powerful White: innocent, can be cold
Color Terminology Cool Colors Blue, Green Purple Make rooms look larger Have a calming affect Warm Colors Red, Orange, Yellow Make rooms look smaller Make you feel active and awake Intensity Brightness or darkness of a color Value How light or dark the color is Tints are lighter Shades are darker Medium tints show less dirt Neutral Colors - are shades of white, gray or beige. Most neutrals are tinted slightly with a warm or cool color. Neutral-colored walls provide a backdrop that does not compete with furnishings and accessories.
How are colors made? Primary pigment colors - red, yellow and blue are the primary colors. All other colors are derived from these three hues. Secondary pigment colors - green, orange and purple are created by mixing the primary colors. Tertiary colors - yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, bluepurple, blue-green and yellowgreen are the colors created by mixing a primary & a secondary color.
Monochromatic Color Scheme The monochromatic color scheme uses variations in lightness and saturation of a single color. This scheme looks clean and elegant. Monochromatic colors go well together, producing a soothing effect. The monochromatic scheme is very easy on the eyes, especially with blue or green hues. Tips: 1. Use tints, shades, and tones of the key color to enhance the scheme. 2. Try the analogous scheme; it offers more nuances while retaining the simplicity and elegance of the monochromatic scheme.
The analogous color scheme uses colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. One color is used as a dominant color while others are used to enrich the scheme. Pros: Easy to create Cons: Lacks color contrast. Tips: 1. Avoid using too many hues in the analogous scheme, because this may ruin the harmony. 2. Avoid combining warm and cool colors in this scheme.
The complementary color scheme Is made of two colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel. This scheme looks best when you put a warm color against a cool color, for example, red versus green-blue. It is important to choose a dominant color and use its complementary color for accents. Pros: Stronger contrast than any other color scheme, and draws maximum attention. Cons: Harder to balance than monochromatic and analogous schemes. Tips: 1. For best results, place cool colors against warm ones, for example, blue versus orange. 2. If you use a warm color (red or yellow) as an accent, you can lighten the opposite cool colors to put more emphasis on the warm colors. 3. Avoid using lightened warm colors (e.g. browns or dull yellows).
The split complementary scheme uses a color and the two colors adjacent to its complementary. This provides high contrast without the strong tension of the complementary scheme. Pros: offers more nuances than the complementary scheme while retaining strong visual contrast. Cons: harder to balance than monochromatic and analogous color schemes. Tips: 1. Use a single warm color against a range of cool colors to put an emphasis on the warm color (red versus blues and blue-greens, or orange versus blues and blue-violets). 2. Avoid using lighter warm colors (e.g. browns or dull yellows), because this may ruin the scheme.
The triadic color scheme uses three colors equally spaced around the color wheel. Pros: offers high contrast while retaining harmony. Cons: not as contrasting as the complementary scheme. Tips: 1. Choose one color to be used in larger amounts than others. 2. If the colors look gaudy, try to subdue them.
The tetradic (double complementary) scheme is the richest of all the schemes because it uses four colors arranged into two complementary color pairs. This scheme is hard to harmonize; if all four colors are used in equal amounts, the scheme may look unbalanced, so you should choose a color to be dominant or subdue the colors. Pros: offers more color variety than any other scheme. Cons: hardest scheme to balance. Tips: 1.If the scheme looks unbalanced, try to subdue one or more colors. 2. Avoid using pure colors in equal amounts.
Texture Smooth textures are more formal and rough textures are more casual
Principles of Design Balance Emphasis Proportion Harmony Rhythm Scale
Feeling of equal weight among parts Two types of balance Symmetrical Both sides the same Asymmetrical Both sides appear equal, but are not the same
Balance Feeling of equal weight among parts Two types of balance Symmetrical Both sides the same Asymmetrical Both sides appear equal, but are not the same
Emphasis Emphasis - "Center of Interest."
Proportion The way one part relates in size or shape to another or to the whole. Proportion is more pleasing in uneven portions The proportion of the rug is good in relationship to the size of the room and the furniture.
Harmony The feeling that all parts belong together. Not that they match, but that they have something in common.
Rhythm The feeling of movement
Scale The overall size of an object or its size compared to other objects. A large room with large scale furniture is pleasing to the eye. A smaller room needs smaller scale furnishings.
Line Look at these example of optical illusion: Would you believe the vertical lines are the same length? The horizontal lines are the same length also. The eye follows each line until it meets a line that turns downward or upward. The lines look shorter when lines turn downward and longer when lines continue upward. Now, look at the rectangles. The four rectangles are the same size, but the use of a vertical or horizontal line within each rectangle creates an illusion of varied size. When two or more vertical or horizontal lines are used, the spacing between the lines will affect the illusion created.
Backgrounds Walls Walls define the areas, provide privacy and help absorb noise Walls are usually painted or wallpapered Windows Provide privacy and decoration Include curtains, drapes, shutters, shades and blinds Floors Permanent floors include wood, ceramic, slate, and brick Floors that are not permanent include carpet, rugs, and vinyl
Tips for Decorating Walls Hang decorations at eye-level Use an uneven number of items when creating a grouping Trace wall arrangements on newspaper before hanging on the wall When placing a single decoration over a piece of furniture make sure that it is in proportion to the furniture.
Furniture Furniture should be functional or meet specific needs (storage, sitting, eating)
Furniture Styles Two basic types Traditional Contemporary
Choosing Furniture Consider second-hand furniture and painting it. Consider needs and your budget
Furniture Arrangement Arrange on paper first Check traffic patterns (paths people will use to get from one area or room to another Avoid blocking your traffic pattern with furniture
Lamps Plants Posters Books Baskets Pictures Pillows Etc. Accessories
Lighting General Overhead provides enough light to move around the room safely Task Focuses light where it is needed Should be slightly below eye level or ten inches behind your shoulder Accent Intense beam aimed at a painting, sculpture, or other object to create a dramatic effect
Assignment: Identifying Color Schemes Collect samples showing rooms using 2 different color schemes that we discussed in class One should be a magazine picture or a picture found online One will be a picture of a room that you will color (either on paper or digitally on your ipad in Notabilty) Cut out each picture & mount on construction paper Label each picture with the color scheme that it portrays Fill in a small blank color wheel to show the color scheme and attach to each picture This is worth a major grade!