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WORKING WITH DESIGN ELEMENTS
Painters, sculptors, architects, and interior designers all make use of
the same elements of design; line, color, texture, mass and shape. To
create a unified home you need an understanding of how each of these
elements affects your space. Let’s begin with line.
Vertical lines or planes move our eye straight up, and they suggest
uprightness, formality, and rigidity. Even in an empty room our eyes
move up because of the vertical walls, or the addition of moldings,
columns, or stripes. Tall furniture pieces such as armoires, bookcases
and china cabinets also have strong vertical lines.
Horizontal lines move the eye across the surface and have a calming and
relaxed connotation; in the same way our bodies are at rest in a
horizontal position. They have a lowering effect on the space so that a
beamed ceiling makes a room feel lower than it may actually measure.
Horizontal stripes, valances, window blinds and wainscoting are other
strong horizontals.
Diagonal lines suggest rapid movement and are therefore very intense.
Too many of these lines in a space would create a tension that would not
be welcome in a bedroom, but could work in an entry. Cathedral ceilings,
diagonal wall or ceiling beams, some patterned wallpaper, or arranging
collections of skis, oars, swords etc. in diagonal patterns, create a
dynamic feeling.
Curving lines are most frequently found in nature, and they can be
dynamic if they are very curly and cause the eye to move around a lot,
or more calming if seen as a simple curve. Curving lines in windows and
arches soften strong vertical and horizontal lines, and curved lines add
grace to furniture and accessories.
Balancing these lines will create a more comfortable feeling in your
room. For example, a client of mine has a back wall of six standard
sized windows with mini-blinds, each about 18” apart, overlooking Lake
Erie. The long band of horizontals made the room feel at least a foot
lower than it actually measures. I suggested she add a fabric panel,
attached close to the ceiling, to hang between each window. Her view
will be uninterrupted, and the panels will add height and softness to
the rigid window lines.
Rooms appear squatty and boring if sofas and chairs are the same height
and you add a horizontal valance over windows with blinds. You need to
add the vertical lines of a TV armoire or tall bookcases. Raising the
valance to just below an 8-foot ceiling level, and adding side panels
will add vertical lines, and also give the window more presence.
Rooms can be overly vertical if you feel dwarfed by an abundance of tall
furniture pieces. Replacing some tall bookcases with lower ones, or
adding consoles and horizontal art, will help us feel relaxed.
While curving lines of plants, accessories and architecture are the
perfect compliment to rigid lines, they can make a room feel frivolous
and cloying if overdone.
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