Amely Wurmbrand is renowned nationally for Seattle interior design work. Design is about innovation, perspective, quality, and functionality. Interior design is meant to be both attractive and comfortable, since it is intended to be present in your everyday life. Good designers are empathetic and will work with you to decorate your interiors in such a way that they will add personality and functionality to your house.

Interior designs, therefore, reflect the customers’ personalities and taste, with the additional touch of a professional that can guide them towards what is best and more practical when it comes to organization and decoration. If you are planning to decorate your house you might want to investigate more on interior design, what works better on different environments and what makes good design. Let’s take a look at some basic principles of interior design:

1. Balance. This is true for many aspects of life. Equilibrium, equality, balance, are fundamental for attractive design. It is created not only through shape, but also through textures, colors, space, and pattern. Balance, however, does not always mean symmetry; this is just the traditional way, also called formal, of achieving equilibrium. If everything is balanced this way, it can have boring results. There are also other forms of balance, like asymmetrical or radial balance. This latter involves an object that is surrounded by others, like a round table.
2. Rhythm. Just like in a musical composition, rhythm is essential to design. The use of patterns and repetitions creates attractive visual environments and generates interest. The viewer will recognize these patterns without thinking about them, and will seem familiar and enjoyable, non intrusive. He/she will feel compelled to look around the room, attracted by a flowing continuum of objects.
3. Points of Interest. Also called anchors, these are spots within a room or environment that you want special attention to be paid. This emphasis on certain items and areas is intended to avoid the dullness and boredom a homogeneous scenery can create. Spots such as fireplaces, windows or places with big objects can be perfect anchors.
4. Harmony. Also comparable to a musical piece, harmony represents cohesion, elements put together to signify, transmit something: a message, an emotion, a statement. Harmony works hand in hand with rhythm. While the latter conveys excitement, the former transmits serenity and composure. Harmony can be achieved by the use of a single color or its chromatic scale, even when using different forms or shapes.
5. Proportion. The Golden Section, created by the ancient Greek, is one great example of how important proportion is to design in general. Actually, the golden section or ratio, also denoted by the letter phi, is present in nature, human beings, and many artistic creations.
6. Scale. In addition to proportion, scale needs to be thoroughly considered. It represents the size of an object in relation to another or to the space in which it is located. A large piano on a small living room, for instance, will be out of scale. It is important to consider scale as a whole, and plan the position and size of objects taking into account the space they will be placed into.