|
Design Elements
by: Lata Budhrani
A well-decorated room can still lack personality. To give your
room a personality, choose from among these basic design elements,
modify them to suit your tastes and implement them in a way which is
just right for you.
1. A Theme - A 'themed' room says something about you, the person
who has done it, your family or the place where you live. A theme
will also provide you a place to showcase your collections, prized
possessions, arts and crafts.
There are endless possibilities for using themes, but once you
decide upon one, it will give you focus, as it will eliminate many
things which don't fit into it. This results in great ease in
shopping, planning, implementing etc. Some best decorated rooms have
had themes like Water, Nature, Eighteenth Century England,
Contemporary, Ethnic, Pastels etc.
2. Artifacts - A piece of artistic value will always give your
room that special touch you have always wanted. It can add texture
and depth to a room. Depending upon your theme, the artifact may be
an an antique chair, a painted bookshelf, an original painting or
even an original watercolor by your local artist.
3. Collections - It is the most effective way to display your
collections in a special arrangement. Whether you collect shells,
dolls or trinkets, arrange them tastefully instead of just lining
things up in a row. Lining things looks even worse when objects are
small in size. Instead, group them together to project variety
within your collections. Lovely trays, glass cupboards, corner
shelves etc. are some ideas for displaying your collections.
4. Color - Color does not get limited to painting the walls of
your room. Use colors that make you feel good about them in fabrics,
linen, pillows, shelves, curtains etc. Blend colors to suit your
style.
Add fabrics to liven up your room with a print that contains the
color of your upholstery. To maintain harmony in colors, use the
same accent at least THRICE around the same room. For eg. pillows,
tablecloths and curtains could have similar accents. For more on
using colors, read my article 'Using Colors in Your Room'.
Use of the above elements will still leave everything to your own
imagination and creativity. These will only help you in drawing out
a plan for your Home-Decorating exercise. The details of the plan
are still left to you to fill up.
Happy Decorating!
|