Interior Design 101

Purpose

• Before embarking on designing a room, decide the purpose of the room. A room needs an identity and function for which it will be used before furniture can be selected, color schemes developed, and floor and window coverings decided. A room can easily become a disjointed and neglected space if the room doesn't have a designated use. Identifying a room as a guest bedroom, office, hobby area or workout space gives direction and clarity to the rest of the room's design process.

Function

• The finest furniture and most exquisite furnishings are useless in a nonfunctional room. Select furniture pieces, lighting, flooring and window treatments to accommodate the function of the room and the persons using the room. For example, a family theatre room needs a comfy sectional, sofa or theatre seating for watching movies--not an ornately carved antique settee. If you will occasionally read in the theatre room, a three-way lamp provides functional task lighting. And if you like to munch on snacks while watching a movie, include a large ottoman to serve dual functions of resting your feet and holding snacks.

Mood

• The mood of a room is created through color, texture, and lighting. Bold, vibrant colors produce feelings of energy and life, while neutral, soft color palettes are soothing and relaxing. Texture injects instant ambiance into the overall mood of a room. A tropical East Indies bedroom theme would benefit from a mixture of furniture pieces in teak wood and rattan--not so much with the addition of fussy French provincial furniture. Dimmer switches, rope lights, three-way table and floor lamps, plant and picture spotlights, and natural lighting help to create the desired mood.

Harmony

• Harmony in a room is accomplished through a balance of furnishings that are complementary and proportionate to each other, as well as to the size of the room. Large furniture crammed into a small space doesn't function well or look good, and is not in harmony with the size of the room. Selecting fabric patterns, solids and leathers for upholstering furniture should resonate throughout the room. For example, a brown leather sofa and earthy-striped club chairs complement each other nicely. Add coordinating striped pillows on the sofa and leather toss pillows on the chairs, threading the design flow into a pleasantly harmonious room.