What Is Interior Design, And How Can You Use It?
So, what is interior design anyway? It seems to be a hot button topic that’s discussed ad nauseum when it comes to home decor, but it’s rare that anyone ever stops to truly define it. If you’re ever to truly understand its purpose and uses, it’s important to have all of the basics laid out in full.
Interior design is a method for taking common areas such as dining halls, bedrooms, office spaces, and lobbies and then providing the best possible layout for everything comprising them. It deals with the utilitarian aspects of making sure the space can be used for its intended purpose as effectively as possible, as well as somewhat more spiritual or subconscious factors such as how comfortable we are when occupying it. While much of modern interior design seems to be focused on pure aesthetics on the surface, there’s really quite a lot more going on than you’d expect.
For example, designing your living room to the fullest potential isn’t just about making sure you still have space to move around after all of the furniture has been settled into place. You also have to factor in how all of the various elements work together as a whole. Hodgepodge designs might look fun at first, but they can easily become distracting over time. The entire balance of the room can be thrown off, and you might even find yourself unsure of how to feel among such confusing surroundings.
Using Interior Design
While the most effective interior design comes with years of study and experience, you can make serious headway in your own home by mirroring what you see. Just take a look at design blogs or home design magazines for fantastic examples. All it takes is one simple picture to spot exactly how you want your bedroom to look or your living room to “feel”. You might stumble into something truly inspiring that you’ll want to stick with for good by pure experimentation alone.
You should view the general zeitgeist of acceptable design sense more as a guidebook than a strict set of rules. You can take a particular sensibility such as “retro modern” or “urban” and then bend it slightly to your own taste. If a magazine or design blog tells you that only one certain set of colors are meant to be used, well, what’s really stopping you from throwing one extra of your personal preference into the mix?
As long as your personal space is comfortable and appealing to your own sensibilities, that’s more than good enough. The real answer to the “what is interior design” question is that it’s merely a means to an end. Ultimately, it exists to help fulfill common goals such as giving the best possible flow to a specific space, and a positive energy or atmosphere in tow. If you feel you’ve accomplished that with a few twists and turns of your own choosing, you’re well within your right to have done so!
Popular Interior Design Styles For Your Home
Some say that every single room of your home is essentially a blank canvas just waiting to come to life. While there are certainly default items you’ll need to have in each room depending on its intended function, there are a wide array of options when it comes to the overall aesthetic that you choose. Creating a tone or atmosphere that makes you feel at home is important, and it can obviously work wonders for making a good impression on any guests you might have over.
However, there are enough different approaches to decorating rooms to truly make one’s head spin. Nailing down just one option out of the many possibilities is quite the daunting task. In situations such as these, it’s useful to consider some of the most common methods that others have been using as of late. With that in mind, here are a few of the most popular interior design styles for your home:
1 – Industrial
Borrowing heavily from the Industrial era, this style focuses on elements such as bare steel and moderately aged wood. Brick walls also really pop with the Industrial aesthetic. You can also include copper for a bit more character. Key words to remember when designing a room this way are “rustic” and “well-worn”. There’s a bit of room for personal taste as well; you can easily veer into rugged edges and lived-in furniture, or keep it purely retro-modern with clean lines and brand new finishes.
2 – Urban
The Urban design sense essentially mimics that found in big city lofts and apartment buildings. If you’re not one for clutter, this is definitely the look for you. Walls are usually kept one sparse color such as white, with the surrounding furniture being made up entirely of a contrasting tone such as black or dark brown. Decorations and wall art are generally kept to a minimum. While a bit too far on the utilitarian or sterile side for some, there’s no denying that Urban-designed interiors are incredibly sharp.
3 – 1900s Mid-Century
Somewhere in the midst of the 1900s, a wide array of what became the basis of modern design was formed. This look combines precise lines and corners for your upholstery, doors, and windows, with rounded or natural furniture shapes and light fixtures. Standard vertical blinds and rounded gazebo lights pair with one another far better than you might expect! This somewhat retro look is just sleek enough to have remained relevant all these years later.
There are many other worthwhile interior design styles of course, but Industrial, 1900s Mid-Century, and Urban are proven go-to options that will rarely steer you wrong. For even further ideas, you might try emulating what you see in the home design magazines found in grocery store check-out lanes. By pulling ideas from several sources, you may even be able to formulate a look that’s all your own. As long as you feel comfortable with your surroundings, that’s really what it’s all about at the end of the day.
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