Top 5 Basic Elements of Interior Design

By Editor1SYS | May 19, 2020 0 Comments

When considering luxury interiors for our homes, there are some principles we can learn from the high end of the UK market.  The cornerstones of interior design depend on working harmoniously together to create a look and feel that is entirely elegant and sophisticated – chic colours highlighted by exquisite lighting, luxurious textures juxtaposed by extravagant unused spaces, it’s all the elements coming together to make the look.  Here’s our 5 basic elements of luxury interior design.

Light 

Is lighting THE most important element?  Yes, in a way.  Without lighting you can’t see the other elements as well and certainly not showcased in the way that shows off their elegance in the room.  Without good lighting your colours will look garish and not chic, your fabrics and textures rough and exhausted.  Luxury is exuded through the harmony of several elements – of which lighting is one.  Done correctly, lighting can lift a drab, boring space into something decidedly more sophisticated.  So, if there’s just one thing you do to a room – do the lightning.

But what type of lighting suits which room and occasion?  Do you need to see detail – such as in a kitchen setting.  Or is it more important to have a soft light that encourages your cutlery and glassware to sparkle – such as in a dining room?  There are hundreds of lightning options out there and this is where qualified and London based experienced luxury interior designers could assist you in determining the space you want to light and also to factor in the natural light the room brings in.

Colour

When it comes to colour – I feel there are two main routes you can take.  Both require a bit of skill to get them right, as done wrong they will just look cheap and tacky.  When looking at colour it’s important to consider what you have in the room already – such as a large piece of furniture that can’t be changed or moved.  Then take your ideas from there;

Dramatic colour.  Companies such as Farrow and Ball have introduced some outstanding dramatic colours such as deep dark forest green and intense dark blues and given rise to a subsection of room style which can only be described as grandiose.  It works particularly well with high ceilings and magnificently patterned furniture pieces and hints of gold.  Often done as a “feature wall” and followed up with elegantly patterned wallpapers – this isn’t a colour scheme for the shy, it’s bold and dramatic and if you get bored with it quickly it’s going to be tougher to live with!

Tonal neutrals/pastels.  An easy way to update a room and give it a luxury touch is to give it a minimalist neutral makeover.  Using various shades and textures of one colour against a pale or neutral backdrop with the perfect lighting is very popular with the Instagram bloggers – it’s a cheap and effective way of dealing with any size of space.  With the multitude of high street stores doing affordable interiors – you have the ability to grow your space bit by bit – adding a special item each payday that really pulls the room together.  Try blush pinks, “greige” or my personal favourite – grey.

Textures have a big impact when you are looking to create a luxurious space.   Anything you can run your hand over and experience the sensation of the texture should be taken in account – from flooring to walls to furniture and soft furnishings.  Create emotions in your space that people will remember – the luxury deep pile of your rug, your fluffy Mongolian fur cushions, the smooth stainless steel of a kitchen surface or fabulous trims and tassels on lampshades.  When I was young, the lampshade in the spare room of my grandparents’ house had me obsessed – I would run the fringing over the top of my hand for ages…I couldn’t get enough of the sensation.

Space

A hallmark of luxury rooms is space – you rarely see a nice, elegant yet cluttered space and it’s this minimalist approach that sets a room apart from a more unorganised room. If you are designing the space from scratch, be it an extension in Leeds or a whole new house in Bradford, this is where you will get the value from employing clever and quality Yorkshire architects, whether you’re looking for something traditional or modern, space it important.  We could go on for hours about space, function and the execution of it but there are some really easy fixes you can make in your own home to give the initial impression of elegance.  

Storage – a combination of pretty storage boxes and hidden storage solutions will keep all your nick nacks and clutter hidden away out of sight.  Choose colours that harmonise with your colour scheme.

Maximise floor space.  Choose furniture that can be slid under other furniture to be kept out of the way when not in use.  This will maximise clean lines throughout the room.  Look at items such as a nest of tables, chairs that slip right under tables, folding/extendable dining tables to help you keep things out of the way.

Lines

A final note on another concept that can help a room look more luxurious is lines.  You sometimes have to work with what you have got – lines often come down to the architectural aspects of the room – beams/ceilings/corners and angles but there are little tricks to make a room “feel” a bit different using some basic optical illusions.  Vertical lines, that draw the eye upward can create the feeling of more space, so long sweeping curtains, vertical pictures and long artwork can help create that luxury feeling.