Interior Design Training: Principles of the Four Basic Categories of Style

if you are starting your coursework or self-training to become an interior designer, you want to have a firm grasp of the basics. Whether you’re decorating a bedroom or an entire house, a bungalow or an attic, you’ll find many specific design styles that fit into four broad generic categories. This general guide will define Casual, Formal, Traditional, and Contemporary styles so that you can advance your studies and career with an understanding of the design principles of each category.

Formal

Formal is the look of the elegant Ritz-Carlton hotels and public government buildings like the White House. While today’s homes are generally not built with 12-inch-high baseboard molding, hand-laid herringbone-pattern hardwood floors, or elaborate carved ceiling plaster and wall decorations, there are elements of the formal style of decorating. that you and your customers may want to use. In a project

Symmetry is one of the key features of the interiors and exteriors of houses designed in a formal style. The windows, the furniture, the pictures are elements that in most cases are arranged in pairs with a straight axis dominating each room. A central focal point will define a room, and it can be a beautiful window wall that overlooks a perfect lawn, a large stone fireplace centered on a key wall or an exquisite piece of furniture. A formal style of decorating suits a home with high ceilings, large, tall windows, and architectural features such as beautifully paneled walls, columns, and pilasters.

Formal-inspired interiors are decorated to attract attention and display wealth, including highly polished woods, gleaming mirrors, highly polished brass door and window hardware, sparkling crystal chandeliers and wall sconces, and one-of-a-kind pieces. Interesting fine wood and upholstered furniture.

Furniture and accessories in formal interiors are often antique or fine reproductions. The woods used are generally dark and rich in appearance, but lighter woods are often used for decoration and inlays. Imported oriental rugs cover polished hardwood floors. Original works of art are often elaborately framed in hand-carved gilt frames and figurative stone or bronze sculptures will be displayed on pedestals.

Contemporary

Contemporary decor is for those who like to keep up with the latest styles and enjoy things that are today. While modern interiors have been thought of as cold and minimalist, today’s contemporary interiors are often comfortable and inviting without being crowded or dark. It is a style that is equally appropriate for offices and homes, lofts and shutters.

A contemporary-style home can be calm and serene, and can give the appearance of an Asian meditative space. Simplicity, subtle sophistication, texture, and clean lines help define contemporary interiors. The focus of each room is a quiet space rather than furniture. By focusing on colour, dimension and form, contemporary interiors are thought-provoking, elegant and fresh.

Neutrals, white and black are the main colors in contemporary style interiors. The palette is often accented with bright, bold colors and, within some style variants, ornate patterns and dazzling ornamentation. Black is often used to ground and define a room. With walls painted in a basic neutral, you’ve got a backdrop for bold-colored accessories.

The line is a key element of the design. It is found in the architectural details and is defined by the use of bold color blocking, high ceilings, and bare windows. Geometric shapes are used in wall art and sculpture. The bare space is left on the walls, between furniture and above in the high areas, and becomes as important as the areas full of objects.

In contemporary interiors, less is more, as space creates perspective and dimension. Each piece of furniture stands out as individual and unique. The contemporary style takes advantage of structural elements as decoration. Air ducts can hang from the ceiling, fabric and bricks provide texture and stability. Structural details can be painted in bold, contrasting colors, or simply exposed and painted the same color as the wall to diminish their significance.

Casual

A casual-style bedroom is homey, warm, comfortable, and inviting. For viewers, it’s like stepping on the set of Friends Prayed Big Bang Theory. Who doesn’t want to be comfortable in his own home? If you want to put together a casual-style room, learn about the basic elements that come together to create a casual, unpretentious room. Informal rooms have simple details, textured elements in fabrics and accessories, soft upholstery in neutral colors, low-gloss surfaces, structural elements, and furniture arrangements that avoid perfect symmetry.

The details are simple and the elements are rectangular or gently curved. A room decorated in a casual style has simple details, but it’s the perfect place to add an unexpected touch of whimsy, like a reconstructed antique birdhouse or a bowling pin for a lamp base. Casual decor is easily incorporated into styles as specific as rustic, cottage, beach, French, shabby chic, or American decorating styles.

With people enjoying more relaxed lifestyles, many homes today are fully decked out with casual decor items. But any home can incorporate the elements into a guest room, country kitchen, TV room, or bathroom. Elements of the casual decorating style can infiltrate most rooms and make them feel comfortable.

Traditional

The traditional decor is calm, orderly, and predictable. You may have grown up in a house decorated with traditional style furniture. Furnishings are classic and can feel dated, so nothing comes as a surprise. The pieces fill a room and blend together and are consistent.

The furniture is usually reproductions. They are a part of dining room sets, living room sets, and bedroom sets, and all living room sets are similar in furniture styles. Furniture and accessories are placed in pairs and tend to be centered in each room. There is nothing out of place or very different in style.

Traditional rooms are not ostentatious but informal, so traditional-style houses are comfortable for any age group. It’s a familiar look seen in magazines or furniture showrooms.

Upholstered furniture in a traditional room displays classic lines and understated details. They may have decorative details, but they are functional, simple and relaxing in appearance. The edges are soft, smooth and blend in with the whole. The fabrics are generally neither too shiny nor too textured. Solid colors, floral prints, subdued checks, understated stripes, geometric shapes, tone-on-tone, and small all-over prints are common.

while you continue your education, knowing the four broad generic categories of Casual, Formal, Traditional and Contemporary, will lay a good foundation for your career. Once you research them well and expand your studies into specific styles, their history, and their resources, you can confidently guide your clients through their various projects to make each one a unique expression of your taste and design ability.

(c) 2012 Elizabeth McMillian