The 7 principles of interior design

From the living room to your bathroom or your bedroom, crafting a stylish yet functional space can be difficult. Figuring out where to put a piece of furniture, how to work with the layout of your space, or even how to work with bedroom themes are tasks in themselves before you even get round to decorating! To make it easier, certain principles and elements of interior design can help you put together a masterpiece of space without compromising on personal touch.

The principles of interior design are simply rules and guidelines followed by designers to create functional yet well-designed rooms in your home. While there isn’t any known background as to where these principles of interior design came from, they are derived from practices and theories of various fields of designers, architects, artists, and psychologists. These aspects are all small areas of design which work together to create the masterpiece of a room, so try to incorporate as many as you can for cohesiveness.

The seven principles of interior design are:

1. Balance
2. Unity
3. Rhythm
4. Emphasis
5. Contrast
6. Scale and proportion
7. Details

We’ll cover each of these principles in detail and help you understand how you can use them to design your bedroom or any room in the house. You also don’t have to fully lean into each one, so don’t panic about designing your bedroom using all seven; you can take small aspects instead. We’ll help you with style tips throughout to make the task ahead easier!

Create a mirrored, abstract or central-based layout in your bedroom to design a well-balanced room.

The first principle of interior design, balance, refers to the visual aspect and is all about how furniture and décor are placed around the room. When deciding the layout of your room, it’s important to analyse the line, shape, colour and texture of different objects. Ensure items are placed evenly so that the visual weight around the room is similar.

There are three types of balance:

• symmetrical (formal)
• asymmetrical (informal)
• radial

Creating a formal balanced room is simple. It involves mirroring or matching each side of the room so that each side is symmetrical. For example, you could have two bedside tables on each side of your bed, which sits in the middle of your room.

Credit: @athomewitholivia

Informal balance is more complex and creates a unique angle to your space as it’s all about the visual weight of lines, colours, forms or textures. Instead of mirroring one side with the other, you are complimenting it. Think of it as breaking up larger pieces of furniture with smaller ones, such as a sofa balanced by two chairs or a dresser with a bedside table.

Credit: @renovating_192

Radial balance involves featuring a statement piece at the centre of a room, enhanced by surrounding elements. Whether it’s contrasting or repeating, there’s a pattern in form, texture, and colour. Think of the dining room table being a focal point that you want people to draw their eyes to, with the table usually being in the centre with small elements or storage around it.

For radial balance, it’s common to place your bed in the middle of the room instead of in a corner or against the wall. If you’re constrained by layout, draw the eye to the centre of the room by decorating with bold or bright colours.

Credit: @livingwithdj

Style tip: Balance is all about where you place furniture and lay it out in the space you have. Try to space pieces out evenly around the room. This gives breathing space between décor, making it look less cluttered and adheres to the negative space, which is the empty spaces around the room.

To create a more minimal theme, make larger spaces between pieces of your room rather than clustering them all together. This reduces excessive negative space and prevents the room from looking too sparse.

For a cosier space, reduce this negative space between objects. Ensure that the area isn’t overly decorated or crowded with furniture, as this can create clutter.

Design your bedroom with a theme or style in mind to flow through a room with the use of colour palettes or textures.

Also known as harmony, the second principle of interior design is all about patterns, hues, textures and colours. Each piece of furniture, accessory, and style should work together to create a cohesive whole that flows through the room smoothly.

The key to unity is to match a style or theme through similar colour schemes and textures, grouping furniture or creating a focal point in the room. Stick to one colour scheme or complementary textures to achieve harmony in your bedroom, such as the grey and green colour scheme below, which creates an aesthetically pleasing and inviting space.

Credit: @number1_thecountryside

Style tip: To make it easier to decide on a theme, style, or palette in your bedroom, start with something you love. Whether this is a beloved piece of furniture, a pattern such as florals or animal print, or your favourite colour. Then, use this to guide your space.

Lay out your furniture or décor in a pattern in the room by mirroring or contrasting to create a balanced space.

Taken from music, this principle of interior design is all about rhythmic patterns through the repetition of form. Working with balance, rhythm is all about arranging elements around repetition, progression, transition or contrast.

You can do this by placing two bedside tables or dressers next to or across the room from each other. You can also do this with colours, make an area a focal point with a splash of colour. Or dot the same colour in various spaces to help guide the eye around the room.

Style tip: In terms of creating rhythm with colours, keep in mind the ‘Rule of Three’. Choose a base, neutral or primary, and pair it with two smaller patterns. Mixing two elements can create a mismatched contrast.

The easiest way to practice rhythm is through smaller accessories such as artwork, cushions, etc. For example, infusing the colour yellow through cushion covers, yellow accents and artwork or trinkets dotted between greys or patterns.

Create a statement with colours and textures to draw attention to a unique or central aspect of your bedroom.

Emphasis is all about drawing attention to an aspect of your bedroom. Use décor or components of your bedroom to make the space pop, which the rest of the room can complement. This is perfect for radial balanced rooms as we mentioned earlier, but this can be applied to any layout. The focal point can be any feature of your bedroom that you wish to highlight.

This can be a fireplace, furniture or storage, a feature wall, an art piece, or maybe your bedroom has an alcove you want to draw attention to. While this principle can be used in any sized room, in small spaces you want to make the area feel more unified in style, and in larger spaces, you have more freedom to play with different aesthetics and create more than one emphasis point. No matter what you choose, it’s important to make sure that you create a space that is interesting but still adheres to the principle of unity.

Use bold or brighter colours to create a strong statement for a particular area of your bedroom, such as painting a feature wall or using bright décor or bedding. Or choose a more subtle but standout colour to add interest without becoming overwhelming. You can also experiment with various textures, such as rugs or wall pieces; rough designs will stand out more than smooth ones like brick or stone. Interior designer and art director @tykapryde gives some helpful advice when it comes to the emphasis principle of design in her TikTok:

@tykaprydeInterior design school part 2. Let me know if you have any questions! #interiordesign #homedecor #fypシ #blackgirlluxury #interiordesigner♬ original sound – TykaPryde

Style tip: An easy way to create emphasis in a room is through accent lighting. From spotlight lights, wall lights, corner lamps, an overhead chandelier or statement light piece. This can accentuate the room itself or bring focus to a corner or specific object in mind.

Create depth and visual space in your bedroom by using contrasting hues or themes.

Contrast in design is all about creating visual interest within your space. It helps to balance your interior and can make your room look more exciting by creating a statement. The best way to do this is through colour.

Credit: @through_the_lane

For example, pairing opposite colours, such as light and dark or warm and cool hues, can create a striking effect. Or try neutrals with a splash of bold or bright colours to give emphasis. Remember, less is more; too much contrast can create chaos.

You can also experiment with textures, patterns, scale, or even accent pieces or furniture. Play around with layouts, colours and styles to find the right contrast for your space.

When designing your bedroom, pair items of different sizes in relation to others and the room to create a proportional balance.

This principle of interior design comes from the Ancient Greeks and The Golden Ratio and is all about the relationship between balance, symmetry and proportions. Used by artists and architects alike, it’s all about how to use the surrounding area to create a sense of belonging within the objects in the room through size, shape, form and colour.

Scale is all about how one object’s size relates to another and the size of the space, where proportion is the relationship between two items. For example, when setting up furniture in a bedroom, it’s best to avoid crowding large pieces into a small space. Instead, try spreading them out around the room or using them to create attractive focal points. Use different shapes, sizes, or items such as art or greenery to balance with ordinary items.

Credit: @final_family_home

Style tip: A general rule of thumb for the size of the accent is half or two-thirds of the width with respect to the piece of furniture it is on or surrounded by. This can create contrast in different sizes and scales to complement each other and balance the space out.

Show off your unique style and personalise the space by putting together the finishing touches.

While all the other principles of design are about layout, placement and colours or textures, the final one is all about the small details and finishing touches to make it yours. There is no set rule with this, as it’s all about adding the bits that make you, you! Show off your unique style, add pieces to personalise your space and make it interesting to you. Adding these personal touches makes your room truly unique and creates a sanctuary like no other.

Style tip: It’s easier said than done, but try not to worry and rush about where to place personal décor or trinkets. Instead, try to focus on each section of the space and pick out the large items first, then complement them with smaller accents.

Crafting the perfect bedroom, whether you’re after a certain style or theme or just trying to make the most of your space, can be difficult. Using the seven principles of design make figuring out what will look best an easier job. You can not only have a functional and pleasing space but also create a bedroom that promotes relaxation and restful sleep.

Regardless of the space you have, whether you are moving house or wanting to redecorate, moving aspects around or incorporating contrasting colours and textures can truly make your space. Play around with each of these and have fun, just don’t forget to add your own personal flare to make your room your own!