Saturday, July 6, 2013

Principle of Design - Harmony

Principle of Design - Harmony

One of the last design principles is Harmony.  It works very closely with unity.

Harmony is created when all of the elements in a space work together to create a unified design.  Harmony creates a sense of restfulness.  It can be be done by using one color, use of similar forms that might be different shape, size or texture.

In the picture above I have created harmony with the decoration on the wood floating shelves.  The objects are different shapes and sizes but they are the same color and laid out in a symmetrical way to create harmony.

Harmony is a the principle that brings things together and complements each other.
It can be achieved in many ways and another example is through repetition and rhythm.

Repetition reemphasizes visual items and connecting parts and creating an area of attention.

I have moved into my new house two months ago and have been using unity and harmony to finish the last interior design in my home.  It has been really fun seeing how things come together.

Let me know how you have used harmony in your designs.

References:

  1. Kilmer, Rosemary & Kilmer W. Otie (1992). Designing Interiors. Orlando, FL.  Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers. pp 121