You might have heard people saying that they do not have an artistic eye, thus they cannot execute artistic designs in a jaw-dropping way. But if the truth be told, that creative streak that they say they lack oftentimes boiled down to not having a grasp of basic design principles. To get a better glimpse of these concepts work, let us put them into play to see how they influence your home’s exteriors.
Balance is key
The first rule is all about balance. When designing the exteriors of your home, you need to consider the best options for creating balance and symmetry. There are many different ways to achieve balance and symmetry, you could for the obvious route or the more subtle ones. Regardless of your choice, know that balance is important because it is an essential step in achieving a well-designed exterior space that looks pleasing to the eye.
One way to know if you need to strike more balance in your exteriors is if you take a step back from your home’s exterior design and notice that something seems off-key. This red flag could mean that your current exteriors look too overwhelming. You might want to set off the design with a bigger space or with the color white.
Functionality is the priority
Prior to designing the exteriors of your home, think of what you plan to use your living space for. What are your preferences? What do you want your home to achieve? What do you or your family need most? Answer these questions truthfully before devising a plan for designing your exteriors because form follows function. So unless you are clear on the function you are working towards, you will not have a focused vision of your ideal exterior home design.
The style is as important as durability
When it comes to the materials used on your home exteriors, keep in mind that your personal preferences and the durability of the materials are inseparable. They go hand in hand. While you need to consider the durability of the raw material in question, aesthetics still play an important role. Thus, it follows that you should opt for materials that go well with your own sense of style. If you’re the modern minimalist type, go for sleek lines and basic wood panels.
Let’s talk windows
A well-designed home exterior is one where even the windows are striking and eye-catching. The question now is, how do you achieve that kind of effect on your windows? Aside from making sure that your windows are made from durable materials, the thing you need to focus more on is how your windows reflect the overall vibe of your home. Given that your windows are the soul of your home, see to it that the character of your windows meshes well with the overall theme of your living space.
With durability and aesthetics out of the way, consider other important factors such as how the window is viewed from the outside, how easy it is to maintain, and whether it offers proper ventilation.
Design your front door
Do not forget to pay attention to your entryway. To choose the right color for your front door, you could choose two shades from the same color combination – use one for your main exterior trim and the other for your siding colors. Then, choose a third color for your front door. This color could either be a contrasting color or a shade that is either several shades darker or lighter than your main exterior trim.
From there, you can work around the design of your front door by playing up with lighting, plants, porch seating, and the like.
Try landscaping
There’s nothing that can transform your home’s exteriors better than a beautiful landscape. But if you think landscaping is a simple task of planting a tree in your front yard, you’ve got it all wrong. A lot of thought should be put into landscaping. Landscaping is a long and tedious process; it is an art that takes time to grow and to maintain. Aside from putting well-placed plants, you will need to devise a plan on which soil goes well with what plant. If you do not have a green thumb, you could get in touch with a professional landscape artist to draft a landscape plan and to execute it seamlessly.
Light up your home
Lighting your home is important in emphasizing its features and characteristics, even at night. To do this the right way, consider different lighting fixtures and try to find out which ones go well with the overall look of your exteriors. Also, consider the look and feel of your home when deciding on the best type of lighting to use on your exteriors.
In a nutshell, understanding art and design concepts boil down to being somewhat familiar with the principles of balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, and unity, and variety.
Balance pertains to the visual weight of the different elements of a composition. Contrast is the striking difference between the two elements. Emphasis refers to visual prominence. Movement is illusions of space created through repetition of curves and lines. A pattern is a uniform and consistent repetition of any of the elements. Rhythm is the organized yet varied repetition of different elements in a composition. Unity is blending together different elements to create some form of monotony but since too much of it could make art and design look too predictable, variety may be used to break the monotony.
Using these principles is essential in designing your living space – whether you’re focusing on your exteriors or your interiors. In fact, these design principles, in general, are essential for creating and appreciating different forms of art. Note, though, that knowing what to use, what to put together, and the extent by which you should use each art and design concept depends on a lot of variables. While there are fundamental concepts at play, there is no fixed rule when it comes to creating and appreciating art and designs for your home.
