Housing and Interior Design
Core concepts
Housing and interior design blends human needs, building science, and aesthetics. Know the principles and elements of design-balance (symmetrical, asymmetrical, radial), rhythm, emphasis, proportion, scale, and unity-and the elements: line, form, space, texture, color, and pattern. Color theory matters: hue, value, intensity, the color wheel, complementary and analogous schemes, and the psychological effects of warm versus cool colors. Understand the design process (programming, schematic design, design development, construction documents), universal design principles (equitable use, flexibility, low physical effort), and accessibility standards. Housing content includes types of housing, tenure (own versus rent), affordability ratios, and the relationship between housing and life-cycle stage.
Traps
Questions swap an element for a principle (color is an element; balance is a principle). Another trap is confusing scale with proportion-proportion relates parts to the whole, scale relates to human size. Watch for universal design described as "accessible design" when the stem stresses use by everyone.
Worked example
A designer places a large sofa in a small room and the client says it "feels wrong." Rule of thumb: if the object is out of relationship to the human body and room size, the issue is scale; if the parts of the composition are unbalanced relative to each other, the issue is proportion. Choose the term matching the described relationship.
Rule of thumb
Classify the described quality as element or principle first, then match the specific term.