DON HONORIO VENTURA STATE UNIVERSITY

Villa de Bacolor, Pampanga

College of Engineering and Architecture
Department of Architecture
AR INTRS 312
Decorative Elements and
Concept of Colors
First Semester 2023-2024

Geneazel L. Gaza, RLA

Course Facilitator
glgaza@dhvsu.edu.ph
DESIGN ELEMENTS AND PRINCIPLES
The ELEMENTS form the basic vocabulary of visual design,
while the PRINCIPLES constitute the broader structural
aspects of the composition.

SIMPLE ILLUSTRATION:

Elements (ingredients) + Principles (cooking methods) =

Composition (dish)
PRINCIPLES :
Balance, Emphasis, Rhythm,
Unity, Contrast, Movement
ELEMENTS:
Point, Line, Shape, Space,
Color, Form, Texture
Decorative
Elements of
Design
POINT
A dimensionless
geometric element that
has no property but
location, as the
intersection of two lines.
LINE
Line is the visual direction of a
design. It can be used to
emphasize a pleasing element
or disguise an undesirable one.
Different types of lines have
different effects on design.
Vertical Can be seen in:
● Tall furniture
● Columns
Lines ● Pillars
Vertical lines lead the eye up, ● Striped wallpaper
adding height, formality, and ● Long Narrow
strength to a design. Draperies
Vertical
Lines
Vertical lines can make rooms
seem more spacious than
they actually are and ceilings
appear higher.
Horizontal Can be seen in:
● Long, low roofs
Lines ● Long, low furniture
pieces such as sofas
Horizontal lines lead the eye
to the left or right, suggesting and chests
informality and restfulness.
Diagonal Can be seen in:
● Staircases
Lines ● Cathedral ceilings
● Gable Roofs
Diagonal lines suggest action,
movement and excitement.
Diagonal
Lines
Diagonal lines can be
overpowering and tiring, so
they should be used sparingly
in design.
Curved Can be seen in:
● Doorway arches
Lines ● Ruffled curtains
● Curved furniture
Too many curved lines create
a busy look. ● Rounded
accessories
Space
Space is the area provided for a particular purpose. It
may have two dimensions (length and width) such as a
floor, or it may have three dimensions (length, width,
and height), such as a room or dwelling.
Space
● Any space, no matter what size or shape, can be divided into distinct parts.
● Too little space can create a feeling of being exposed.
● Very large rooms designed for many people can produce a lonely feeling
when a person is alone.
● Space is affected by the number and size of objects in it.
● Many objects scattered throughout a room will most likely destroy the
design effect because the space will have no apparent organization or
unity.
● Objects grouped into large units will create a more ordered space.
Shape
Shape is a flat image with two
dimensions:
Length and Width
Shape is created by intersecting lines to
form squares, rectangles, and triangles.
Can be seen in:
● Shiny and reflect images- mirrors
● Transparent and create visual
effects - window glass
● Textured and absorb light and
sound - window treatments and
carpeting
● Hard or Soft
● Plain or patterned
● Colored light or dark
Form
Form is the outlined edges of a
three dimensional object. It has
length, width, and depth (or height)
as well as volume and mass.
Form
● Thin, delicate forms appear fragile, even when built of sturdy materials.
● Large, heavy forms provide stability to a design scheme.
● Related forms tend to look better together than unrelated forms.
Texture Words used to
describe textures:
Texture is a surface’s tactile quality.
Tactile refers to the perception of touch. ● Ribbed
In design, texture appeals to sight as ● Crinkled
well as touch. ● Rough
● Smooth
Texture
● Often patterns or colors are used to create the illusion of texture.
● Smooth surfaces reflect more light than rough surfaces, making them look
lighter and brighter.
● Rough surfaces absorb more light, making them look darker and less
intense.
● A room with the same texture throughout is monotonous, but too many
different textures can appear disjointed and distracting.
● Most well-designed rooms have a dominate texture with accents of
contrasting textures.
 ● HUE

Color Hue is the name of a color. Ex. Red, green and

Blue-violet

Color derives from the ● VALUE

spectrum of light (distribution Value is the lightness or darkness of a hue. The
value of a hue can be made lighter by adding white.
of light energy versus This produces a tint. Pink is a tint of red, made by
wavelength) interacting in the adding white to red.
eye with the spectral
sensitivities of the light ● Intensity
Intensity (Saturation) is the brightness or dullness of
receptors. a hue. Purity of a color. Desaturated colors tend to
look gray.
Color
The effect of passing rays of
white light through a prism is
to bend the shorter
wavelengths, thus
separating them into
distinctly identifiable bands
of color.
 TYPES OF COLOR SCHEME
● Analogous
Colors that contain a common hue and are found next to each
other on the color wheel, e.g., violet, red-violet, and red create
a sense of harmony.
● Monochromatic
One color. A monochromatic color scheme uses only one hue
(color) and all values (shades or tints) of it for a unifying and
harmonious effect.
● Neutral colors
Contain equal parts of each of the three primary colors - black,
white, gray, and sometimes brown are considered "neutral".
● Warm colors
Suggest warmth and seem to move toward the viewer and
appear closer, e.g., red and orange are the colors of fire
● Cool colors
Suggest coolness and seem to recede from a viewer and fall
back, e.g., blue and green are the colors of water and trees).
● Complementary
Two colors opposite one another on the color wheel, e.g., blue and
orange, yellow and purple, red and green.
● Triadic
A color triad is composed of three colors spaced an equal distance
apart on the color wheel.
● Split-Complementary
Split complements - the combination of one hue plus the hues on
each side of its complement. This is easier to work with than a straight
complementary scheme.
● Double-Complementary
Double complementary - two adjacent hues and their opposites. It
uses four colors arranged into two complementary color pairs. This
scheme is hard to harmonize; if all four colors are used in equal
amounts, the scheme may look unbalanced, so you should choose a
color to be dominant or subdue the colors.
Analogous
Monochromatic
Neutral
Warm
Cool
Complementary
Triadic
Split Complementary
Double Complementary
END OF PRESENTATION
AR INTRS 312
Lecture 02
Decorative Elements and
Concept of Colors

Prepared by:
Geneazel L. Gaza, RLA
Course Facilitator
glgaza@dhvsu.edu.ph

Review and utilized by: