Interior Design
Glossary of Terms

Ambient Lighting: The general, overall illumination that provides a comfortable level of brightness in a room, allowing for general navigation and activity. It sets the foundational mood and can be controlled by dimmers.

Analogous Colours: A colour scheme utilizing colours that are adjacent to each other on the colour wheel (e.g., blue, blue-green, green). This creates harmonious, serene, and cohesive palettes often found in nature.

Anthropometrics: The scientific study of the measurements and proportions of the human body. Essential in ergonomic design to ensure furniture and spaces are correctly sized for optimal comfort and function.

Antique: An object, typically furniture or decorative item, that is at least 100 years old. Valued for its craftsmanship, historical significance, and unique patina, adding character and soul to a modern interior.

Asymmetrical Balance: A type of balance where dissimilar elements, when arranged, carry equal visual weight, creating a dynamic yet harmonious equilibrium. Often perceived as more modern and organic than symmetrical balance.

Balance: A fundamental design principle referring to the visual equilibrium of elements within a space, ensuring no single area feels too heavy or too light. Creates stability and harmony for the eye.

Bespoke: Specially made for a particular customer or purpose. In interior design, this typically refers to custom-designed and built cabinetry, furniture, or features, tailored precisely to the space and client's unique needs.

Biophilic Design: The intentional practice of integrating natural elements and processes into the built environment to foster human connection to nature, thereby enhancing well-being, productivity, and health.

Brief (Project Brief): The initial, comprehensive document outlining the client's needs, desires, functional requirements, budget, and scope of work for a design project. It serves as the guiding compass for the entire design process.

Circadian Rhythm: The body's natural 24-hour cycle that regulates sleep, wakefulness, and other biological processes. Thoughtful lighting design, particularly natural light integration, plays a crucial role in supporting healthy circadian rhythms.

Client-Designer Partnership: Our collaborative approach where the client's vision and needs are integral to every stage of the design process, fostering transparency, trust, and ensuring a deeply personalized outcome.

Colour Drenching: A sophisticated design technique where walls, trim, architectural mouldings, and sometimes even ceilings are painted in the same single, often deep, colour. This blurs boundaries, creates an immersive, cocoon-like effect, and enhances texture.

Colour Theory: The systematic study of colour, including its psychological effects, how colours interact with light, and how they combine harmoniously. It is the fundamental framework for intelligent and impactful palette selection.

Complementary Colours: Hues positioned directly opposite each other on the colour wheel (e.g., blue and orange, red and green). When paired, they create high contrast and visual dynamism, demanding careful balance in a design.

Concept Development: The early creative phase of design where abstract ideas, inspirations, and the project brief are translated into a cohesive visual and spatial direction, typically presented through mood boards and initial floor plans.

Console Table: A narrow, often decorative, table designed to stand against a wall. Frequently used in entryways or living rooms for display, storage, or as a convenient 'drop zone'.

Contemporary Design: A broad design style that is "of the moment," reflecting current trends and movements in art and design. It often overlaps with modernism but is more fluid and can incorporate a wider variety of textures, materials, and influences.

Contrast: A fundamental design principle involving the deliberate juxtaposition of opposing elements (e.g., light vs. dark, smooth vs. rough, geometric vs. organic) to create visual interest, depth, and drama, preventing monotony.

Curation: The thoughtful and intentional selection, arrangement, and display of objects (furniture, art, accessories) to tell a cohesive story and create a unique aesthetic. It often involves careful editing to highlight key pieces and reduce clutter.

Details: The minute, often subtle, elements and finishing touches (e.g., bespoke hardware, intricate mouldings, precise stitching on upholstery) that collectively elevate a design, communicating craftsmanship, refinement, and a truly bespoke feel.

Dimmers: Lighting controls that allow for the continuous adjustment of light intensity. Essential for creating versatile moods, controlling ambiance, and optimizing energy consumption within a layered lighting scheme.

Drapery: Fabric panels, often lined and pleated, that hang from a rod or track, used for window treatment, privacy, insulation, and adding softness or drama to an interior. Typically more formal and substantial than curtains.

Eclectic Design: A design style that thoughtfully and cohesively mixes elements from various design periods, styles, and cultures to create a unique and personalized aesthetic. It celebrates individuality and unexpected combinations.

Emphasis (Focal Point): A fundamental design principle that dictates the creation of a dominant element or area within a space, drawing immediate visual attention and serving as an anchor for the eye. It gives a room purpose and definition.

Ergonomics: The scientific study of designing and arranging environments, furniture, and products to optimize human comfort, efficiency, and well-being. It ensures spaces fit the user, not the other way around.

FF&E (Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment): An industry term for all movable and decorative items within a design project. This includes furniture, lighting fixtures, rugs, decorative accessories, and window treatments. It is distinct from fixed architectural elements.

Flat Lay: A photographic style where items are artfully arranged on a flat surface (often a table or floor) and shot from directly above. Often used in design to showcase mood boards, material palettes, or curated collections.

Flow (Circulation): The ease and intuitiveness of movement through a space. A well-designed flow ensures clear, unobstructed pathways and logical transitions between different functional areas, enhancing the user experience.

Focal Point: (See Emphasis).

Form: The three-dimensional quality of an object, possessing depth, mass, and volume. It defines how an object occupies and shapes the space around it, contributing to the room's sculptural qualities.

Functional Design: An approach where the primary purpose or utility of a space or object dictates its form and layout. Emphasizes efficiency, livability, and practicality, ensuring a design works beautifully for its inhabitants without compromising aesthetics.

Geometric Shapes: Two-dimensional shapes characterized by straight lines and sharp angles (e.g., squares, rectangles, triangles) or perfect curves (circles, ovals), commonly used in design to convey order, structure, and modernity.

Golden Ratio: A mathematical ratio (approximately 1.618) often found in nature and historically applied in art, architecture, and design to achieve aesthetically pleasing and harmonious proportions that are intuitively appealing.

Hardwood: Dense, durable wood sourced from deciduous trees (e.g., oak, walnut, maple). Highly valued in furniture, flooring, and bespoke joinery for its strength, longevity, and rich grain.

Harmony (Unity): A fundamental design principle ensuring all elements within a design work together seamlessly to create a cohesive, visually complete, and pleasing whole. It fosters a sense of order and tranquility.

Heritage: The historical characteristics, stylistic influences, or cultural legacy drawn from a particular period, region, or personal lineage. Often serves as a rich source of inspiration for bespoke design narratives.

Inherent Focal Point: A dominant visual element that naturally exists within the architecture of a space, such as a grand fireplace, a large bay window with a view, or bespoke built-in shelving, rather than being intentionally introduced by design.

Installation: The final phase of an interior design project where all furniture, lighting, art, and accessories are delivered, positioned, and meticulously styled according to the approved design plan, ready for client handover.

Joinery (Bespoke): The craft of designing and constructing custom-made wooden elements for interiors, such as cabinetry, built-in shelving, wall panelling, or unique furniture pieces, tailored precisely to a space and client's specifications.

Kiln-Dried Wood: Wood that has been dried in a controlled kiln to remove moisture. This process is crucial for preventing warping, cracking, and shrinking, ensuring the stability and longevity of furniture frames and timber structures.

Lacquered Finish: A smooth, hard, and typically high-gloss protective coating applied to wood or metal, creating a lustrous and durable surface.

Layered Lighting: A comprehensive lighting strategy that combines ambient, task, and accent lighting to create depth, versatility, and optimal mood within a space. It allows for flexible control over illumination for different activities and times of day.

Lead Time: The period of time between placing an order for a product (e.g., custom furniture, specific finishes) and its actual delivery. A critical factor in managing project schedules and client expectations.

Line: The most fundamental visual element in design, defined as a point moving through space. Lines delineate boundaries, guide the eye, and convey a profound sense of direction and emotion (e.g., horizontal, vertical, diagonal, curved).

Limewash: A traditional, breathable paint finish made from lime and natural pigments. It creates a soft, matte, slightly translucent wash of colour with subtle tonal variations, imparting a beautiful, organic, and historic feel to walls.

Mass: The perceived visual weight or physical bulk of an object. A solid, dark, or dense object has more mass than a lightweight, airy, or light-coloured one of similar dimensions, influencing overall balance in a room.

Millwork: Custom-made wood elements that are manufactured in a mill. This can include mouldings, trim, doors, and built-in cabinetry. While overlapping with joinery, millwork often refers to more standardized or architectural elements.

Minimalist Design: A design philosophy characterized by simplicity, clean lines, and a reduction of elements to their essential forms, emphasizing functionality, spaciousness, and uncluttered environments.

Modern Design: A design style originating from the early to mid-20th century (e.g., Bauhaus, Mid-Century Modern). It is characterized by clean lines, geometric forms, functionality, and a rejection of excessive ornamentation. Distinct from 'Contemporary' which is 'of the moment'.

Monochromatic Palette: A colour scheme that utilizes varying shades, tints, and tones of a single colour. It creates sophisticated, subtle, and calming spaces with great depth through texture.

Mood Board: A visual collage of images, material samples, colours, and textures that effectively communicates the overarching aesthetic, feeling, and specific elements of a design concept to a client.

Mortise-and-Tenon Joint: A traditional, highly durable woodworking joint where a projecting tenon on one piece fits precisely into a mortise (a rectangular hole) on another, creating a strong, interlocking connection, typically found in high-quality furniture frames.

Natural Analogues: Elements in biophilic design that evoke nature through representation or symbolism, such as natural patterns, biomorphic forms (shapes derived from living organisms), or images depicting natural scenes.

Negative Space (Void): The unoccupied area surrounding and between the positive elements (objects) in a design. Crucially, it is an active design element that shapes and highlights forms, defines pathways, and provides visual rest.

Niche (Design Niche): A specialized segment of the market that a designer or studio chooses to focus on (e.g., luxury residential renovations, sustainable commercial interiors), allowing for deeper expertise and a more tailored service offering.

Organic Shapes: Shapes characterized by soft, irregular, and often curvilinear forms found in nature (e.g., the silhouette of a cloud, a pebble, or a leaf), conveying softness, fluidity, and a natural feel.

Outdoor Living: The design and creation of exterior spaces (gardens, patios, balconies) as functional and stylish extensions of interior living areas, for relaxation, dining, and entertainment.

Patina: A natural, often desirable, sheen or discolouration that forms on the surface of certain materials (e.g., bronze, aged wood, leather) over time through age and use, adding character, warmth, and a sense of history.

Pendant Light: A light fixture that hangs suspended from the ceiling, typically by a cord, chain, or metal rod. Often used for focused task lighting over islands or as a dramatic statement light for ambient illumination.

Positive Space (Form): The areas within a design that are occupied by tangible objects, forming the 'figure' against the 'ground' of negative space. These are the elements that fill the volume of a room.

Procurement: The comprehensive process of acquiring goods and services for a design project, including sourcing, vetting suppliers, purchasing, managing orders, tracking deliveries, and overseeing installation logistics.

Proportion: A fundamental design principle referring to the relative size relationships between the parts of a whole, and between different elements within a design. It aims for aesthetically pleasing and harmonious ratios.

Rhythm: A fundamental design principle involving the repetition, alternation, or progression of elements (e.g., colour, shape, line) to create a sense of organized movement and visual flow for the eye through a space.

Sanctuary: A space specifically designed to provide peace, comfort, refuge, and restoration. This is often achieved through calming palettes, soft textures, thoughtful lighting, and personalized elements.

Scale: A design principle referring to the size of an object in relation to its surroundings (e.g., the room), to other objects within the space, and, crucially, to the human form, ensuring a comfortable and visually appropriate fit.

Shape: A two-dimensional outline, created when lines connect and enclose an area. Shapes define the basic contours of objects, patterns, and architectural elements, contributing to a room's aesthetic identity.

Sinuous Spring: A common type of furniture suspension using S-shaped, heavy-gauge steel wires attached to the frame. It offers good support and durability for upholstered pieces.

Site Survey: The initial, detailed on-site visit to a property to take precise measurements, assess existing architectural conditions, understand structural limitations, and capture photographic documentation of the space.

Sophisticated Palette: A carefully curated selection of colours that are nuanced, often complex, and blend harmoniously, creating a sense of refined elegance and timelessness rather than boldness or fleeting trendiness.

Space (Interior Design): The three-dimensional volume within an interior, encompassing both occupied (positive) and unoccupied (negative) areas. It is meticulously shaped and manipulated to influence a room's function, feeling, and flow.

Staging (Professional Staging): The art and science of preparing a property for sale by strategically arranging furniture, decor, and accessories. The goal is to highlight its best features, appeal to a wide range of potential buyers, and maximize its market value.

Statement Lighting: A light fixture chosen not just for illumination, but for its significant visual impact, acting as a sculptural element, a strong focal point, or a piece of art within a room.

Sustainability (Sustainable Materials): Materials sourced, produced, and used in a way that minimizes environmental impact, promotes resource conservation, and often supports ethical labour practices. A key consideration for long-term value and responsible design.

Symmetrical Balance: A type of balance where elements are mirrored identically on either side of a central axis, creating a formal, ordered, and traditional sense of equilibrium and stability in a design.

Task Lighting: Focused, direct illumination specifically designed to provide optimal light for precise activities, such as reading, cooking, working at a desk, or applying makeup.

Texture: The perceived surface quality of a material – how it looks and how it feels to the touch. Texture adds depth, visual interest, and a vital sensory dimension to interiors, creating a rich tactile experience.

Timeless Design: An aesthetic approach that transcends fleeting trends, relying on classic principles of proportion, quality materials, authentic craftsmanship, and enduring beauty to create spaces that remain elegant, relevant, and cherished for decades.

Trade Discount: A reduced price offered by manufacturers and suppliers exclusively to professional interior designers and other members of the trade. This allows designers to manage client budgets effectively and source high-quality materials competitively.

Transformation (Design Transformation): The comprehensive redesign of a space that fundamentally alters its aesthetic, functionality, and emotional impact, moving it from its existing state to its full, optimized potential.

Turnkey Service: A comprehensive project delivery method where the design studio manages all aspects of the project, from initial concept and design development to procurement, construction oversight, and final installation, delivering a completely finished space ready for immediate use.

Undertone (Colour): The subtle base colour that is present beneath the primary hue of a paint, fabric, or finish. Understanding undertones (e.g., a warm grey having a hint of yellow, a cool white having a hint of blue) is crucial for creating harmonious palettes and preventing clashing colours.

Unity (Harmony): (See Harmony).

Upholstery: The soft, padded covering of furniture (e.g., sofas, armchairs, headboards), typically consisting of fabric, padding, springs, and webbing, providing both comfort and defining aesthetic.

Veneer: Thin slices of wood or other material, typically glued onto a less expensive or more stable core material, used to create decorative and durable surfaces in furniture or cabinetry, allowing for beautiful grain matching.

Vignette: A small, artfully arranged grouping of furniture, art, and accessories that tells a visual story, creates a defined point of interest, or establishes a particular mood within a larger room.

Visual Weight: The perceived heaviness or lightness of an object or area in a design, influencing its impact on overall balance. Darker colours, larger sizes, and complex patterns typically have more visual weight.

Window Treatments: Any coverings or enhancements applied to windows, including curtains, drapes, blinds, shutters, or shades, chosen for privacy, light control, insulation, and aesthetic contribution to a room.

Work Triangle (Kitchen): A traditional and ergonomic concept in kitchen design referring to the imaginary lines connecting the three primary workstations: the refrigerator, the sink, and the cooktop. The goal is to minimize steps and maximize efficiency for the user.