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Article Two: Elements of Design 101A - Form
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Previously we studied line. Today we are examining form, the second Element of Design. From the last article, can you now identify the various types of lines in your home? By way of review, staging encompasses the two Essentials of Design, which are:
A.) The Elements of Design
B.) The Principles of Design
Remember the cake recipe, which represents the Essentials of Design and that a recipe has two parts, the ingredients and the instructions. We're just working with the ingredients (Elements of Design) at this point in our articles.

This quick look at form, along with my other articles, will give you another way of looking at that new lamp you just had to have. If done correctly, staging uses the Essentials of Design (the recipe) to analyze rooms, determine why they work or don't work, and make changes that are aesthetically more pleasing.
  • Form is an extension of line in the sense that it describes how lines enclose a space. The term refers both to 2-D shapes, such as circles, and 3-D shapes, such as spheres. In the next article, you'll see that shape, the third element, is also an extension of line. A form can be straight-sided, curved, or a combination. Forms like squares and triangles are made up of straight lines - and you thought you would never use geometry after high school. A lamp, as you might have seen in some hotels, with a drum shade and a square base can be a cube and a cylinder. Forms such as cubes and pyramids are also made up of straight lines. A sphere is entirely curved. Some forms, like cylinders, are a combination of straight and curved lines. Did you already know that?
  • When you assess a room, look at the forms that are there. Furniture can be analyzed in terms of the forms that comprise its components. Straight-sided forms aid in the efficient use of space.
Try identifying the distribution of the different types of forms throughout a room in your home today. Later, this will help you address problems with balance, mood and rhythm.

Until next time, happy Home Staging and Styling.
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