A new way
of looking.

The general light that makes a room usable as a whole. It forms the background for more focused task and accent lighting.

Look for it: Notice whether the room feels evenly usable before switching on a reading lamp.

The routes people use to move through a space and between its activities. Furniture placement affects how clear and comfortable those routes feel.

Look for it: Trace the path from your front door to the place where you put down your bag.

A noticeable difference between elements, such as light and dark, rough and smooth, or large and small. Contrast can help one element stand out.

Look for it: Look at how a dark chair reads against a light wall.

An exterior face of a building, often discussed in terms of its openings, materials, proportions, and relationship to the street.

Look for it: Notice the repeated windows and the entrance on a familiar building.

The element or area that first attracts attention in a composition. It may be created by position, scale, color, light, or contrast.

Look for it: Stand in a doorway and notice where your eye goes first.

The unoccupied area around and between objects. It helps shapes become readable and can give an arrangement a sense of openness.

Look for it: Leave a section of a shelf empty and compare how the remaining objects feel.

The selected range of colors or materials used in a design. A palette helps individual decisions relate to one another.

Look for it: Gather your main fabric, wood, and paint samples in one place.

The relationship between the dimensions of a part and the dimensions of other parts or the whole. It is about how sizes relate.

Look for it: Compare the width of a picture with the width of the furniture below it.

The perceived or actual size of an element in relation to its setting, other elements, or the people using it.

Look for it: Consider how a large pendant feels above a small table.

Light directed toward a specific activity, such as reading, writing, or preparing food. Its usefulness depends on placement as well as brightness.

Look for it: Move a desk lamp and notice how the shadows on the work surface change.

The surface quality of a material, experienced through touch, sight, or both. Texture influences how a surface reflects light and feels in a room.

Look for it: Compare a woven textile with a smooth painted surface.

A boundary or transition between spaces, such as the point where a porch meets an interior. It can be physical, visual, or experiential.

Look for it: Notice what changes as you move from the street into your home.