The Studio by Nandita Manwani

Residential Interior Design Themes – Simplified

Interior design, Interior Design Theme

Designing a home based on a theme aligns the space to what the theme fundamentally represents – things such as energy, peace, calm, efficiency, indulgence, frugality, nature and the likes. It is because of this that the subject of “Themes for Home Interiors” comes up quite often in interior design discussions, the interesting part however is that each client as well as each Interior Designer has her own version, understanding and visualization of the theme. In our conversation today we will try not just to describe the usual themes that are used in residential Interior Design but also standardize these so that customers find it easy explaining what they have in mind to their Interior Designer.

First let us simplify – While there may be 40 – 50 independent theses, each of these can broadly be classified into 2 major ones

 

The 2 Main Interior Design Themes:

 

1. Contemporary: Contemporary themes usually contain Straight line and Modern Finishes with not too much clutter. The colour combinations are whites along with lighter shades of the other primary or secondary colours. A lot of modern western homes – the pics of these that you see on Pinterest or Houzz are broadly in the Contemporary theme

 

2. Traditional: The traditional theme represents region specific or time/ age specific finishes and looks. Sub themes like South Indian Traditional, Art Deco, Victorian etc. will fall under the traditional theme bucket. Tradition Home Design themes in general are heavier and require larger spaces to flourish – we will talk about this later in the discussion

Now let us start complicating

 

The two main themes Contemporary & Traditional are sub divided into multiple sub themes broadly representing Countries, places, times, styles, shapes, materials and elements. Each of these are detailed below. Note that each of the sub themes can be done in the parent themes of Traditional or Contemporary i.e., you can have a Chettinad theme which sounds traditional, however it can be done in either in Contemporary or Traditional Style and the only limit to creativity is that of the Interior Designer

Interior Design Themes – Enumerated with Some Sample Pictures

1. Design Themes Based on Countries & Places: The following themes are examples

  1. Scandinavian Theme or Nordic Theme
  2. Chettinad Theme
  3. Bohemian
  4. Rajputana
  5. Zen/ Asian Theme
Scandanavian Theme scaled
Scandinavian Theme Interiors
Chettinad theme 1
Chettinad Theme Interiors
Zen Theme 1
Zen Themed Interiors
Rajputana
Rajputana Theme Interiors

2. Based on Eras & Times: For example

  1. Victorian Theme
  2. Art Deco Theme
Victorian Theme 1
Victorian Theme Interiors
Art Deco Theme
Art Deco Theme Interiors

3. Based on Style & Shapes: Examples –

  1. Straight Line theme
  2. Rustic/ Country Theme
  3. Eclectic (Energetic & Bright) Theme
  4. Industrial
  5. Minimalistic
Minimalistic Theme Interiors 1
Minimalistic Theme Interiors
Industrial Theme Interiors 1
Industrial Theme Interiors

4. Based on Core Elements

  1. Earth
  2. Water
  3. Air
  4. Fire
Water Theme Interiors 1
Water Themed Interiors

5. Based on Materials

  1. Metal
  2. Glass / Mirrors
  3. Stone
  4. Concrete
Metal Theme 1
Metal Theme Interiors

I do hope this will help every home maker when discussing the subject of Interior Design Themes with their Interior Designer. Do write in with your comments & inputs so that the discussion helps improve upon the subject and each one’s understanding of this critical element of Interior Design.

 

 

Signing off

Nandita

PS: Note that all the images used above are designs & creations of different Interior Designers from across the World, the images are used only to explain the concept of Themes in Interior Design and not to showcase them as my work as they are not 🙂

Nandita Manwani is a practicing Interior Designer in Bangalore and is the founder of The Studio by Nandita Manwani

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Articles

Interior Designers in Bangalore, Woodwork in Bangalore

Types of Wood & Wood Specifications for Home Interiors

Over the course of the last few years the maximum number of queries I’ve received from my readers has been

Interior design, Sliding Door Wardrobe, Sliding Wardrobe Design, Sliding Wardrobes, Sliding Wardrobes Bangalore

Sliding Wardrobes – “Do it right the first time”

Sliding door wardrobes seem to be the in thing nowadays especially because they help save valuable space in small rooms
Elder friendly Interior Design, Interior Designers in Bangalore

Elder Friendly Home Interior Design

This subject has been close to my heart and I had written this article a long time ago. Glad to

Bangalore Home Interior expert, Newspapers

My “Expert Corner” in Deccan Herald – Starts today

Deccan Herald has started an “Ask the Expert” section in their Friday Homes & Interiors segment where I will be

Best Interior Designers in Bangalore, Interior Designers in Bangalore, Modular Kitchens, Sobha Interior Photographs

Photos of work done at Sobha Sunscape & my own Kitchen at home :)

Our first few projects, this was way back in 2010
Material for Kitchen Countertop, Modular Kitchens

The “What Material to use for the Kitchen Counter Top” Conundrum. How to decide between Granite, Marble, Corian, Quartz, Acrylic etc.

Selecting a counter top for the kitchen can be tricky, especially with all the choice of materials available nowadays. In
Interior Design,Interior Costs in Bangalore,Interior Decorators in Bangalore,Interior design best practices in Bangalore

The 5 Most Googled Questions on Interior Design

Google sends us a monthly report on what posts on this blog get the most attention and readership. Over the

Apartment interiors, Home Interiors Bangalore, Interior Decorators in Bangalore, Interior designer bangalore, Interior Designers in Bangalore, Top Interior Designer in Bangalore, Top Interior Designers in Bangalore, Turnkey home interiors

Tips and tricks to convert your rental home into a place of your own

Home Interiors and Decorators   This one is for readers who have or are in the process of renting out

Woodwork in Bangalore

HDHMR – The New Material for Woodwork in Bangalore.

I recently had a vendor hand over a sample of HDHMR, the new magic material for woodwork that is expected

Modular Kitchen

Stainless Steel Kitchen or a Regular Modular Kitchen in Wood? Which Should YOU Choose for Your New Home

Stainless steel kitchens are gaining popularity in Indian homes, known for their durability, hygiene, and modern aesthetic. While traditionally seen
Indiawood Exhibition

Feedback from IndiaWood 2012 Exhibition Bangalore

Folks ….some quick notes from the IndiaWood Exhibition (http://indiawood.com/) that concluded in Bangalore last month. Some interesting findings that you

Interior design best practices in Bangalore, Interior design versus modular furniture, Interior Designers in Bangalore, Modular Kitchen, Sliding Wardrobes Bangalore, Woodwork in Bangalore

Cutting Corners to make you a Pigeon Hole

How Interior Vendors cut corners to deliver on unrealistic budgets of customers. Practices in the Interior Design Industry that you
Interior Designers in Bangalore

New Q&A Module for you to ask your questions

This blog today hosts over 3500 Q&A on home interiors under different posts. For some of the more popular posts

Bangalore Home Interiors, Best Interior Designers in Bangalore, Getting the maximum value from your interior designer, home interior best practices, Interior design best practices in Bangalore, Interior Designers in Bangalore

The Culture of Space

I have written about designing homes based on lifestyle of the inhabiting family, today I want to turn that concept

An interior Designers perspective, Interior Design Cost in Bangalore, Interior Design Masterclass, Interior Designers in Bangalore

Third Edition of my Masterclass on Interior Design Best Practices

November 3 it is — Just in case you missed the earlier two Masterclasses, here is another chance for you

Need an interior designer

Do You “Really” Need an Interior Designer

Odd topic you would say, right? You will say “everyone needs a designer provided one can afford it”. You may

Home Renovation

The Home Renovation Project: Learnings from doing up The Studio’s Own Interior Design Centre in Bangalore

Home renovation is an area that most customers struggle with, I hence thought it best to pen down our experience
Apartment interiors, Bangalore Home Interiors, Budget for Interior Design, Five Elements of Interior Design, Home Interior Designers, Home Interiors Bangalore, Interior designer value, Turnkey Home Interiors & Design

Our New Packages for Home Interiors in Bangalore

Earlier this April I had written about our hunt for optimizing cost for Interiors and how that exercise took our

Related Articles

Scroll to Top
Thank you icon

Thanks for your Interest

We will get back to you on this shortly