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

Home Interior Design FAQs, Interior Designers in Bangalore

2000 FAQ’s on Home Interiors and Interior Design Best Practices

Imagine a repository of 2000 Frequently Asked Questions and how to’s on interior design and home interiors….how cool would that

Best Interior Design Companies in Bangalore, Best Interior Designers in Bangalore, Interior design best practices in Bangalore

Symmetry and Balance – Why Some Interior Designs Seem Better Than the Rest

The best-looking designs - and this is irrespective of the finish, colour selection or the money spent – are the
Nandita Manwani's Interior Design Masterclass

Masterclass on Interior Design Best Practices for new Home Owners

Announcing the second edition of our “show and tell” masterclass on Interior Design Best practices for Home Makers The masterclass

Lacquered Glass finish

Lacquered Glass finish shutters for Home Interiors

The interest in Lacquered glass shutters for home interiors seems to have picked up lately in Bangalore. I’ve had a

rattan shutter partition

The Return of Rattan: Why Your Wardrobe (and Your Home) Wants Cane Back

Rattan shutters aren’t just a style statement—they’re a cultural return. A small rebellion against flat-pack, modular fatigue. A reminder that
Home Interior Designers, Home Interior Photographs, Modular Kitchen, Sliding Wardrobes

Photographs of my recent Home Interior project at Yelahanka, Bangalore

It is a beautiful penthouse – top floor, some 3000 sqft with a huge kitchen, party area and the works.

home interior best practices, Interior Designers in Bangalore, lighting for home

Interior Design Masterclass on Home Lighting & Automation

We are all set to host our second Residential Interior Design Masterclass – this one will be on Home Lighting

Design Masterclass,interior designers in Bangalore

Our Design Masterclass last week with university students and upcoming interior designers in Bangalore

Had the privilege of hosting the design masterclass for students of the school of Interior Design at Jain University Campus

Acetech Bangalore, Home Automation, Interior Designers in Bangalore, LED Lighting, Murals, Partitions, Sky Light

Feedback from The ET Acetech 2015 Bangalore

If you have been on Bangalore roads in the last couple of weeks you would not have missed the huge

Home Interiors Costing Calculator

Home Interiors – Thumbrules for costing based on market rates in Bangalore

While I have a similar post on “Costing your Woodwork” done earlier on this blog I got your feedback that

Apartment Home Interior Pictures, Interior Designers in JP Nagar

More Photographs – Latest project at Elita – JP Nagar

Project pictures of our work in the initial years in Bangalore - this was in the year 2011
Interior Designers in Bangalore, interiors in bangalore, Material for Home Interiors in Bangalore, Material to use for Woodwork

So what is the Right material to choose for Woodwork?

So you have made your first visit to the market to decide on your interiors, visited @Home, HomeStop, Hometown, Home
Best of Houzz

The Best of Houzz 2019 Award – Thank you for all your support

Last week we were notified by the Houzz team that we have been awarded the Best of Houzz in both

Sliding Wardrobes, the studio sliding wardrobe bangalore

The Studio Range of Wardrobes – Frequently Asked Questions

I have been getting a number of questions from you on the Studio Range of Wardrobes post the launch &

Interior design advise

The Best Interior Design Advise That You Can Get

Perhaps the most valuable part of this blog lies in the conversations happening under each post. With over a thousand

Related Articles

Scroll to Top
Thank you icon

Thanks for your Interest

We will get back to you on this shortly