Music and Interior Design: An Unlikely Partnership

Have you ever walked into a room and just let out a relaxing sigh? This year it may seem hard to do. These days, many individuals have been reflecting on their atmosphere. As it has become apparent the past several months, your homes have become a quarantine manifestation.

For some, it is an introvert’s paradise. For others, it is a prison of thoughts, barriers and internal darkness waiting to consume their every move.

Music has been a comfort for many through this distinct period of uncertainty. Music has been a form of medicine in efforts to wake us up from this melancholy state. When we listen to music, something warm produces inside of us that transcends to the environment in which we call home.

The heart begins to fill with memories and hopeful tomorrow’s as the minutes turn to hours and the hours turn to weeks. Music is the therapist for your everyday emotion, and through this around the clock therapy session music creates, shouldn’t your environment make you feel the same way?

Similar to music, being the language of shared emotion, Interior design is the blueprint of relaxation. Interior design is the science and art of enhancing inside of a home, building or space that provides a healthier and more creative aesthetic to certain environments. An interior designer aids, plans and manages the altering process.

Interior design is all about creating a space where one can feel the similar feeling one gets when listening to the sounds of Prince, Nirvana or even Tekashi69. Through the friendship of music and design, these components help lend to our overall wellness.

An Unlikely Friendship

Music shares an inspiration for interior designing. Musical elements, such as harmony, create a synergetic tone in correlation to a peaceful environment.

Harmony in terms of music and interior design is all about feeling. Harmony is music is the use of multiple pitches being produced at the same time. If you have ever felt the relaxing and or calming sensation of listening to an angelic catholic choir, then you know that harmony is all about calming of the mind. Harmony in design is all about have multiple objects in one unified package or presentation.

Although they can be different objects, they must compliment in each other in order to create a healthy space.

No Blues with Rhythm

You may have heard the term rhythm in discussion with many musical outlets. Rhythm is strong regular pattern of movement or sound. In interior design, the movement or sound is in form of colors, lines and visual patterns. With rhythm always having a repetitive characteristic, many lines and patterns are repeated through the space to bring the overall piece together.

Patterns in musical chords and notes lends to people developing an earworm from catchy artists such as Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift. It is patterns that these artists rely heavily on when creating a successful radio hit. Patterns in environment design surrounds the quality of the surface. Illustration is the most important aspect in terms of pattern. This could be different visual squares on an IKEA headboard, or thin lines places delicate around the walls in the living room.

Another similarity with music and interior design is its yearning to strike a balance. In the music recording industry, much of the producer’s duties is to create a balance of various sounds through mixing or audio levels.

Collaborations from different artists from various backgrounds, require the musicians to come to an agreement and balance of different musical stylings and choices. The honest truth, is that we cannot escape balance. Balance is a skill that every individual encounter throughout the heavy tossing and turning of life itself. Balance is crucial in interior design.

According to CreativePinkButterfly.com, balance is achieved when the distribution of visual weight in a space is efficient. The website additionally explains that the coming together of music and design of a space can be done by radial balance.

Balancing Act

Radical balance is balance based on a circle with its design focus and centered around the middle point. This could be for example, a rustic wooden table in the center of the kitchen. Color is also an important component of balance. In recent years, studies have shown that homes and spaces have been more prone to two-tones shades rather than any other.

This is because two-toned shades give the illusion or lends to the notion of balance. This could be a deep dark chocolate brown couch against an egg white wall.

We have seen a comedic movie or cartoon where a person sings so bad that they break a glass or a window. The individual has a strong lack of vocal tone. It’s a recognizable feeling as the listener can almost feel a full body uncomfortableness. Staying on key is a phrase used to represent tone.

In interior design, tone is just as important. When one walks into a room, one can instantly feel if it’s a romantic, relaxing or plain home. A theme or a space is an element that gives a room personality and uniqueness. This centres on material, furniture and color choice.

There are many similarities in music that lends to the art of enhancing a space. Through efforts such as creating harmony, pattern and tone within a room can give a space the emotional relaxation one needs throughout their hectic lives.

A room or space is a place to express many personalities and emotions that make many people find inner and outer peace. So, the next time you want to rearrange or paint the wall of your room music may just be the proper blueprint you need.

Photos: Shutterstock / Photomontage: Martina Advaney

Music has partnerships in more than just design. Read more about that here:

Live Streaming is Saving the Music Industry

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