Earth, Air, Fire, Water: The Four Elements of Interior Design

Traditionally associated with Greek philosophy, although, identified by cultures across the world, it is believed that four elements form the Universe; Earth, Air, Fire and Water. No one could imagine surviving without any of these elements; therefore, they are identified as primal powers. What better way to create harmony in your home or commercial space than incorporating these four elements or interior design? Each element has its own identity, and they can each be interpreted in many different ways. In this blog, we take a look at how you can feature these four elements into your interior design to create a harmonising style.

Discover the best home interior ideas right now to transform your space.

Use Earthy Tones

The first element, Earth, is perhaps one of the easiest to incorporate into our interiors. To feel connected to the Earth and bring through the tones associated with it, consider wood or stone flooring. Not only are these both incredibly chic additions to any interior, but they are also natural materials created on Earth. Furthermore, you can use wood in your furniture and furnishings. For example, use a wooden coffee table to tie in with the Earth theme and use a similar colour scheme with throws, cushions and the finer details.

Brooklyn Cone Wall Light - 7 Inch - Pewter, by Industville (Image supplied by Sturman and Co. Interior Design Studio)

Create An Airy Interior

There is nothing better than walking into a room that oozes a fresh atmosphere; it instantly rejuvenates us and is almost a breath of fresh air. The best way to achieve this delightful interior is to keep it simple and clean-cut. Using glass and metal elements help to create an interior that is both sleek and modern, but also an airy space! If you have a rather small space to work with, this could be a great design option for you.

Glass easily blends in and doesn’t detract from other elements within the interior. By using glass, you can decorate your smaller space without it looking overcrowded or too busy. Here at Industville, we have a range of industrial glass lights that would work beautifully in an air-inspired interior. If you are looking to redesign your kitchen or bathroom with this style and would like to include glass lighting, then not to worry, because our range is also waterproof!

Creating an airy space is also brilliant for commercial spaces, especially offices. Having an interior that isn’t too cluttered and is somewhat sleek makes for a perfect office environment because employees can work in a bright and fresh atmosphere. Additionally, LED lights work exceptionally in an office interior because they brighten the room and create a vibrant space. Here at Industville, we have a range of vintage LED bulbs that are both stylish and cost-effective, so what are you waiting for?

Get Fiery

Fire is considered the first element out of the four because it was the original element born after the Universe was created. For this reason, the element is strongly associated with the power of giving life. Perhaps the ideal way to incorporate this element into your interior desgin is by having a cosy fireplace; it instantly creates a warm and homely feeling. Furthermore, a fireplace makes a perfect feature piece to any room, but especially the living room as this is where we often unwind and relax.For more living room lighting and styling ideas, read our post on how to get the ultimate living room.

Brooklyn 5 Wire Pendant – Brass, by Industville (Image supplied by @beside_the_sea_holidays by Mark Watts photography)

If you either can't include a fireplace or maybe you simply prefer not to have one, using warm-toned lighting can give off the same warm feeling from your interior design. You should opt for amber-toned lighting to create a cosy atmosphere and if you would like to add a touch of style, consider exposed wiring. The style mimics a chandelier but in an industrial-styled and modern way, therefore, creating a rustic feel.

Another way to feature the fire element into your interior design is by using brick walls. The red colour of the bricks represent fire but also, it brings the outdoors in, which helps to create a natural environment. Brick walls are a brilliant feature in commercial spaces too, especially cafes, coffee shops and restaurants. The exposed material produces a rustic vibe and makes an excellent feature piece, therefore, helping you to make your establishment unique. 

Artwork is an easy way to instantly inject some colour into your interior design, especially the bolder colours, such as red. If you don’t want to make a considerable change to your interior, consider adding some artwork to your walls to introduce the fire element. Here at Industville, we are advocates for including unique and original pieces of art in your interior. Browse our superb variety of work from aspiring artists here

View From A Spaceship - Heaven’s Ocean by Bob Dawson,

Add a Drop of Water

There is no better space to incorporate this element than in the bathroom! Water is fluid and flowing, so to feature this element in the bathroom, you want to ensure that all the pieces in the room fuse together. You’ll want plenty of light and reflection to open up the space and use calming colours to mimic the soothing ripples of the ocean.

In this bathroom interior below, you can see that to imitate the ocean, they have opted for tiles that have a slight flowing wave pattern. The large mirror helps to make the space, feel bigger and also projects the light further. Glass is perhaps the best light style to go for in the bathroom because it blends in with the other elements in the room, plus it adds a touch of elegance and luxury. Our waterproof range of industrial lights are perfect for any bathroom interior and can become a beautiful focal point.

For more ideas on how to get craft the ultimate bathroom interior, read our post on tiled bathroom trends to elevate your interior design.

Sleek Edison ES E27 Bulb Holder - Brass, by Industville (Image supplied by @HouseOfGaffar)

If you’d like to add an element of water tones into other rooms, consider using deep blues for either the wall colour or the accessories. If painting a whole wall seems a bit too much, then consider adding flashes of blue throughout the room; with cushions, artwork and even the light fixtures! We offer a wide range of fabric flex colours for you to jazz up our lights and create the perfect focal point. For a water-inspired look, consider some blue toned flex to introduce a hint of colour without being too obvious. Sapphire is a very popular colour at the moment, so much so that we wrote a whole blog on how you can incorporate it into your interior!

Silver Twisted Fabric Flex & Red Twisted Fabric Flex & Dark Brown Twisted Fabric Flex & Dark Blue Twisted Fabric Flex, by Industville

But don’t think our colour range stops at blues. We have a wide variety of tones so that you can decorate your lights with any of the four elements of interior design! Opt for some bronze and brown tones to feel the earthy vibes or consider greys and silvers for an airy look. To make a statement, incorporate the fire element to your interior by using reds and rubies in your fabric flex.

We hope this blog has given you some inspiration to decorate and style your interior with the four elements; Earth, Air, Fire and Water. If you would like to read more on interior design, we have posts relating to exactly that on our blog.

If you have recently purchased some of our light, or they are already fitted in your interior, we love to see them! So please let us see them by tagging us on Instagram - @industville – or by using the hashtag #Industville.