The 12 Design Personalities small menu wheel

Flow

The Design Personality of Flow appreciates being spontaneous and adaptable to new situations. You are probably open to opinions, ideas, and cultures that are different to yours. Having a Flow Design Personality means you need undulating movement or the sense of this movement around you.

A girl stands in a wide, quiet sea
Photo by Adrien Olichon

Using materials with the qualities of water—transparency and shine, for example—is a good way to express Flow. Furniture that is spread out and sits away from the wall, as well as light, see-through curtains offer alternative ways to create a sense of movement, and they allow air to flow generously in a living space.

A semi-transparent curtain with an outside garden partially visible through its folds

Space

Flow is created in a space by using what we call ‘paths,’ which can be either straight or curved. These are not necessarily physical lines and can also be manifested in the way we form our gaze or in the flow of air, light, color, or sound.

Two people and a chair standing on a smooth, reflective floor
Photo by Buenosia Carol

These paths can be created in architecture using open spaces, openings that allow one room to view another (vertically or horizontally), staircases, galleries, or with rooms that open into balconies or a backyard. A flowing space can also be achieved through interior design using screens and sliding doors.

A dining room with gray tile floor, glass walls, and transparent chairs looks over a patio with a stone wall behind it
Archircts AABE. Photography Jean Luc

Style

A sense of flow is best created using curvy, wave-shaped lines, which can be either open-ended or closed. Lines can be created horizontally in the meeting point between two different floor materials, on the ceiling using curvy plasterboards, and in furniture that is characterized by curvy lines, amorphic shapes, or asymmetry. Vertical flow can be created with soft, sweeping curtains or by incorporating sculptures and paintings containing forms that encompass the aesthetic, such as a rounded mountain, the female body, or water in different forms.

An urban duplex with a winding staircase, a smooth concrete floor, and slightly wavy gray sofas place freely in the living room
Architect Adrian Amore Photography Fraser Marsden

Glass furniture and accessories are excellent for flow, and so are hanging mobiles and chimes that create a soft sound that reminds us of the air flowing around us.

A black metal mobile with various shapes connected by iron wires on a blue background

Color

If water is the primary element of Flow, then water colors are the natural choice to create the effect. Clear, transparent blues and shades of turquoise offer a light and gentle Flow, while dark blue and shiny black create a deep and mysterious effect. Shine can be added to any color or material to give a sense of sparkle, which is a great way to combine Flow with other personalities in your Design DNA. (for example, shiny brown Parquet floors could be used to combine Security and Flow)

Material

Water expresses Flow better than any other material, but since it is impossible to use water for most things, we look for materials that emulate its qualities: smooth uniform surface, transparency, reflection, and wavy motion (whether soft or powerful).

A gray-blue bathtub with large windows and a mirror that doubles the image

Glass, which is clear, transparent and reflective is one of the best ways to create Flow in your room; try using it in more than just windows, doors and mirrors. Glass can be used to create internal or external walls, in tables and shelves, in vases sculptures and accessories. It can even be used in the floor.

Flooring materials such as marble, smooth concrete, and shiny epoxy incorporate the qualities of water, especially when hit by a ray of light. Small elements such as mosaics, pebbles, and gravel give a sense of movement or even create movement of their own.

Flow is also expressed wonderfully with fabric: through its motion, color, texture, and pattern.  And last but certainly not least is water itself, which can be used in a fountain, aquarium, waterfall, and more.

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