The rhythm in the music and the rhythm in the interior design works in similar ways. Let us think in the rhythm of a song and the repetitive elements of a room. With the foot we mark the rhythm, with the eyes we rebound through the room to enjoy the design.
This principle suggests essentially a connected movement in between the interior design elements. This movement is key to maintain the visual tempo between the different visual weights. The elements repeated in order and the spaces between, creates the sensation of rhythm.
The rhythm is possible in any space following these three methods: repetition, alternation, and progression.
The repetition means the reiterated us of design elements, such as the color, texture or pattern; or any other physical attribute.
The alternation is the method to create rhythm interchanging two or more elements, for instance XYYXYX or XYZXYZ, etc.
Progretion, the elements are in order, upward or downward based on the size, color, or any other characteristic.
Translated from: http://ciervo.net/blog