Tips on How to Use Scale and Proporation to Decorate a Room
ByBrenda Bentley Pruitt
Learning how to use scale and proportion to decorate a room properly is vital. Scale and proportion may be the thing that is making your room look unbalanced, dull and muddled. The first thing I do on a new project is rearrange furniture and accessories in order to tell me what is lacking. Usually all those things the client thought they needed were cut down to about half. That is one of my big WINKS! Yes, yes…….. I know I lose money on projects this way but, I get more satisfaction on proving the scale and proportion theory.
Finding balance with scale and proportion is a trial and error thing! The desk is very large and heavy in size, therefore the chairs that are placed on either side has to have some weight to balance the setting. Using two different chair styles with different fabrics adds interest to this grouping. An added bonus is the smart use of the floral pillow placed in the toile fabric chair. See how your eye travels through the setting?The scale and proportion here is questionable. What could be done to correct the stuffed look? How about removing the plates? Not too bad. The lamps are a little out of proportion compared to space. Why not remove a lamp and a plate plus the small dish and shell. Then, pull the books to the right at a slight angle and place one plate with stand a little off center toward the lamp. Think about it! WINK WINK!Sometimes, it just makes sense to fudge on the scale. The client here wanted to be able to get a great view of the yard, while dining. A good way to balance the scale and proportion in this setting is to use upholstered wing chairs at each end. WINK!Consider fabrics when using scale and proportion. I always talk about how decorating can be simple, if you chose to keep it simple! Having a solid fabric covering most of the upholstered surface in a room will allow you to use a pattern as large as you chose, because it is not competing with other patterns.Perfect example of a table that is too small for the chairs. If a larger table was used, then the plates could open up and have some air. A pretty setting for the chairs to have a monogram on the front or back of the chairs.Study this room. The scale and proportions are perfect. WINK WINK! Note how one chair has a skirt and the other has open wooden legs. Make sure you check to see how many furniture legs are showing in a room. Use a mix of upholstered furniture along with open legs for an interesting look.
If everything is too similar by ratio and by scale, the eye doesn’t have an interesting path to follow as it travels around the room.
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