Proportion and Scale

When your placing items in your room don’t forget about proportion and scale. 

Proportion and scale refer to the size of the items in your room in relation to each other. Using the correct proportions in your elements lets the eye travel naturally through the room, enhances the focal point of the room and creates a sense of peace.

When proportion and scale are off it interrupts the natural peaceful flow of the eye around the room and distracts from the focal point.

This room demonstrates a well proportioned room layout. The eye travels around the room without interruption. The focal point, the fireplace is easily discernable because the scale of the wall décor items are equal.

Even though the wall décor items are different, a painting on one wall and a mirror on the other, they are the same proportion so they are harmonious and don’t distract the eye from a natural flow.

When we place a small mirror on the right wall we see how the scale and proportion of the room has changed.

The eye no longer travels gently around the room to rest on the focal point the fireplace. Instead, the left side of the room has become the resting point for the eye and there is a sense of unbalance.

Another option to balance a room is to use a grouping of small photos if you don’t have another large item for balance. By placing a group of small mirrors on the right hand side that has a similar scale to the large painting on the left, the balance and flow of the room return with the fireplace as the focal point.

Grouping items for balance works with accessories too.