It's all about scale

  Designers/decorators are like acrobats, always juggling the elements and principles of design to create  inviting and interesting spaces. These tools of the trade come easily when you spend your time immersed in design, but for the average person it takes a little more effort to pull together a truly well designed space. 

 One of the the most noticeable problems I see in many spaces  is a  lack of understanding/ application/ use of  proportion and scale. It's a biggie in my book. Playing with scale can be used to great effect, but  when done wrong it can creates visually uncomfortable spaces.

 Proportion and scale go hand in hand since both relate to size and shape. Proportion is about the ratio between the size of one part to another, and scale is how the size of one objects relates to another, to the space as a whole and  to the people who will inhabit the space . My best example of  disregarding scale is choosing a large overstuffed love seat, chair and sofa for a small space. Then imagine a petite couple living there! 

Yea or Nah, let's see what we think about these.... I've had my say....  (all images from my Pinterest board Pondering Scale)

When I feel that the scale of something is off I say the object in question looks "uncomfortable".  In the room above the clock looks very uncomfortable.  It has no room to breathe because it is totally hemmed in by the  the headboard and the night table.  Is it a great clock?  Yes...  Would it look better in another setting ?  I think so.  How about you? 

The urn next to the dresser  looks out of place in this space. While it is quite stunning and it fits in with the style of the other objects and furniture, it  needs a much larger space to shine.  It works with the scale of the dark dresser with TV on top, but it it just too large for the space between the two pieces of furniture.

 This is an elegantly designed space, but I am fussy about the scale of pillows to chairs/sofas.  To my mind they have to look good and be functional.  How would you ever sit on this chair?  Pillow to floor immediately!  A 12 in square or a lumbar pillow works well in a side chair.  If you want to add lots of pattern consider a throw folded over the back of a chair.

Cynthia Lynn Photography

 We don't usually see pendants this large but in this space I think they work very well.  It helps that they are transparent.  The choice of  oversized pendants seems to be on the rise lately. 

  You will often see a small decorative mirror over a bed, but it rarely works to best effect.  I would choose a round mirror for this beautiful room and I quite like the gold finish.  I think it needs to be a tad larger.  Rule of thumb is 2/3 the width of the headboard.  Where  this space is  banked by two windows
 you could go a tad smaller that that but not as little as half which is what we have in the room above. 

 When you have a  very tall headboard or posts you need to scale up your lamp accordingly. I want this lamp to have a larger base and only slightly more height. It needs more presence.  Everything else about this space is just lovely.  

  I love the burlap with stripe and the glass base of this lamp,  but it gives  that uncomfortable feeling again.  How do you know which shade size (height and width) to choose for a lamp?   There are all kinds of formulas for this, but consider a shade that is  roughly  2/3 the height of the  lamp base up to where the socket begins and twice the width of the base. The shade above is not too bad height wise, but it needs to have a much larger shade diameter.  

I seem to have a lot of lamp issues in this post.   Great lamp but not on this cabinet and what about placing the little plant  next to it? This lamp needs SPACE!

 Another lovely space with pristine white everywhere.  If this table doubles as a place to eat, I guess function will outweigh form.  Otherwise a coffee table should be roughly 2/3 the length of the sofa.
























 In my world you should not have to reach up to a coffee table or any table for that matter.  It is actually dangerous if you have a hot drink and knock it enroute.  A coffee table is usually the height of the sofa cushion, a tad lower or higher. Modern coffee tables are often much lower than the top of the sofa cushion.

The floral arrangement is also very high for the middle of a space.  Safety again. There's living in a space and then there are photo shoots.  Not the same thing at all.

This may only be a pet peeve of mine because I see tall tables next to seating  in home decor magazines and online.This smallish love seat with delicate arms is overpowered by this  much taller table. It might not be quite so bad if the lamp weren't towering over everything. 

I can't imagine why one would want an art work touching the ceiling and a sofa.  I guess the designer could be making some statement about insignificance! 

Do you know the rule of three?

Three  is a very popular number in many aspects of life from religion to fairy tales, and it is extremely  popular and important  in all aspects of  design .  When you understand how to use the rule of three you have a powerful agent for design change in your home.  Often improvements are free because you simply have to move around what you already have.
 
 In design, using threes helps you build interest and drama, as well as  harmony, and it a very effective way to create visual movement in a room . Three works for function e.g., kitchen work triangle, furniture arrangement, sofa and two chairs.  It also is frequently used for colour and fabric schemes and groupings of accessories and vignettes.  Three can effectively establish a focal point. Here's how you can liven up your space and help improve function.

Adi Edlin

This is a wonderful graphic produced by Adi Edlin that shows the rule of 3 working twice in a vignette. First in the grouping of accessories in sections and then in the overall design of the vignette.  

 Gauthier Stacy

A simpler version  of the rule of three where you have three bottles mixed with three other objects (2 bunches of flowers and a shell ). 

VT Interiors 

Art collections always look great in groupings of 3.  This one is perfect because it totally fits the wall space and is in keeping with the graphic nature of the colour scheme. I also love the visual relief the circle provides for all the straight lines.  Circles in a grouping also move the eye effortlessly. They are great pivots.

 VT Interiors

This dramatic space  is further enhanced by the inclusion of the three arched mirrors which provide a focal point ( not an easy task in this space).  Relief from the straight lines in the rest of the room is also provided by the curves. 

Do you see three in this arrangement?  Often you get  furniture with very distinct divisions as in this settee.  Because it visually reads as two with the centre legs it provides the perfect foil for this artwork.

Pinterest

Look carefully at this vignette  because it is masterfully put together in variety and scale . First we have two windows and a mirror mimicking the windows for a total of 3, then there are three hats visible in the mirror and three objects in the vignette (bench, floral arrangement and mirror). The scale of the bench is perfect for the width of the 3 "windows' behind it and the flower arrangement works so well with the weighty bench.

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Lots of threes here: colour scheme of yellow, blue and gray; vignette of art, chair and table; and three shelves and three groupings of objects on each shelf.  There are also at least three yellow and blue objects spread throughout the vignette to move the colours around.

Perhaps you can look around your home and see places where the rule of three can be put to use  to refine  how you have arranged things. Don't overdo it ! Remember that any odd number is effective.  I particularly love five mixed with three. Have fun.....

The Tardy Decorator

I can't believe I haven't written a  blog post since May.    I am posting regularly on my Facebook page which is quick and can  be accessed easily as I travel and relax  at my summer home. I don't think I am the only one who falls shy of projected output over the summer months. 

I am also tardy in completing my own home improvement projects. I wrote about my main bath reno last year in this post .  I made all the design decisions and purchased materials.  Now they all lie in my painting studio and have been beckoning for a year.  I joked with my husband, who is the contractor, that the choices will be past their prime by the time the room is completed. I'm already having second thoughts about the sink I purchased.  The new  completion date is fall 2013.  He won't commit to a specific month though! 

I am also re-decorating my guest room which has had nothing done to it in 15 years! It is a deadly beige right now and I've moved my black shaker bedroom set  into the space  and plan to work with a black and white design and possibly one or two  colour accents.    Here are some inspiration pics.

Tom Stringer Design Partners

I love the mix of organic and geometric patterning.  I already purchased narrow striped black and soft white sheets and have my eye on a duvet. I am not a lover of dark window treatments, but this room looks great with the geometric cut on the black roller shades.  There's  nothing like a tidy window treatment. BM Acadia white OC 38 is my choice for wall colour.  Stark white is too clinical for me. 

 

 Pinterest

I've seen this picture many times on Pinterest and I still love it.  It gives an idea of how fresh black and white looks with an accent colour. 

It is so easy to dream up the schemes, but when you do all the work yourself it usually takes awhile to get into the groove.  Right now my garden is taking priority.  I hope the guest room doesn't take as long as the bathroom!

Accenting with wood

  There are so many ways you can make your space inviting .  My recommendation today is to  consider wood because it can add both warmth and architectural interest to any space.  Choose a little or a lot, there's something for every space. If you don't  like the warm tones of wood but love the grain and texture, think about white washing or gray washing it.   How about using  wood  in......

Accessories 

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A few twigs or pinecones as part of a table display or sliced wood attached to board or a recessed box shape can add instant interest to small areas.

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These houses cut from weathered 2 x 4 are the essence of simple, but when massed together they provide big impact  when displayed on simple white vertical  shelving  attached to white painted board. 

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If you find beautiful wooden boxes like the ones above grab them.  They not only provide extra storage but they look great in any application.  You can tuck them away or use them out in the open as an end table in a living room or as a night table in a bedroom.  They are so versatile. 

Room Dividers 

 I am not overly fond of room dividers, but some are so well done they look like an art installation rather than a functional aspect of a home. Here are some of my favourite ones.....

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This  divider is attached to the ceiling and floor with rods but it appears to  float.  It also allows the homeowner to place a piece of furniture in front of it.   I think I would like to see the buffet a different colour so it stands out from the wood, but there are just as many arguments for having it the same colour.

 

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I just love this divider because you can move around it on both sides and it is so substantial looking and works well with the flooring.  

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 This is perfect in every way, but the addition of a concrete sphere against all those horizontal and verticals is inspired. 

 Bathrooms  

All of these bathrooms have a mix of wood and other surfaces.  Each provides relief for the other and in this way work together to create a stronger aesthetic statement.

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 There is just enough wood spread around this room to create a wonderful balance with the abundance of marble. 

 

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This is both an accent wall and an integrated storage space.

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Sliding doors and drawer and open shelving.  This space has it all.

 

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Isn't the asymmetrical placement of this wood strip just a prefect balance for all the white and glass on the left of it?

Fireplaces

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 Rough hewn logs in an asymmetrical placement work really well .  Chunky and demanding they make quite a statement.

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While this is probably rough wood that is stained, it looks like charred wood.  It is this quality that is so appealing in this application.

 

I guess you are getting the message that I love asymmetry.  This delicate shelf that extends beyond the fireplace on one side is the perfect resting place for two white vases that reference the colour of the fireplace surround.

Accent Walls  

And don't forget the power of wood for an accent wall.  Either natural or stained, you can't beat the  warmth of real wood.  I especially love it paired with white walls and furniture.

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 emily jagoda  Houzz

A little spring in my home

Do you like white flowers?  I'm a sucker for them.  Nothing is as fresh and inviting as white and let's face it, there's nothing white doesn't match.  Lucky for me there are so many varieties of white flowers that  I can keep finding something  year round.  A large bunch can be divided into two vases if you keep your vases on the smallish side.

 Here's my latest  addition in the laundry room.  Don't be afraid to mix up your vignette for a bit of newness.

Which of these  vignettes do you like the best?

Margaret Ryall

A modified L line of design...

Margaret Ryall

 the classic check mark / V or...

Margaret Ryall

the always predictable A arrangement?

Sure do wish this art work was a little bigger!  It is one of my mixed media pieces ( 11 x 14 in.)  titled Attempting Balance (encaustic, paper, and metal on cradled panel) created at the 6th International Encaustic Conference in 2012 at Provincetown, NJ.   My laundry room is a lovely art gallery.  I have to make it nice because it is open to the hallway and a walk through for the powder room.  

I don't only rotate the objects in my arrangement I also rotate the art hanging there.  If I want to live with a piece to determine if it is finished I hang it in the laundry room!

6 Options for painting trim

  There are so many decisions to make when you begin decorating a new home or renovating. Something as basic as what colour to paint the trim often causes homeowners hours of deliberation.  How about you?  What decision have you made about painting your trim work?


1.  White/off white

This is  the most common solution to painting trim .  It works with every style and is fresh and crisp. 

 Norwich Architect Smith & Vansant Architects PC

Nightingale Design

Even if you have white walls your trim can also be white. Consider changing the paint sheen to semi gloss or gloss if you want to accentuate the trim in a white room.        

2. Wood - natural  or stained 

There was a period of time when many homes had natural or stained wood trim, but this trend has slipped a little in the last ten years.  When you have wood your decision is often to leave it natural or stain it.  When your floors are also wood, it can help you decide which stain option to go with.

 Contrary to popular belief wood trim is not sacred.  If you want to paint it don't hold back.  Interestingly enough it is mostly men who revere wood. When you choose this application your are making a decision to outline a room.  Make sure this is what you want to accomplish.

 Rebekah Zaveloff

 In this space the trim colour is in keeping with the floor tones and is just a little darker.  

Houzz

With light wood floors you always have the option to choose your trim stain  to work  with your furniture. I think the omission of crown in this space really works well to provide a lofty look and keep the viewer's eye at living level.

 Gary Earl Parsons, Architect / Muffy Kibbey Photos

Your wood trim  doesn't have to be dark to be effective.  You often see natural wood trim  in more modern spaces  where the walls are usually a  light colour  Hint. If you want to achieve a lofty look as in the previous room shown, paint your crown the same colour as the wall.

3.  Same colour  as walls
I often use this application in modern spaces or in rooms where there are too many doors.  When you do this a seamless look is created and the walls become the perfect place to display art without  all those lines you get with alternate colour trim. If you have a more traditionally styled home and modern furniture,  painting your trim the same as your walls will provide an updated look. 

Houzz

Traditional Home

Wondering about chair railing or other paneled effects ?  Rather than removing it, paint it the same as the wall.


4. Colours 

If you are someone who loves colour, this might be the look for you.  It also works well in kids' rooms.    Beware this application creates strong outlines in a room and can chop up your space. Some would say it adds energy because your eyes are always wandering.

Houzz

Pink Wallpaper 

Design Crisis  

Centsational Girl

5. Darker Than the Walls

This is a good solution in certain spaces. When you paint your trim darker, choose a colour that is roughly two values darker than the walls. This is a great treatment for modern spaces or commercial spaces.

Bernard Andre Photography

 

 Terri Symington, ASID

6. Black
This is a daring solution for trim.  When used with white/off white  walls it provides a crisp look that is elegant and serious.  Black looks equally good with soft gray walls.

 Architect Neuhaus Design Architecture, P.C.

If you have very ornate trim , black can really accentuate this sculptural element in your home. Don't be afraid to use it. 

 Linda McDougald Design | Postcard from Paris Home

Lots of options....